The Libraries will offer five training sessions this month on a variety of topics related to software and data management. All sessions will be virtual and are offered to the campus community at no cost to attendees. Participants will receive instructions for joining the sessions upon registration.
Data Security and Management
3:30 – 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 6
Join the Reproducibility & Replicability Committee on April 6 for the informative and timely discussion Data Security and Management. Experts from University Information Technology Services will present on the importance of using a secure location for research materials. This workshop is sponsored by the Division of Research and Innovation. Register.
Programming in R
1-4 p.m. Thursday, April 7
The best way to learn how to program is to do something useful, so this introduction to R is built around a common scientific task: data analysis. The real goal isn’t to teach R, but to teach the basic concepts that all programming depends on. R is used in these lessons because: something must be used for examples; it’s free, well-documented and runs almost everywhere; it has a large and growing user base among scientists; and it has a large library of external packages available for performing diverse tasks. Register.
Introduction to the Unix Shell
1-4 p.m. Tuesday, April 12
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. Register.
Version Control with Git
1-4 p.m. Monday, April 18
Teams are not the only ones to benefit from version control; lone researchers can benefit immensely. Keeping a record of what was changed, when and why is extremely useful for all researchers if they ever need to come back to a project later on.
Version control is the lab notebook of the digital world: it’s what professionals use to keep track of what they’ve done and to collaborate with other people. Every large software development project relies on it, and most programmers use it for their small jobs as well. And it isn’t just for software: books, papers, small data sets, and anything that changes over time or needs to be shared can and should be stored in a version control system. Register.
Introduction to Text Mining in HathiTrust
10 a.m. – noon Monday, April 25
This workshop will provide information on the U of A’s membership in the HathiTrust Research Center and the tools available to perform data mining in the HathiTrust environment. Register.