Software Carpentry aims to help researchers get their work done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic research computing skills. The eScience Institute, in partnership with the Carpentries, runs free hands-on workshops each quarter that cover basic data science concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. In these workshops, instructors use live-coding to work through practical data analysis problems with participants. Participants are encouraged to help one another and to apply what they learn to their own research problems.

The eScience Institute organizes one Software Carpentry workshop each quarter. Workshops are usually scheduled for Monday through Thursday from 9am until noon each day. Fall and Spring quarter workshops are usually held online over zoom while Winter and Summer quarter workshops are usually held in person in the UW Data Science Studio, but specific details and dates vary. Please sign up for the eScience mailing list to receive announcements of upcoming workshops.

The eScience Institute can also assist other departments or organizations at UW in organizing their own Software Carpentry workshop.

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

The workshop is aimed primarily at graduate students and other researchers. Although Software Carpentry was designed with students of STEM fields in mind, students from all domain areas can benefit from the workshops, and we encourage students in areas such as the arts, humanities, business, and education to attend. You don’t need any previous knowledge of the tools that will be presented at the workshop.

Requirements: Participants must have access to a computer with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they have administrative privileges on. Each workshop may request a few specific software packages be installed in advance. Each workshop has a web page with detailed setup instructions, and instructors are available before the course to assist with technical problems.

Accessibility: We are dedicated to providing a positive and accessible learning environment for all. Please notify the instructors in advance of the workshop if you require any accommodations or if there is anything we can do to make this workshop more accessible to you.

Software Carpentry is run on a voluntary basis. We are always looking for instructors to teach the workshop lessons and for helpers to provide technical assistance to students during the workshop. Assisting with the workshops is an excellent way to develop competency in teaching, and instructors and helpers have the opportunity to complete a free instructor training certification course. If you are interested in helping out with the workshops at eScience, please contact Noah Benson for more information.

To learn more about the roles at the workshop (who will be doing what), refer to our Workshop FAQ.

Everyone who participates in Carpentries activities is required to conform to the Code of Conduct. This document also outlines how to report an incident if needed.

• The Carpentries: foundational coding and data science skills
• Software Carpentry: basic lab skills for research computing
• Software Carpentry lesson plans: exploring Unix shells, version control with Git, and either Python or R programming language

Still have questions? Please contact Senior Data Scientist Noah Benson for more information.