SUBJECT: Quarterly SI Data Carpentry Workshop: [Autumn 2019] Edition
The Smithsonian Carpentries Team will be offering a 2-day Data Carpentry workshop on [DATES] in the [WORKSHOP LOCATION], where we will teach data manipulation best practices using:
- OpenRefine,
- [PYTHON OR R], and
- SQL.
You do not need to have any previous knowledge of the tools that will be presented at the workshop.
Registration for the workshop will open at 10AM [EST or EDT] on [DATE] at [COURSE WEBSITE]
The Smithsonian Carpentries Team is a pan-institutional group of Smithsonian staff and fellows who work with data and computational tools on a daily basis, and are passionate about building a community of data practitioners at the Smithsonian. The group is coordinated by the OCIO Data Science Lab, and you can learn more about past and upcoming workshops at https://datascience.si.edu/carpentries
Subject: Important details about [DATES] Data Carpentry Workshop
Hello All,
We are excited for the Data Carpentry workshop next [DAY 1 and Day 2] and hope you are too. A few notes:
Be sure to complete the pre-workshop survey: [SURVEY LINK]
We use this to calibrate the pace of the workshop and, together with a post-workshop survey, to assess how it went.
We will begin next [DAY 1] morning at 9AM. You will need to enter through the staff-only East Entrance of the Castle (the door closest to the Capitol). Show your Smithsonian badge to the guard at that entrance. The library is room SI 384, which is on the 3rd floor, on the opposite side of the building from the East Entrance. Use the staircase just inside the East Entrance to get to the 3rd floor, and then you will have to walk down a long and circuitous hallway to get to the library, which is at the end.
We will have coffee and small snacks available (with a request for a small donation to cover costs), but you will be on your own for lunch. There is a public cafeteria on the first floor of the Castle and a staff cafeteria in the basement.
We are committed to making sure that the workshop is accessible to everyone. Please tell us if there is anything we should know in advance in order to make the workshop accessible for you (e.g. sign-language interpreters, large-print handouts, lactation facilities).
Please read the Carpentries Code of Conduct http://docs.carpentries.org/topic_folders/policies/code-of-conduct.html so that we all are aware of how to treat each other respectfully.
Please have the required software installed on your laptop before [DAY 1]. Follow the Windows or Mac instructions to install OpenRefine, [RStudio or Anaconda], and SqliteBrowser in the Setup section of the course website [COURSE WEBSITE]. If you have any issues with installation, email mailto:[email protected]. We can hold an in-person installation help session on [DAY 1 minus 1] if necessary.
Let us know if you have any questions, otherwise we will see you [DAY 1] morning!
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Best,
Smithsonian Carpentries
https://datascience.si.edu/carpentries
Subject: Important details about [DATES] Data Carpentry Workshop
Hello all,
We are excited for the Data Carpentry workshop starting in one week and we hope you are too. As a reminder the days are [DATES] from [TIMES AND TIME ZONE]. Be sure to complete the pre-workshop survey: [SURVEY LINK]. We will be using Zoom for this workshop, we will send the connection details the day before Day 1.
A few notes:
Code of Conduct: Please read the Carpentries Code of Conduct https://datascience.si.edu/carpentries so that we all are aware of how to treat each other respectfully.
Attendance: If you will no longer be able to participate in the workshop, please let us know ASAP so we can reach out to others who are currently on the waitlist.
Workshop Website: You can find the schedule, our collaborative note-taking document, links to the course material, and links to help install the required software here: [WEBSITE LINK]
Etherpad: We will be using this web document called an Etherpad (similar to a GoogleDoc) to take notes and work on challenge questions during the workshop: [ETHERPAD LINK]. No account is needed to access this document.
Software Installation: We will be learning how to work with data using Excel, OpenRefine, SQLite Browser, and [PYTHON | R AND RSTUDIO]. You can find installation instructions for each of these programs here https://datacarpentry.org/ecology-workshop/setup-python-workshop.html [OR] https://datacarpentry.org/ecology-workshop/setup-r-workshop.html. Please try to install them before the start of the workshop and let us know if you have any issues so that we can plan additional time for troubleshooting before the workshop starts. We have workarounds and backup solutions for all of them. Please note, Excel or Google Sheets will work for the Spreadsheet section, most people do not find it necessary to install LibreOffice.
Screen set up: During this workshop, you will be watching an instructor do live coding while you follow along in your own installed software. We suggest that, if possible, you use two screens for this workshop - one screen for your installed software and the Etherpad (e.g. your main computer screen), and a second screen to watch the instructor via Zoom (e.g. a second monitor, a separate computer, a tablet). If you do not have a second screen -- do not worry -- you can still fully participate in this workshop, but it might be a little more inconvenient. You can practice having two windows (the video conference program and one of the tools you will be using at the workshop) open together. Or you could try switching between screens using your keyboard.
Accessibility: We are committed to making sure that the workshop is accessible to everyone. Please tell us if there is anything we should know in advance in order to make the workshop accessible for you.
As usual, let us know if you have any questions. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Smithsonian Carpentries https://datascience.si.edu/carpentries
SUBJECT: Space available in this week's Data Carpentry workshop
Hi [NAME],
We’ve had a cancellation from the Data Carpentry workshop that is [DAY 1 and DAY 2] of this week. We’ve released a ticket for you via the EventBrite website and you should have received an email notification. If you are able to attend, please follow the link in the email you should’ve gotten from EventBrite (check your Spam folder and let us know if you didn’t receive it). If you are not able to attend, please let us know so we can offer it to the next person on the list.
The course website is here if you want more info: [COURSE WEBSITE]
Thanks,
[WORKSHOP COORDINATOR]
SUBJECT: Data Carpentry Waitlist Follow-up
Hello All,
You are receiving this message because you joined the waitlist for the [SEASON] Quarterly Data Carpentry workshop [COURSE WEBSITE]. As you probably concluded, we unfortunately did not get to your spot in the waitlist.
If you are a good self-learner, I wanted to point out that all of the lessons we will be covering in the workshop are open source and available via the links at [COURSE WEBSITE SYLLABUS].
We also set up a new Smithsonian Listserv for announcing whenever new Carpentries workshops are scheduled. You can sign up by going to https://datascience.si.edu/carpentries and clicking on the big green button towards the top of the page labeled "Sign up for the Carpentries-announce mailing list". This email list will be the first location where we will be announcing all future Carpentries workshops.
Feel free to share this Listserv sign-up link, and we hope you are able to join us for an upcoming workshop!
--The Carpentries Team
https://datascience.si.edu/carpentries
SUBJECT: Data Carpentry Workshop Follow-up
Hi All,
Thank you for participating in the Data Carpentry workshop last week. We hope you left the workshop feeling empowered to continue learning more about the tools that were covered. Like we tried to repeat several times during the workshop, you won't feel completely comfortable with any of the tools until you try them out on your own data, so we hope you have had a chance to put your new skills into practice since then.
We would like to capture your thoughts about what was covered and your perception of the workshop overall. Please complete the post-workshop survey at [SURVEY LINK] as soon as possible.
If you go to the workshop GitHub repository [REPO LINK], you will see a Markdown document keep_in_touch.md that combines all of the various ways you can stay involved with the Carpentries community after the workshop.
We specifically wanted to remind you to mark your calendars for the next Carpentries Brown Bag that will be on [DATE] in the [LOCATION]. [PRESENTER NAME] will be giving a short demonstration on "[PRESENTATION TITLE]", and then we will have the rest of the hour to discuss data and the tools we use to clean and analyze data.
Thanks again for being such attentive learners, and feel free to email any of us about the tools you learned in the workshop, or about the Carpentries program in general.
Our best,
Your instructors:
- [INSTRUCTOR 1 NAME]([INSTRUCTOR 1 EMAIL])
- [INSTRUCTOR 2 NAME]([INSTRUCTOR 2 EMAIL])