Python in Astronomy Workshop: Developing community resources

Thomas Robitaille (@astrofrog) is a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy working on star formation and radiative transfer. He is an active developer in the Python Astronomy community and is one of the co-ordinators and core developers for the Astropy project.

python-blackWe are holding a workshop on the topic of Python in Astronomy at the Lorentz Center in Leiden from April 20th to 24th 2015. The workshop will adopt a very interactive format – inspired by the .Astronomy conference series – including presentations, tutorials, unconference sessions, and coding sprints, and should be great fun!

The main aims of the workshop will be to:

  • Share information about state-of-the art Python Astronomy packages
  • Discuss and improve interoperability between astronomical Python packages
  • Provide training for people who are interested in contributing to open source packages
  • Develop a common set of educational materials for Python in Astronomy

The workshop aims to bring together not only developers but also participants interested in educational aspects as well as users interested in learning about contributing to open source packages in Astronomy. You do not need to be a Python expert to consider attending – this is not just about coding, but rather about building and training the Python in Astronomy community.

You can find more information on applying at the workshop page. And please don’t be afraid to propose a talk – topics can range from packages you work on as a hobby or part of your job, educational resources, or even just tools or techniques that you think are awesome! Applications should be submitted by 28th November 2014 at the latest (and we will let you know by mid-December whether you have been accepted).

Thanks to the Lorentz center and to sponsorship by GitHub and NumFOCUS, we are able to offer financial support for a few junior participants, so please indicate in the application form whether you need financial support, along with a short justification!

We want the conference attendees to represent the astronomical community in all its diversity – gender, geography, career stage, field of research, and Python expertise. If you are interested in the topic of the workshop, we encourage you to apply!

1 comment… add one
  • Abiy Tekola Nov 17, 2014 @ 15:12

    I am a postdoc at South African Astronomical observatory in South Africa. I am highly involved in using python for creating citizen science projects to inspire the young generation. I would like to apply for financial support given my institution does not have any funding for such kind of workshops.

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