Computing 101 Workshop – Summer 2025

Overview

This 3-day workshop will cover some of the common tools used in open source development. It is targeted at novice users. The workshop will be broken into three parts:

1. Programming basics (day 1) – Topics covered: intro to R/Python, git and GitHub.
2. Advancing programming (day 2) – Topics covered:  data cleaning (R), data visualization (R/Python), loops and classes (Python), miscellaneous advanced topics (Python).
3. (optional) Reproducible environments (day 3) – Topics covered: bash environments, package managers (e.g., conda).

The format will be a mixture of lectures and labs. Each day will consist of a morning and afternoon session, each lasting approximately two hours. See below for a more detailed schedule. The workshop will be in-person only. Workshop materials will be made available online afterward.

🗓️ Dates

Part 1 (Programming basics): Wednesday, August 13

Part 2 (Advanced programming): Thursday, August 14

Part 3 (Environments, optional): Friday, August 15

🎯 Location

Hinds Hall 347 and Hinds Hall 111 (see schedule below)

📋 Registration

Registration for the workshop will open soon.

Registration is open to all Syracuse University and SUNY ESF students, staff, and faculty. There is no fee, but space is limited, so sign up soon.

💻 Prerequisites

The workshop will be cross-disciplinary and no prior programming experience is needed. You will need to bring your own computer. Attendees should install the following software before the workshop:

• R and RStudio (if attending R sessions)
• Miniconda (if attending Python sessions)
• GitHub Desktop
• Day 3 Prereqs?

⏲ Schedule

The workshop will start at 10:00AM each day. We will also be available 9:00 – 10:00AM on Wednesday to help people setup their computers for the workshop. The setup session is especially recommended for Windows users.

📖 Workshop materials

Materials will be available after the workshop