Computing 101 Workshop – Summer 2025 - OSPO

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:

Programming basics (day 1) – Topics covered: intro to R/Python, git and GitHub.
Advancing programming (day 2) – Topics covered: data cleaning (R), data visualization (R/Python), loops and classes (Python), miscellaneous advanced topics (Python).
(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 (see schedule below)

📋 Registration

If you would like to register for the workshop, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/3X5cDAKnPUyksSs7A.

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:

GitHub Desktop (and a GitHub account)
Miniconda (if attending Python sessions)
R and RStudio (if attending R sessions)

⏲ 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.

Day	Time	Location	Topics covered (subject to change)
Wed. Aug. 13	9:00AM - 10:00AM	Hinds 111	Setup software (optional)
Wed. Aug. 13	10:00AM – 12:00PM	Hinds 111/ Hinds 117	Part 1, Programming Basics	Python (Hinds 111): variables and functions R (Hinds 117): variables and functions
Wed. Aug. 13	2:00PM - 4:00PM	Hinds 111	Part 1, Programming Basics	git and GitHub
Thurs. Aug. 14	10:00AM - 12:00PM	Hinds 111/ Hinds 117	Part 2, Advanced Programming	Python (Hinds 111): flow, loops, and classes R (Hinds 117): data cleaning
Thurs. Aug. 14	2:00PM - 4:00PM	Hinds 111/ Hinds 117	Part 2, Advanced Programming	Python (Hinds 111): miscellaneous applications R (Hinds 117): data visualization
Fri. Aug. 15	10:00AM - 12:00PM	Hinds 111	Part 3, Environments (optional)	Bash and Conda
Fri. Aug. 15	2:00PM - 4:00PM	Hinds 111	Part 3, Environments (optional)	Bash and Conda cont.

📖 Workshop materials

Materials for the workshop are still being developed but will be available here when they are finalized. Recordings of the workshop will be available on this page following the workshop.