The Unix shell has been around longer than most of its users have been alive. It has survived so long because it’s a power tool that allows people to do complex things with just a few keystrokes. More importantly, it helps them combine existing programs in new ways and automate repetitive tasks so they aren’t typing the same things over and over again. Use of the shell is fundamental to using a wide range of other powerful tools and computing resources (including “high-performance computing” supercomputers). These lessons will start you on a path towards using these resources effectively.

General Information

Software Carpentry aims to help researchers get their work done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic research computing skills. This hands-on workshop will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. Participants will be encouraged to help one another and to apply what they have learned to their own research problems.

For more information on what we teach and why, please see our paper "Best Practices for Scientific Computing".

Who: The course is aimed at graduate students and other researchers. You don't need to have any previous knowledge of the tools that will be presented at the workshop.

Where: Online via Zoom

When: Friday, October 16, 2020. 1:00pm - 4:30pm

Requirements: Participants must bring a laptop with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they have administrative privileges on. They should have a few specific software packages installed (listed here).

Materials will be provided in advance of the workshop. If we can help making learning easier for you (e.g. sign-language interpreters, additional accommodations) please get in touch (using contact details below) and we will attempt to provide them.

Workshop organization note: A full Software Carpentry workshop typically consists of two days of in-person instruction, covering the Unix shell (half day), version control with Git (half day), and a full day of either Python or R. Due to moving online to maintain safety and compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, we have separated this curriculum into a series of workshops. For the full workshop curriculum, suggested schedules are below (choose a workshop, then for each row choose a date option from one column):

 
Data Carpentry lessons use domain-specific data files and examples, so mixing and matching is not recommended: