Texas State University has recently joined The Carpentries, a global community committed to enhancing computing and data skills through interactive workshops. The Carpentries is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives. They teach skills that are immediately useful for researchers, using lessons and datasets that allow researchers to quickly apply what they have learned to their own work. As part of our membership with The Carpentries, the Research Data Services team at Texas State University Libraries will host workshops designed to empower students, faculty, and research staff with essential coding and data science skills to enhance their research. Click here to learn more.
Workshop One: R for Reproducible Scientific Data
Date: May 13-14, 2024 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day)
Location: Alkek Library, Room 452, San Marcos
Cost: $25
Certificate: People who complete this workshop will receive a certificate for successfully completing the basic software and data skills training run by the Carpentries.
Our first workshop will focus on “R for Reproducible Scientific Data.” This two-day, hands-on workshop will cover key concepts in data analysis and visualization using R, with a focus on working with tabular data, writing custom functions, and creating publication-quality graphics. Participants will also gain familiarity with RStudio and strategies for seeking assistance. Whether you’re new to programming or looking to expand your skills in R, this workshop is designed to meet your needs. The curriculum includes: The Unix Shell, Version Control with Git, and R for Reproducible Scientific Analysis.
This workshop is for learners who have little to no prior computational experience. The instructors put a priority on creating a friendly environment to empower researchers and enable data-driven discovery. Even those with some experience will benefit, as the goal is to teach not only how to do analyses, but also how to manage the process to make it as automated and reproducible as possible.
Tentative Agenda
| Day 1 | Pre-workshop survey | Day 2 | |
| 9:00 am | Automating Tasks with the Unix Shell | 9:00 am | R for Reproducible Scientific Analysis – Introduction to R and RStudio |
| 10:30 am | Morning break | 10:30 am | Morning break |
| 11:00 am | Automating Tasks with the Unix Shell (Continued) | 11:00 am | R for Reproducible Scientific Analysis (Continued) |
| 12 pm | Lunch Break | 12-1 pm | Lunch Break |
| 1 pm | Version Control with Git | 1 pm | R for Reproducible Scientific Analysis – Creating Publication-Quality Graphics with ggplot2 |
| 2:30 pm | Afternoon break | 2:30 pm | Afternoon break |
| 3:00 pm | Version Control with Git (Continued) | 3:00 pm | R for Reproducible Scientific Analysis (Continued) |
| 4:00-4:30 pm | Wrap up | 4:00-4:40 pm | Wrap-up |
Registration
Registration is now open for the Carpentries May 2024 Workshop at TXST! Space is limited and it will likely fill quickly. To secure your seat, a reservation fee of $25 will be required. Here is the registration link. Snacks and lunches will be provided during the workshop sessions.
Stay tuned for future workshop offerings. For any inquiries or further information, please feel free to reach out to us at UL-RDS@txstate.edu.
This article was contributed by Data Curation Specialist Xuan Zhou.