Aleksandra Pawlik on The Carpentries

A Look Back and A Look Ahead from the Data Carpentry Steering Committee

Mon, 15 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Data Carpentry website

On May 8-9, 2014 Data Carpentry hosted its first workshop at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent). That workshop came out of an identified unmet need for the skills and perspectives to work effectively and reproducibly with data, as data became more pervasive in many areas of research. The biggest difference from other trainings, including Software Carpentry, was not so much what we taught (specific tools), but how we taught it – with a focus on data management and analysis rather than writing software. In all our workshops, we use real publicly available data and the workshop is a narrative, going from start (data and project organization) to finish (analysis and visualization) through the course of the workshop, providing an onramp to using data skills in friendly, accessible workshops. The goal is to teach skills, and even more importantly, to show people what’s possible, and that they can do it, so people have the confidence and enthusiasm to go on to learn more and use these skills in their own research.

Instructor Training in South Africa 2.0

Tue, 09 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

One of the main goals of our community is to make Software and Data Carpentry workshops accessible for all researchers from all disciplines and all regions of the world. In the past three years workshops in South Africa and other African countries have started gradually picking up and I think we may soon see exponential growth!

This has been made possible thanks to a lot of effort and hard work from a number of amazing people, including Anelda van der Walt. In 2014 we realised that the biggest obstacle to running workshops in Africa, was the lack of qualified trainers on the continent. Since then we’ve put significant focus on building a local instructor pool to enable research organisations in the region to run Software and Data Carpentry training. In 2015 several instructors were trained online. Last year North West University at Potchefstroom hosted the first in-person Instructor Training with attendees from South Africa and other African countries. Just last week, between 30th April and 2nd May, we (Anelda, Kari Jordan and Aleksandra Pawlik) ran another Instructor Training in Cape Town with 28 participants.

Instructor Traininig Intercontinental

Thu, 22 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The end of the calendar year is a usual opportunity to make look back at the past 365 days. The summary of mine would be “Instructor Training Intercontinental”. I have always considered myself to be incredibly lucky working with Software and Data Carpentry and certainly in 2016 I hit another jackpot. I run 7 Instructor Training workshops, in 6 countries on 3 continents. But the highlight was, as it has always been with SWC and DC, the people.

Software Carpentry workshop in severe conditions

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Usually the main struggles preceding Software and Data Carpentry workshops involve the laptop setup, signposting the room and making sure the washrooms are unlocked. But the recent workshop in New Zealand, held at National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) was facing much more extreme conditions.

The day before the workshop New Zealand was hit by what is now known Kaikoura earthquake. Wellington, where the NIWA offices are, was also affected. Fortunately, NIWA buildings remained safe and the hosts, Fabrice Cantos and Wolfgang Hayek, decided to go forward with the workshop.

Software Carpentry Workshop Attendance: a New Zealand Perspective

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Having taught and helped at a series of workshop over the past few months Tom Kelly, PhD Candidate in Genetics at the University of Otago, wrote up some of his reflections on the issues related to workshop attendance. This spurred further discussion via email among the New Zealand instructors. We decided to put these thoughts together in hope that this could help other sites struggling with the attendance problems.

Instructor Training in South Africa

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Thanks a lot of hard work from Anelda van der Walt and the support from the [North-West University](http://www.nwu.ac.za/), [University of Cape Town](http://www.uct.ac.za/) and [Talarify](http://www.talarify.co.za/) we were able to run the first face-to-face instructor training in South Africa. We trained 23 new instructors from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. The event was a great success and we are looking forward to expansion on Software and Data Carpentry workshops South Africa and other African countries.

Anelda has been developing Software and Data Carpentry in South Africa for a while now and her efforts led to this first face-to-face Instructor Training. We started off on Sunday, 17th April . evening with a short ice-breaking session of lightning talks during which the participants talked about “The coolest thing about their job” for 2 minutes. Everyone had something interesting to say. What was even more impressive, nobody ran over time, which is not the usual case.

Software and Data Carpentry Instructor Training Comes to Africa

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

North-West University eResearch, UCT eResearch, and Talarify are excited to announce that a Software & Data Carpentry Instructor Training event will take place in Potchefstroom, North-West Province, South Africa from 17 - 20 April 2016.

Our lead trainer will be Aleksandra Pawlik and several of the more experienced South African instructors will also join the workshop to work with the trainee instructors.

In line with a previous post from Belinda Weaver about helping new instructors through the pipeline, this workshop will form part of a larger 12-month programme to help new instructors truly integrate into the community. The programme, an initiative of the three hosting organisations and currently under development, will include supporting instructor trainees to:

SSI is hiring a Communications Officer!

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The [Software Sustainability Institute (SSI)](http://software.ac.uk/) is recruiting a [Communications Officer](http://software.ac.uk/news/2016-01-27-were-hiring-communications-officer-help-us-disseminate-software-best-practice) to communicate the activities of the Institute, and raise its profile in the research community and the general public. SSI has been Software Carpentry's long-standing partner and coordinates our workshops in the UK. They are looking for an enthusiastic individual with a track record in dissemination and outreach. Ideally, they'll have had experience of working with researchers and/or writing technical articles, as well as an understanding of what it takes to nurture a great social media presence and successfully promote events.

For more details and to apply, please see the advert on the University of Edinburgh website (search for vacancy reference ID 035330).

Three Flavors of Instructor Training

Fri, 18 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

It's been a busy few months for instructor training: along with a two-day class at the University of Manchester, we also wrapped up a pilot of a new kind of multi-week course and a two-day version of the same material. We have also been training four new trainers, and have put the first complete draft of the training materials online. Here's some of what we think we've learned so far.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch to sponsor the first Workshop for Women in Science and Engineering in the UK

Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

We are very happy to announce that the first UK Software Carpentry Workshop for Women in Science and Engineering received generous support from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The event will take place on 14 and 15th December at the University of Manchester.

Intel to sponsor the first Workshop for Women in Science and Engineering in the UK

Thu, 03 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

We are very happy to announce that the first UK Software Carpentry Workshop for Women in Science and Engineering received generous support from Intel. The event will take place on 14 and 15th December at the University of Manchester.

Software Carpentry for Women in Science and Engineering UK

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The Software Sustainability Institute in collaboration with ARCHER and Women in HPC is organising the first Software Carpentry workshop for Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) in the UK. The event will take place at the University of Manchester on 14-15 December 2015.

Call for ELIXIR Node Coordinators

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

One of the 2015 ELIXIR Pilot Projects focuses on supporting training in collaboration with the Data and Software Carpentry initiatives. The pilot "Working up and building the foundation for Data Carpentry and Software Carpentry within ELIXIR" includes a series of initial events across different ELIXIR Nodes. In order to achieve the goal of running Data and Software Carpentry (DC/SWC) workshops, promoting the DC/SWC teaching model, developing and sharing of the training materials, it would be useful if not essential, that each ELIXIR Node has a DC/SWC Coordinator.

Workshops in Oxford

Wed, 21 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford hosted its first Software Carpentry workshop on 13th and 14th January. Instructor and co-organizer Philip Fowler has blogged about it, and included both photographs and some bubble charts of the feedback he received.

Separately, James Allen has blogged about the first and second days of a separate workshop that he ran at Oxford for people in atmostpheric, oceanic, and planetary physics. This was James' first time teaching for us, and his summary of things that he thinks could be improved includes some ideas that we'll fold back into the main notes.

2015 Election: Aleksandra Pawlik

Tue, 13 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

My first degree was in Computer Science. When I started the university I had very little idea about programming. I struggled a lot. I graduated very discouraged and convinced that I just couldn't do it. But then eight years later Greg asked me if I'd like to be a Software Carpentry instructor. I finished the instructor training and I realized that had I been taught differently, maybe now I'd have a great career as a software developer. But then, I wouldn't be writing this blog post.

Research Software Engineer Position at the Oxford e-Research Centre

Tue, 06 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Research Software Engineer position available at the Oxford e-Research Centre, University of Oxford, UK (Java, Python, Web-app, Database, Semantic-web).

Feedback from the MSc Clinical Bioninformatics Workshop

Sat, 13 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Early in November we put on Software Carpentry for the students of the MSc course in Clinical Bioinformatics run by the University of Manchester, UK and the British National Health Service (NHS). The course combines academic curriculum with work-based programme. The students (who already are qualified professionals) are based at various clinical units in the UK and meet only a few times to attend short intense training sessions. The instructors at the Software Carpentry workshop were Aleksandra Nenadic, who taught for the first time, and myself; we were helped by Mike Cornell and Andy Brass.

Feedback from WiSE in Krakow

Sat, 13 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

A week ago Krakow in Poland hosted the Software Carpentry workshop for Women in Science and Engineering. The registration filled up within 72 hours which clearly shows the need for such events.

Google to Support WiSE Poland

Fri, 05 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

We are happy to announce that Google will support the Software Carpentry workshop for Women in Science and Engineering which will take place this weekend in Krakow! We are grateful for their support, and look forward to the event; to which registration filled up within 72 hours!

Announcing WiSE Krakow!

Sun, 23 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

After running several Software Carpentry workshops for women in science and engineering in North America, we are moving east: on 6th and 7th December we will run a WiSE workshop in Krakow, Poland.

Like previous WiSE workshops, this one is open to women at all stages of their research careers, from graduate students, post-docs, and faculty to staff scientists at hospitals and in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The instructors at the workshop will be Paulina Lach of Krakow's University of Science and Technology AGH and Aleksandra Pawlik, the Software Sustainability Institute's Training Leader. The helpers are Agnieszka Celińska (Pedagogical University of Krakow), Iwona Grelowska (University of Science and Technology AGH), Patrycja Radaczyńska (Creativestyle), and Anna Ślimak (Lunar Logic).

The Real Purpose of Sprints

Mon, 04 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

"The real purpose of sprints isn't the code, it's getting to know people..." This is what Greg Wilson told me after the first-ever Mozilla Science Lab global sprint. Indeed, over the course of two days, dozens of people all over the world met virtually and in person to develop and improve Software Carpentry teaching materials, infrastructure and a number of MSL-related projects.

Feedback from the bootcamp at Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare in Pisa

Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

At the beginning of June (3-6) Software Carpentry supported the leaning tower of Pisa. Well, no really. We actually supported the students at Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare at the University of Pisa in becomming more effective using their computational skills. The instructors were Rémi Emonet and Aleksandra Pawlik. The main organisers and hosts were Chiara Roda and Luca Baldini. Needless to say, running a bootcamp early June in Tuscany does have its perks. The memories of gelati and focaccine di ceci are still very vivid. How can you not love being a Software Carpentry instructor?

Learning to Teach Never Ends

Wed, 28 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

A month ago I took part in the first face-to-face Software Carpentry Instructors Training run by Greg Wilson from Software Carpentry and Warren Code from University of British Columbia. Unlike most of 40 participants, I had already completed the instructors course which Greg regularly runs online. My primary aim to attend the face-to-face training was to observe and learn how to run it because the plan is that the Software Sustainability Institute (which I work for) will support running such training in the future. So I attended the training in Toronto as a certified instructor and also as a Software Carpentry co-admin in the UK. Wearing different hats allowed me to look at the event from different perspectives and this is probably why it took me so long to write this post.

Technical Training Officer (LVT Training Officer) position at TGAC

Wed, 14 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) based at Norwich, UK is looking for a Linux and Virtualisation Technical Training Officer who will join the Training and Outreach Team.

Software Carpentry bootcamp at GARNet

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The second week of April the University of Warwick in the UK hosted its first Software Carpentry bootcamp. The bootcamp was organised by GARNet which is a UK-based research network for the UK Arabidopsis and wider plant research community. GARNet facilitates collaboration and interaction between different researchers and supports skills development.

Software Carpentry at TGAC

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

In February The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) in Norwich hosted their first Software Carpentry bootcamp. TGAC is keen to intensively develop their training programme and facilities and Vicky Schneider who leads the Scientific Training, Education & Learning Programme strongly supports Software Carpentry, we are looking forward to more bootcamps in Norwich, UK.

SSI Collaborations Workshop and Hackday

Mon, 03 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The Software Sustainability Institute is running the annual Collaborations Workshop (CW14) on 26-28 March in Oxford. The event brings together researchers, software developers, managers and funders to explore important ideas in software and research and to plant the seed of interdisciplinary collaborations. The theme this year is "Software in your reproducible research" and we also have a hackday!

Feedback from the First MATLAB Bootcamp

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Jan 28: Michael Croucher has also written a good post about what worked and what didn't at this bootcamp.

Last week Software Carpentry paired up with MATLAB to run a bootcamp at the University of Manchester. Apart from shell and version control, the remaining core topics (verification and testing, modular programming with algorithm design) were taught using MATLAB.

Feedback from the First Cambridge R Bootcamp

Sat, 18 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The first R Software Carpentry bootcamp in Cambridge took place on January 7 and 8, 2014. Hosted by the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, the bootcamp was organised by two SSI Fellows, Stephen Eglen and Laurent Gatto. There were 24 participants and a long waiting list of those who wanted to learn R, version control and make.

Software and Research Session at AGU 2013

Mon, 02 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

A Town Hall Session on "Software and Research" proposed by four Software Sustainability Institute Fellows will be held at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in San Francisco. If you are around, come and join the session on Thursday, 12 December 2013, at 12:30 PM in Moscone West Room 2004.

SSI Fellowship Programme 2014

Tue, 24 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

The Software Sustainability Institute is offering Fellowships with £3000 funding for travel, collaboration and running events, including Software Carpentry bootcamps. The Fellowship Programme 2014 recognises outstanding UK-based researchers who use and develop software. Online applications are open until September 27th, 2013 at 5:00 PM BST.

From a Helper to an Instructor

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

This blog post is actually a bit overdue as the first time I instructed at a Software Carpentry bootcamp was over a month ago in Manchester. However, as now I had an opportunity to teach twice (recently in Krakow), this gives me more credit to share my experience of taking a step up from being a helper to being an instructor.

Krakow Bootcamp Experience

Thu, 30 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

On the weekend of 18th and 19th May Krakow saw the first Software Carpentry bootcamp. The main organiser was Damian Marchewka from the PhD students' association at the Jagiellonian University. Karin Lagesen came from Oslo to co-teach with me, and four local helpers: Eryk Ciepiela, Maciej Czuchry, Klemens Noga from ACC Cyfronet and Leszek Tarkowski from Infotraining provided great support throughout the whole bootcamp. There were 28 attendees - most of them postgraduate students and several faculty members. They represented a range of disciplines from mathematics and theoretical physics to biology, genetics and medicine.