python

Astronomy projects with Google Summer of Code

/ Coding & computing

Google Summer of Code GSoC
Google Summer of Code projects are now open for application! We’re looking for some undergrads to work in python on black hole X-ray analysis code (they don’t need to know any astrophysics in advance): check out our Timelab ideas page. There are also some astronomy projects with the OpenAstronomy umbrella organization.

If you’re mentoring undergrads (or are an undergrad yourself) who particularly like coding, this could be great astro-programming experience for them! Google Summer of Code is a paid internship for people who are enrolled as undergraduate students as of May 4th 2017.

Please encourage your undergrads to apply!! Applications are open until April 3rd. Check out the main GSoC website for more info.

EWASS 2017: Developments & Practices in Astronomy Research Software!!

/ Coding & computing, Conferences & workshops

ewass_prague_2017_logo
EXCITING NEWS!! There will be a special session at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS) 2017 on developments and practices in astronomy research software and a hack day!! I’m co-organizing the hack day and a block on different astronomy software packages, where we will have a variety of speakers (invited and contributed) share open-source software packages of interest to a broad portion of the astronomical and space science community.

EWASS is the general meeting for the European Astronomical Society that will be held in Prague, Czech Republic on 26-30 June 2017, hosted this year in partnership with the Czech Astronomical Society. There will be many symposia and special sessions on a variety of research topics, and registration for the meeting will open in December.

UPDATE (25 Jan):

Abstract submission is open for all EWASS 2017 sessions, and here’s a blog post on the hack day with links for registration and more info. The talks will be on June 28 and Hack Together Day #hackEWASS will be on June 29.

PyAstro17 applications are open!

/ Coding & computing, Conferences & workshops

The Python in Astronomy logo is based on the Python Logo, an SDO AIA 17.1nm EUV image courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams and this image of the Horsehead nebula which is used courtesy of ESA.
Applications to participate in the Python in Astronomy 2017 workshop are open until December 9th! The workshop will be held on May 8-12, 2017 at the Lorentz Center in Leiden, the Netherlands. Some travel funding will be available if needed, and participant selection will be done with the goal of growing the Python in Astronomy community. All career levels and Python skill levels are welcome to apply.

I’ve been to the previous two Python in Astronomy workshops. At the first meeting, I was a beginner in terms of contributing to open-source python astronomy projects (like, had never done a GitHub pull request, and didn’t know anything about packaging software), but I learned a ton and loved getting involved with a wonderful community! At the second meeting I was able to take a more active participation role, and I co-lead a tutorial on git and GitHub. And I’m now on the Scientific Organizing Committee for this one!

You can learn more on the workshop website! The application form is here. Get in touch with me or other SOC members if you have questions!

Python in Astronomy 2016

/ Coding & computing, Conferences & workshops

By www.python.org - www.python.org, GPL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34991651
I’m currently in Seattle at the Python in Astronomy 2016 workshop and wanted to post some notes and reference links for those of you who want to follow along with what we’re up to:

The program for the week

#PyAstro16 hashtag on twitter

Livestream and archived livestreams are recorded and posted by Dan Foreman-Mackey

A Google doc with a list of links to notes from all the presentations and unconference sessions

Zenodo page that will have presentations, notes, as ‘Unproceedings’ (with a DOI for official citing)

Please let me know if there are any other links you’re interested in or that I forgot to include!

#pyastro15

/ Coding & computing, Conferences & workshops

This week I’m participating in the Python in Astronomy workshop at the Lorentz Center in Leiden. It is the greatest workshop/conference/unconference I’ve been to, and it’s only day 3 out of 5. I’ve been developing my git and github skills, and submitted my first pull request (i.e., open-source code contribution) yesterday to SunPy! For this afternoon some of us are planning to sit down and try to hammer out the basics of an astroquery HEASARC module for downloading data from NASA’s HEASARC database!

You can follow along with the hashtag #pyastro15

A note on the twitter hashtag feed: I know that abbreviations can be frustrating for those not at the conference or new to the topics. This being said, twitter inherently does not lend itself to verbosity. If you’re trying to follow along and are getting lost in tweets densely packed with abbreviations and acronyms, please reply and request clarification!

Also, you’ll probably find that some people are tweeting with the hashtag more for non-attendees, and some are aiming their tweets at fellow attendees (I admit I tend to be in the latter camp). You may find it less frustrating to follow a few specific people and not everything from the hashtag.