Sept 2020 / Python for Scientific Computing
Important info
Twitch recordings of videos (unprocessed, and last only 14 days)
YouTube archive of videos (coming soon, if you want to help us produce these get in contact with us)
Registration is full, but you can still follow the stream (see below). We aim for the stream to be as good as the main course, so don’t worry.
Part of Scientific Computing in Practice lecture series at Aalto University.
This is a medium-advanced course in Python tools such as NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, and Pandas. It is suitable for people who have a basic understanding of basic Python and want to know some internals and important libraries for science. Read the learner personas to see if the course is right for you
Prerequisites include basic programming in Python.
Practical information
This is an online course via Zoom (link sent to registered participants). The course is also streamed via Twitch (the CodeRefinery channel) so that anyone may follow along without registration. There is a HackMD link (collaborative edited notes) which is used for asking questions during the course. The actual material is here.
Instructors and organizers:
Anne Claire Fouilloux, University of Oslo Department of Geosciences
Naoe Tatara, University of Oslo Libraries (local organizer)
Radovan Bast, University of Tromsø
Richard Darst, Aalto Scientific Computing (organizer)
Samantha Wittke, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute & Aalto University
Thor Wikfeldt, EuroCC National Competence Center Sweden, Uppsala University
Time, date, place: the course consists of four online hands-on sessions 3h each:
Fri 11.sep, 15:30-16:30 Installation help session
Mon 14.sep, 10:00-13:00 (Jupyter, numpy, matplotlib)
Wed 16.sep, 10:00-13:00 (scripts, packaging)
Mon 21.sep, 10:00-13:00 (scipy, pandas)
Wed 23.sep, 10:00-13:00 (library ecosystem, dependencies, Binder)
Please connect to all sessions 10 minutes early: icebreakers and intro already starts then.
Registration: This is on online workshop: we currently plan for registrations via Zoom up to our capicity (for lectures+exercises, priority for Aalto→Finland→Nordics), or Twitch (lectures, for anyone). (Registration is now full, check back here for stream info.)
You may register as a team, and your team will be kept together during exercise sessions within a breakout room. If you come together with your friends or research group, you will be able to learn a lot more. Even more so if you bring a helper with your group.
Credits: Certificates are not provided for this course.
Additional course info at: richard.darst -at- aalto.fi
Preparation
Prerequisites include basic programming in Python.
Preparation: Online workshops can be a productive format, but it takes some effort to get ready. Browse these resources:
Attending an online workshop, good to read in detail (ignore the CodeRefinery-specific parts).
How to use HackMD to take answer questions and hold discussions.
The Zoom mechanics we will use, might be useful to browse.
It is useful to watch or read the Linux shell crash course, since these basic command line concepts are always useful.
Software installation:
See the installation page of the course material.
In principle, if you are at Aalto, the service https://jupyter.cs.aalto.fi should be sufficient to do most of this course without any local installations. Perhaps not everything, but it will be OK for most people.
Zoom.
Community standards
This is a large course, and we will have many diverse groups attending it. Everyone will be both a teacher and a learner and help to make the course successful. Since this is a large and interactive course which we are just now prototyping, there will be some rough edges and not everything will go perfectly. Please learn from our mistakes, too!
This course consists of both lectures, hands-on exercises, and demos. It is designed to have a range of basic to advanced topics: there should be something for everyone.
The main point this course is the exercises, and they will happen in breakout rooms where we expect people to work together and help each other. We expect everyone to help each other as best as they can with respect for different levels of knowledge - at the same time be aware of your own limitations. No one is better than anyone else, we just have different existing skills and backgrounds.
If there is anything wrong, tell us - if you need to contact us privately, you can message the host on Zoom or contact us outside the course. This could be as simple as “speak louder / text on screen is unreadable” or someone is creating a harmful learning environment.
Material
https://aaltoscicomp.github.io/python-for-scicomp/ (currently being updated)
News and notes
Week 37:
Please see the installation instructions (link above). You need to install anaconda before the first day, or else you will quickly fall behind. This class is so large that we won’t be able to do help you catch up. You should also verify your installation (this is part of the installation instructions). On the Friday before, we have an installation help session - you can join there for help.
Please remember to join the meeting 10 minutes early. Our icebreakers and introductions already start then. If you are on time, you are late!