On October 22 from 5:30-6:45 pm, IU Astronomy graduate students and postdocs held our Fall 2024 Advanced Python Workshop. The workshop was a great success, attracting IU undergraduate and graduate students alike from many disciplines including astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry, computer science, and even economics.
During the workshop, students engaged with instructors at various pods throughout Swain West 208 to learn about and practice topics of their choice, some of which included advanced plotting techniques, optimization, and complex data analysis. While most topics were geared toward more experienced programmers, the workshop also featured a pod dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of Python.
Since its inception as an astronomy-focused Python series, these crash courses and workshops have grown to encompass a wide range of Python topics and demos that have broad applications in STEM, even outside of IU. As such, the event organizers have recently branded this program as "PyIU: A Workshop Series on Python Essentials" and also launched a public GitHub repository for PyIU, where all past and present Python materials are accessible at this link: https://github.com/BrandonRadzom/pyiu/. The overall goals of PyIU are to spark interest in programming and STEM disciplines as well as to connect students with their Python peers and prepare them to succeed in scientific research.
Workshop instructors included Kristin Baker, Dr. Caleb Choban, Lexi Gault, Robert Howard, Daniel Ornelas, Sarah Popp, Jessica Ranshaw, Ethan White, and lead organizer Brandon Radzom (contact: bradzom@iu.edu).
Attendees at the Fall 2024 Advanced Python Workshop
The College of Arts