First Steps in Version Control with GitHub

Description

Convenor: Alexia Cardona (CDH RSE Methods Fellow)

Please note this workshop has limited spaces and an pre-course questionnaire is requested. 

Version control helps you to write code for your research more sustainably and collaboratively, in line with best practices for open research. You might use code for collecting, analysing or visualising your data, or something else. Everyone who codes in some way can benefit from learning about version control for their daily workflow.

This workshop will cover the importance of version control when developing code and foster a culture of best practices in FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reproducible) code development. We will take you through the basic use of GitHub to help you store, manage, and track changes to your code and develop code collaboratively with others.

Designed with beginners in mind, this workshop caters to those who have not yet delved into Git or GitHub. While prior knowledge of a programming language (e.g., R or Python) would be beneficial, it is not a prerequisite. You will need to bring your own laptop.

If you are interested in attending this course, please fill in the application form. We will prioritise places for students and staff in the schools of Arts & Humanities, Humanities & Social Sciences, libraries and museums. However, all are welcome to apply.

About the Convenor: Dr Alexia Cardona is a Training Lead in the fields of Data Science, Data Management and Bioinformatics. She has set up and now leads the Data Science and Data Management Training Programme at the University of Cambridge as part of the Bioinformatics Training Programme.  She is the Course Organiser for the NST Part II BBS Bioinformatics course at the University of Cambridge and a lecturer in the NST Part IB Mathematical and Computational Biology. Her role involves the management of the different aspects of training, including design, development, coordination and teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.  She is a leader in ELIXIR, an international intergovernmental organisation that brings together life science resources from across Europe, where, together with the other leaders and partners, drives the establishment of high-quality training.   She is a Principal Investigator on the EC-funded project for the development of learning paths and a co-investigator in the development of training and capacity building in Data Management across Europe.

Alexia’s research interests focus on teaching and learning in the areas of data science, data and code reproducibility, Bioinformatics and pedagogical research in these areas. She builds on her background in Software Engineering and Research to educate and create awareness for FAIR coding and data. Her most popular courses at the University include Introduction to Programming, Data Manipulation and Visualisation and Reproducible Research.  Dr Cardona is an advocate of participation in Communities of Practice and of women in leading and computational sectors which are currently underrepresented.