https://carpentries.org/The Carpentries2024-03-19T00:48:17+00:00The Carpentries is a fiscally sponsored project of <a href='http://communityin.org/'>Community Initiatives</a>, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organisation based in California, USA. We are a global community teaching foundational computational and data science skills to researchers in academia, industry and government.The Carpentries Teamteam@carpentries.orghttps://carpentries.org/Jekyllhttps://carpentries.org/blog/2024/03/sharing-the-community-survey-evaluation-report/Sharing the 2023 Community Survey Evaluation Report2024-03-14T00:00:00+00:00Kari L. JordanOscar MasinyanaAngelique TruslerThe report summarising community members’ responses to the inaugural Carpentries community survey is out!<p>In 2023, The Carpentries launched a community survey to inform and prioritise our work and that of the Core Team so we can better serve the community. We asked community members to take 5 minutes to provide feedback on their experience as Carpentries community members, seeking feedback that will help us better understand the benefits community members get from their participation and inform areas of improvement.</p>
<p>We received 200 responses to the survey. It is difficult to identify a response rate without an exact count of the number of active community members. However, this represents 5% of The Carpentries Slack workspace members and 7% of those subscribed to <a href="https://carpentries.org/newsletter/">Carpentries Clippings</a>, our newsletter.</p>
<p>All the collected responses have been summarised, and we share them with the community in our <a href="https://zenodo.org/records/10498453">2023 Carpentries Community Survey Evaluation Report</a> describing <strong>community health</strong>.</p>
<p>We are grateful to our legacy Core Team members, <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/with-gratitude-to-our-legacy-core-team-members/">Alycia, Karen, and Kelly</a>, who prepared and finalised the report before transitioning out of The Carpentries.</p>
<p>The report highlights the demographics of our community, their current rate of engagement with our activities, the motivations that drive member contributions to the community, what benefits community members hope for and derive from their contributions, and what support they get and need from fellow community members and the Core Team.</p>
<p>We were particularly moved to learn that the majority of our community members participate in The Carpentries community motivated by the desire to serve or give back to the community (37%), the need to gain knowledge and skills (32%), and by our shared <a href="https://carpentries.org/about/">mission</a> and <a href="https://carpentries.org/values/">core values</a> (27%).</p>
<p>Please spend time with the <a href="https://zenodo.org/records/10498453">Community Survey Evaluation Report</a> and engage with its contents.</p>
<h2 id="community-session-discussion">Community Session Discussion</h2>
<p>We also invite you to join the upcoming Community Session, <em>Reigniting Community: Coffee with The Carpentries Executive Director</em>, on 19 March 2024 at 11:00 UTC <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/eventedit/MnJ0NXZrcjQyNDU0cmppZmlobXIzb29wNWggb3NldXVvaHQwdHZqYm9rZ2czbm9oOGM0N2dAZw?hl=en&es=1&response_updated=1">[add to your calendar]</a> <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Carpentries+Community+Discussion&iso=20240319T1100">[find your time]</a> hosted by Dr. Kari L. Jordan to discuss highlights from this report and more.</p>
<p>You can sign up for the session on the <a href="https://pad.carpentries.org/community-sessions-2024">Community Sessions Etherpad</a>.</p>
2024-03-14T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/03/good-enough-practices-carpentries-lab/The Carpentries Lab: Good Enough Practices in Scientific Computing2024-03-06T00:00:00+00:00Toby HodgesEdward WallaceA peer-reviewed lesson, based on 2017 paper of the same name, has been added to The Carpentries Lab<p>We are delighted to (belatedly) announce the addition of a new community-developed lesson, <em><a href="https://carpentries-lab.github.io/good-enough-practices/">Good Enough Practices in Scientific Computing</a></em> to The Carpentries Lab. The curriculum was peer reviewed in the Lab Reviews repository, and approved for inclusion in The Carpentries Lab on 17th July 2023.</p>
<p>The Carpentries Lab was set up as a space for peer-reviewed lessons developed by the community. Designed to complement The Carpentries Incubator, where the community collaborates on the development of new lessons on a wide range of topics, the Lab is intended to serve as a platform for open peer review of these community-developed lessons and the hosting of lessons that have passed through that review process.</p>
<h2 id="about-the-lesson">About the lesson</h2>
<p>The lesson was inspired by, and adapted from, the paper <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005510">Good enough practices in scientific
computing</a></em><sup>1</sup> by Greg Wilson, Jennifer Bryan, Karen Cranston, Justin
Kitzes,
Lex Nederbragt, and Tracy Teal, which “presents a set of good computing practices that every researcher can adopt, regardless of their current level of computational skill.”</p>
<p>This lesson addresses good practices for data analysis, computing, and collaboration that are broadly useful for researchers. The underlying principles of planning, modular organization, good names, and documentation, are important for both novices and experts who take computational approaches. The lesson helps novices to learn these good practices in their own right, empowering them to learn other computational skills. For example, novice programmers can struggle with poor planning, poorly organized files and projects, unclear names for variables, documenting and describing their code. Teaching good practices separately means that programming lessons can focus on programming concepts and syntax. Making good practices explicit also helps more advanced researchers to collaborate with others, and to explicitly teach good practice to novices.</p>
<p>The lesson was developed by a team based primarily at the University of Edinburgh: Tomasz Zieliński, Andres Romanowski, Emma Wilson, Felicity Anderson, Elvina Gountouna, Matthias Mimault, Alison Meynert, Edward W.J. Wallace. The team has a mixture of roles in research support, biological and biomedical research, and bioinformatics. Many members are Carpentries instructors, and all are committed to helping colleagues to use computing better in their research, especially bioinformatics. For example, <a href="https://ewallace.github.io">Edward Wallace</a> is a quantitative biologist whose research group investigates gene regulation in fungi, and Alison Meynert was a Research Fellow and Bioinformatics Analysis Core Manager who’s about to transition to a role at Fulcrum Genomics.</p>
<p>“After many years teaching computational skills, we came across the same problems repeatedly: learners get stuck on names, concepts, and organization.” said Edward Wallace. “We first adapted the Good Enough Practices paper into a workshop, initially as PowerPoint slides. Within the UKRI-funded Ed-DaSH project, we turned the material into a Carpentries-style lesson, which required distilling key messages and concepts using less text, while adding more interactive material. After years of iterative improvements based on learner and instructor feedback, we find the material to be very effective.”</p>
<p>He adds, “From another perspective, the target audience is ourselves several years ago: it’s the skills that we value now, that we wish we had learned earlier.”</p>
<h2 id="about-the-review-process">About the Review Process</h2>
<p>The lesson was reviewed in a public issue thread on The Carpentries Lab <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">reviews</code> repository. After some initial editorial
checks, the curriculum was reviewed by two volunteers from The Carpentries community: <a href="https://lexnederbragt.com/">Lex
Nederbragt</a> and <a href="https://heidiseibold.com/">Heidi
Seibold</a>. Lex
is a Carpentries Instructor and Instructor Trainer, an Associate teaching Professor at the University of Oslo, and one of the authors of the original paper that inspired the lesson. Heidi is an Open Science trainer and consultant, and an independent researcher at IGDORE.</p>
<p>The authors shared these reflections on the review process and how it impacted the quality of the lesson:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Peer review brought in a whole host of improvements that collectively made the lesson far better. It clarified the core messages and reduced duplication. We were delighted that Lex Nederbragt was a reviewer, as he is one of the authors of the original <em>Good Enough Practices</em> paper and star of the memorable “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXxBeNkKmJE">a video introduction to live coding, part 1</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/SkPmwe_WjeY">part 2</a>” , used <a href="https://carpentries.github.io/instructor-training/17-live.html#compare-and-contrast">in Instructor Training</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>The peer review experience was very helpful and positive. Everyone was constructive and really worked to make the material better. The review process took a long while, many months, and far longer than we’d budgeted in our grant application to fund staff time to develop the workshops.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2 id="next-steps">Next steps</h2>
<p>The authors routinely use the lesson for training of first-year graduate students in biological and biomedical sciences in Edinburgh. Feedback is overwhelmingly positive, which they find gratifying after putting so much work into developing good material.</p>
<p>They shared this advice for other Carpentries Instructors who might wish to use the lessons:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We recommend the workshop for first-year PhD students, for researchers who are moving through collecting data towards larger-scale data analysis, and for those who have started to write code and need help organising it. We particularly recommend it as a preliminary before learning about version control with Git, and have designed it with that in mind. It addresses a gap in the Software Carpentry Git lesson, where our learners had reported that the lesson told them how to use Git but did not explain what Git is for. For researchers in biomedical sciences, the workshop prepares for Project Management and Organization for Genomics, which gives practical applications of the principles outlined in this workshop.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The wider Carpentries community can now find <a href="https://carpentries-lab.github.io/good-enough-practices/">the lesson</a> in The Carpentries Lab, use and adapt it to teach their own workshops, contribute feedback, and suggest improvements. A paper about the lesson recently <a href="https://github.com/openjournals/jose-reviews/issues/229">entered review</a> for publication in The Journal of Open Source Education.</p>
<p><strong>The Carpentries Lab is looking for reviewers!</strong> To volunteer to review a lesson in the Lab, please read <a href="https://github.com/carpentries-lab/reviews/blob/main/docs/reviewer_guide.md">our Guide for Reviewers</a>, and <a href="https://forms.gle/cFD4nVjstTtVYoxg8">register as a reviewer</a> so we can contact you when relevant lessons are ready for review.
Lessons in the Incubator can be submitted for review in the Lab by <a href="https://github.com/carpentries-lab/reviews/issues/new?assignees=tobyhodges&labels=review&template=review_submission.yml&title=%5BReview%5D%3A+">opening an issue on the reviews repository</a>.</p>
<h2 id="acknowledgements">Acknowledgements</h2>
<p>We are very grateful to everyone who helped make this review in The Carpentries Lab a success.
Congratulations to the authors for creating an excellent lesson that will prove a useful resource to so many people:</p>
<ul>
<li>Tomasz Zieliński</li>
<li>Andres Romanowski</li>
<li>Emma Wilson</li>
<li>Felicity Anderson</li>
<li>Elvina Gountouna</li>
<li>Matthias Mimault</li>
<li>Alison Meynert</li>
<li>Edward W.J. Wallace</li>
</ul>
<p>And huge thanks to the reviewers, who devoted a significant amount of time to reviewing the lessons, and exemplified the communication, diligence, and expertise required for a successful peer review process:</p>
<ul>
<li>Lex Nederbragt</li>
<li>Heidi Seibold</li>
</ul>
<p>1: Good enough practices in scientific computing, Wilson et al., PLOS Computational Biology, 2017
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005510">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005510</a></p>
2024-03-06T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/02/cchd24-call-for-proposals/Proposal Submission Opens for CCHD242024-02-22T00:00:00+00:00The CCHD24 Organising CommitteeSubmit your session proposals for CarpentryConnect and BioNT Community Event - Heidelberg 2024!<p>The <a href="https://biont-training.eu/event-details/CarpentryConnect2024">CarpentryConnect and BioNT community event - Heidelberg 2024</a> is expected to be the key community-building and networking event for The Carpentries and <a href="https://biont-training.eu/">BioNT</a>’s community in Europe, with worldwide participation. Taking place 12 - 14 November 2024, this event will provide the opportunity to bring together newer and more experienced community members to share knowledge, network, develop new skills, and develop strategies for training beyond academia and building strong local and regional training communities.
The event will be held in a hybrid format, allowing workshops to be conducted virtually.</p>
<p>We invite you to <a href="https://survey.bio-it.embl.de/496554?lang=en">submit proposals</a> to share your knowledge and skills to help enhance research and learning outcomes in different communities. We welcome topics that align with our theme: <em>Community-led training beyond academia</em>, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Widening career perspectives through training</li>
<li>Bridging sectors and fostering collaborations through skill-up training</li>
<li>Exploring the advantages and disadvantages of different formats with different training audiences, possibly comparing ‘The Carpentries’ with different formats</li>
<li>Empowering local and global training communities, considering their geographical distribution, as well as their distribution across topics and sectors</li>
<li>Expanding beyond the boundaries of one’s community and engaging others</li>
<li>Sharing helpful tools for teaching and examples of using them in a workshop</li>
<li>Training on a range of practical skills</li>
<li>Running an effective online workshop/teaching effectively online</li>
<li>Developing novel or existing lesson/curricula, both Carpentries-style and from other training communities (on day 3)</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="submit-a-proposal">Submit a proposal</h3>
<p>To propose a session, please use <a href="https://survey.bio-it.embl.de/496554?lang=en">the online submission form</a>.
#CCHD2024 will have four types of sessions plus a day and a half dedicated to the Mini-hackathon and Curriculum Development Session:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Breakout discussion sessions</strong> will be 1.5 hours long and conducted in a round table or general discussion format. These discussions will be crucial in connecting participants based on shared interests and stimulating discussion on relevant topics.</li>
<li><strong>Skill-up or training sessions</strong> will allow participants to develop new skills in a 1.5-hour or 3-hour session. In this session, you can share technical or transferable skills with others</li>
<li><strong>Workshops</strong> are a way for you to pass on your ideas and expertise to other participants in a 1.5-hour or 3-hour session. You can reach out to larger numbers of people by conducting workshops on the topic that you find important and facilitate a positive learning environment for the attendees</li>
<li><strong>Lightning talks and posters</strong> will allow you to present your work, idea, interest, etc., in short, 3 to 5-minute presentations or within a poster</li>
<li><strong>Mini-collaboration drive and Curriculum Development Sessions</strong> (on Day 3): If you have an idea for a new lesson or if your lesson is in the early stages of development, feel free to submit the idea/lesson using the same form. There are two sessions scheduled, each lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes.</li>
</ul>
<p>We are so excited to learn about your ideas for the event!</p>
<h3 id="important-information">Important Information</h3>
<ul>
<li>The deadline for proposal submissions is the end of the day on <strong>2 April 2024</strong>, anywhere on Earth. We will start reviewing the submitted proposals as they are received.</li>
<li>Notification of accepted proposals will be sent to participants no later than 20 April</li>
<li>Event registration will open on 2 May</li>
<li>For updates, announcements and information about the event, please <a href="https://biont-training.eu/event-details/CarpentryConnect2024">visit the event website</a></li>
<li>If you need any support completing the proposal submission form or have any questions, please <a href="mailto:programme-biont@embl.de">contact us</a></li>
</ul>
2024-02-22T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/02/support-curriculum-community-2024/Supporting the Curriculum Development Community in 20242024-02-20T00:00:00+00:00Toby HodgesHow you can help us continue to support open peer review of lessons.<p>The <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/12/saying-farewell-to-seven-carpentries-core-team-members/">recent departure of several colleagues</a> from The Carpentries Core Team
has impacted every facet of the organisation’s operations,
with <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/02/changes-to-support-from-the-core-team-at-the-carpentries/">changes outlined in a recent post to this blog</a>.</p>
<p>As Curriculum Team Lead, my main concern has been figuring out the best answer to the question,
<em>“How can a Curriculum Team reduced in size and capacity best meet the needs of an active community of lesson developers and maintainers?”</em>
The support the Curriculum team provides falls into three categories: community-developed lessons, official lessons, and lesson infrastructure.
In this post, I describe how the Curriculum Team will support the community’s activities in these areas for the rest of this year and how and why you can get involved.</p>
<h2 id="community-lessons">Community Lessons</h2>
<p>In addition to <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/10/launching-collaborative-lesson-development-training/">launching and coordinating Collaborative Lesson Development Training</a>,
the Curriculum Team continues to support community members developing lessons in <a href="https://carpentries-incubator.org">The Carpentries Incubator</a>.
Most community lesson development takes place independently, making our involvement minimal.
Still, we continue to <a href="https://github.com/carpentries-incubator/proposals">process new lesson proposals</a> submitted to the Incubator and respond to questions and requests for support where prompted.
<img alt="The Carpentries Lab hex sticker design" src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2024/02/carpentries-lab-hex-sticker.png" style="display: inline; float: right; padding: 3%; width: 20%;" /></p>
<p>The biggest change to our support for community lesson development comes to <a href="https://carpentries-lab.org/">The Carpentries Lab</a>,
the platform we created to host peer-reviewed lessons created by the community.
Until now, I have been acting as Editor for the Lab, managing the process of <a href="https://github.com/carpentries-lab/reviews/">open peer review</a> for lessons submitted there.
I am sorry to say that I no longer have the capacity to do this alone, and <strong>we are calling for volunteers from the community to become Editors</strong> and help us continue reviewing lessons for the Lab.</p>
<h3 id="become-an-editor-for-the-carpentries-lab">Become an Editor for The Carpentries Lab!</h3>
<p>Lesson reviews in The Carpentries Lab are publicly visible issue threads on the <a href="https://github.com/carpentries-lab/reviews/issues">Reviews repository</a>.
Editors manage the review process, performing basic checks to determine whether submitted lessons are appropriate for the Lab and ready for review,
finding and assigning reviewers, and ensuring the integrity of the review process.</p>
<p>Becoming an Editor for the Lab is a fantastic way to support lesson development in The Carpentries community,
expand your network, and gain experience with Open Source and peer-review practices.</p>
<p>Community members acting as Editors for the Lab would benefit from prior experience in any/all of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>the academic peer review process</li>
<li>managing projects on GitHub</li>
<li>curriculum design</li>
<li>web accessibility</li>
</ul>
<p>Editors from the community will be supported by The Carpentries Curriculum Team.
We already provide <a href="https://github.com/carpentries-lab/reviews/blob/main/docs/editor_guide.md">a guide for Editors</a>, which will be expanded further,
and the Curriculum Team will be available for direct support, e.g. to help contact potential reviewers, to troubleshoot issues, and to answer questions.
We will also schedule dedicated onboarding sessions for community members taking on the role.</p>
<p>If you are interested in becoming an Editor, please <a href="mailto:tobyhodges@carpentries.org">send me an email</a>.</p>
<h2 id="official-lessons">Official Lessons</h2>
<p>Supporting the amazing community of Maintainers for Data Carpentry, Library Carpentry, and Software Carpentry lessons remains our priority.
Alongside our Maintainer Community Lead, Nathaniel Porter –
who recently received <a href="https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/01/univlib-Nathaniel-Porter-Carpentries.html">some well-deserved recognition at his University</a> for his contributions to The Carpentries –
we will run <a href="https://carpentries.github.io/maintainer-onboarding/">Maintainer Onboarding</a> as usual, including the same <a href="https://carpentries.github.io/github-skill-up-maintainers/"><em>GitHub for Maintainers</em> skill-up</a> as provided last year.
<strong>Look out for the call for new Maintainers, to be published in the next couple of weeks!</strong></p>
<p>Although direct support for Maintainers remains, we have scaled back our involvement in the Curriculum Advisors program.
Although many Curriculum Advisory Committees (CACs) have committed to remain active and may call for new members in the coming months, some will inevitably need to wind down without fresh intake.
We are working to keep Maintainers informed about the status of their respective CACs.
We will prioritise re-establishing full support for Curriculum Advisors when the capacity of the Curriculum Team increases.</p>
<h2 id="lesson-infrastructure">Lesson Infrastructure</h2>
<p>Following last year’s <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/08/celebrating-carpentries-workbench/">successful rollout</a> of a brand new infrastructure for building lesson websites, <a href="https://carpentries.github.io/workbench/">The Carpentries Workbench</a>, across all Data Carpentry, Library Carpentry, and Software Carpentry lessons,
the priority in this area is ongoing maintenance to ensure that lesson websites can be built and used to teach and learn.</p>
<p>For the rest of 2024 our focus will be on maintenance and sustainability, which leaves little room for the development of new features.
This is particularly regrettable for aspects of the infrastructure that could further support exciting clusters of activity within the community, such as <a href="https://github.com/carpentries/sandpaper/issues/18">internationalisation</a> and regular lesson publication/release cycles.
Nevertheless, great progress was made towards supporting multiple languages in Workbench lessons by Joel Nitta and Zhian Kamvar late last year, <a href="https://carpentries.github.io/sandpaper/news/index.html#sandpaper-0160-2023-12-13">in version 16.0 of sandpaper</a>, and contributions from other community members are helping us drive things forward.</p>
<p>And what about infrastructure support for community-owned lessons in The Carpentries Incubator?
We recently added a page describing <a href="https://carpentries.github.io/sandpaper-docs/migrating-from-styles.html">a semi-automated workflow for migrating lessons</a> to the Workbench documentation, which we recommend Incubator lesson developers try to follow independently.
We will be available to support community members who get stuck while following that guide.</p>
<p>Despite the reduced capacity of the Core Team, I am pleased that our Associate Director, Erin Becker, and Director of Technology, Rob Davey, have committed to maintaining the Workbench tooling.
We also continue to see contributions to the infrastructure from community members, which has been even more reassuring.
To everyone who has opened an issue, contributed to a discussion, or made a pull request to any of the Workbench repositories – <strong>thank you</strong>, and please keep them coming!</p>
2024-02-20T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/02/Glosario-Codefest/Breaking Language Barriers in Data Science: Glosario Codefest Event2024-02-19T00:00:00+00:00Angelique TruslerLet's celebrate diversity and break language barriers.<p>In data science and programming, breaking down language barriers is pivotal for creating an inclusive learning environment. We are excited to announce an event that aligns with this vision – the <strong>Glosario Codefest!</strong> This event, made possible by a grant from the <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/mellon-foundation/">Andrew W. Mellon Foundation</a>, marks a step forward in advancing data science knowledge and accessibility for our diverse global community.</p>
<p>Developed in 2020, <a href="https://github.com/carpentries/glosario">Glosario</a> has become a resource for learners worldwide. Glosario’s commitment to accessibility is exemplified by its open availability online. Released under a Creative Commons Attribution license, Glosario’s content is stored in a structured plain-text format (<a href="https://yaml.org/">YAML</a>), ensuring machine-readability.</p>
<h2 id="whats-next-glosario-codefest-event">What’s Next? Glosario Codefest Event</h2>
<p>As we embark on this journey, we invite you to participate in our virtual Glosario contribution drives throughout 2024. These drives are designed to increase the number of supported languages and enrich the glossary with additional data science terms, making it an even more comprehensive resource for learners worldwide.</p>
<p>The inaugural Glosario Codefest will coincide with The Carpentries’ Board of Directors retreat in Oakland, California (USA) on <strong>29 February, 14:00 UTC</strong> (<a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Glosario+Codefes&iso=20240229T1400">find your time</a>; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=MnQxMjk1Zjhoa2s3djNlYms4Y2ZhdjV2cjggYW5nZWxpcXVlQGNhcnBlbnRyaWVzLm9yZw&tmsrc=angelique%40carpentries.org">add to calendar</a>), you can sign up on this <a href="https://pad.carpentries.org/Glosario_Codefest_2024">Etherpad</a>. This event encourages new contributions to Glosario from our governance and global community. The linguistically diverse board, representing regions such as DACH (
Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), Oceania, and South America, will actively translate terms into languages like Hindi, Spanish, and German, expanding Glosario’s reach and impact. This event will be followed by quarterly co-working sessions.</p>
<h2 id="get-involved">Get Involved</h2>
<p>We invite you to be a part of this initiative. If you are passionate about data science, programming, and making knowledge accessible, join us at the Glosario Codefest. Are you interested in learning more about Glosario or contributing to the event? Reach out to us at <a href="mailto:team@carpentries.org">team@carpentries.org</a>. Your involvement is crucial in shaping the future of inclusive data science education.
Let’s celebrate diversity, break language barriers, and empower learners worldwide through the Glosario Codefest.</p>
2024-02-19T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/02/revisions-to-the-carpentries-governance-structure/Revisions to The Carpentries governance structure2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00Kari L. JordanJohn ChodackiIn a significant move towards autonomy, The Carpentries streamlines its governance structure to benefit our global community.<p>Community,</p>
<p>In August 2023, <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/08/Carpentries-transition-to-independent-status/">we announced our plan to operate as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation</a>. Becoming a standalone nonprofit organisation offers our community several advantages, and here we will offer background information, share our current status, and provide you with an update on the future of our governance structure. To learn more about the history of our governance, <a href="https://carpentries.org/posts-by-tags/#blog-tag-governance">read our blog posts tagged “governance”</a>.</p>
<h2 id="benefits-of-the-carpentries-as-a-standalone-non-profit-organisation">Benefits of The Carpentries as a Standalone Non-profit Organisation</h2>
<h3 id="independence-and-greater-flexibility">Independence and greater flexibility</h3>
<p>Our current legal structure is called “fiscal sponsorship.” This status has allowed The Carpentries to accept tax-deductible donations and qualify for grant funding by working with our current fiscal sponsor, Community Initiatives, a 501(c)(3) organisation. As our fiscal sponsor, Community Initiatives provides comprehensive administrative services and support, allowing The Carpentries to focus on programming and supporting our community. We have certainly benefited from fiscal sponsorship and are very <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2019/12/CI-gratitudes/">grateful for Community Initiatives</a>; they share our excitement about becoming a standalone non-profit organisation.</p>
<p>As a standalone 501(c)(3) organisation, we will gain complete control over our finances, governance structure, and operations. Under this structure, we will no longer rely on our fiscal sponsor for administrative support, giving us greater flexibility in creating policies and workflows that promote equity for our global community.</p>
<h3 id="tax-benefits-and-legal-liability">Tax benefits and legal liability</h3>
<p>501(c)(3) refers to the tax code within the USA (where The Carpentries is registered) that is assigned to independent, non-profit organisations. Many grant-making organisations require applicants to have 501(c)(3) status. Transitioning will expand our access to funding opportunities and enhance our competitiveness for grants. Additionally, 501(c)(3) status provides tax-exempt benefits to donors, potentially increasing our fundraising capacity. Establishing a standalone legal entity will also help better protect the organisation’s assets, including our logos and trademarks.</p>
<h3 id="long-term-stability-and-brand-recognition">Long-term stability and brand recognition</h3>
<p>Non-profit status provides a stable foundation for long-term planning and sustainability. As an independent organisation, we will have more flexibility in decision-making, program development, and organisational structure, allowing us to adapt more easily to the changing needs of our community. We have built incredible brand recognition globally as The Carpentries through our lesson programs (Data, Library, and Software); independence will improve public perception and collaboration opportunities.</p>
<h2 id="the-carpentries-governance">The Carpentries Governance</h2>
<p>You will have noticed several calls for participation in our governance, including a <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/09/board-of-directors-election-announcement/">call for candidates for The Carpentries Board of Directors</a>, a <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/11/election-nominees-for-the-2024-board-of-directors/">community election</a>, and our <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/announcing-the-results-of-the-2024-community-election/">election results</a>. As a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, we have governed the organisation through a nine-member Executive Council since 2018 (see <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2018/09/executive-committee-structure/">The Structure of The Carpentries Executive Council</a>). Since The Carpentries is transitioning out of fiscal sponsorship to an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation, the Executive Council <a href="https://github.com/carpentries/governance/blob/main/minutes/2023/EC-minutes-2023-12-07-Q4.md">proposed</a> and approved the following changes to our governance, which took effect on 1 February 2024:</p>
<ul>
<li>An eleven-member Board of Directors will govern the Carpentries, responsible for strategic and organisational planning, financial oversight, approving and monitoring The Carpentries programs and services, and enhancing The Carpentries public image.</li>
<li>We are dissolving the previous nine-member Executive Council structure to optimise our governance in favour of a simpler three-person Advisory Committee. This new group will coordinate any remaining activities with Community Initiatives. <strong>Rationale</strong>: Fiscally sponsored projects of Community Initiatives require only a three-person Advisory Committee responsible for managing our project director (currently Dr. Kari L. Jordan), approving our budget, and negotiating the terms of the fiscal sponsorship agreement.</li>
</ul>
<p>Once our fiscal sponsorship transition is complete, the three-person Advisory Committee will cease functioning, and our sole governing body will be the Board of Directors.</p>
<h2 id="the-carpentries-advisory-committee">The Carpentries Advisory Committee</h2>
<p>The three members of The Carpentries Advisory Committee are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Yanina Bellini Saibene, rOpenSci</li>
<li>Konrad Förstner, ZB MED and TH Köln</li>
<li>Nisha Ghatak, New Zealand eScience Infrastructure</li>
</ul>
<p>Contact the Advisory Committee by <a href="mailto:advisory-committee@carpentries.org">email</a> or by <a href="https://forms.gle/pLyUYUZhNBwaS3mb7">filling out this form</a>.</p>
<h2 id="the-carpentries-board-of-directors">The Carpentries Board of Directors</h2>
<p>The eleven members of The Carpentries Board of Directors are:</p>
<ul>
<li>John Chodacki (President), California Digital Library (term ends January 2025)</li>
<li>Yanina Bellini Saibene (Vice President), rOpenSci (term ends January 2025)</li>
<li>Sarah Stevens (Secretary), University of Wisconsin-Madison (term ends January 2025)</li>
<li>Michael Smith (Treasurer), The PEER Group (term ends January 2025)</li>
<li>Tara Robertson, Tara Robertson Consulting (term ends July 2025)</li>
<li>Eboni Dotson, Atlanta University Center Data Science Initiative (term ends July 2025)</li>
<li>Konrad Förstner, ZB MED and TH Köln (term ends July 2025)</li>
<li>Nisha Ghatak, New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (term ends February 2027)</li>
<li>Jannetta Steyn, Newcastle University (term ends February 2027)</li>
<li>Mark Crowe, QCIF (term ends February 2027)</li>
<li>Paola Corrales, University of Bueno Aires (term ends February 2027)</li>
</ul>
<p>Contact the Board by <a href="board@carpentries.org">email</a> or by <a href="https://forms.gle/hbcdZZSNRNLSiMRU8">filling out this form</a>.</p>
<h2 id="thank-you">Thank You</h2>
<p>We are grateful to all of our governance structures’ current and past members. With their help, we have developed and sustained a community-led governance structure to support our transition to standalone non-profit status. We invite you to learn more about The Carpentries governance by visiting the <a href="https://carpentries.org/governance/">governance page of our website</a>.</p>
2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/02/changes-to-support-from-the-core-team-at-the-carpentries/Changes to support from the Core Team at The Carpentries2024-02-01T00:00:00+00:00Erin BeckerRobert DaveyToby HodgesSherAaron HurtKari L. JordanThe Core Team announces which services to the community it will continue to support and which initiatives will continue through community-led support.<p>Yesterday, we released a blog post re-introducing to the community <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/reintroducing-the-carpentries-core-team/">the nine members of The Carpentries Core Team</a>. This comes after we recently <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/12/saying-farewell-to-seven-carpentries-core-team-members/">announced the departure</a> of seven valued members of The Carpentries Core Team and <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/with-gratitude-to-our-legacy-core-team-members/">celebrated the accomplishments, heart, and vision</a> of our legacy team members. The financial necessity of these recent changes also requires us to look closely at our workload. We must determine which of the many activities supported by our Core Team lie at the heart of The Carpentries vision to be the leading inclusive community teaching data and coding skills.</p>
<p>In this blog post, we clarify how our Core Team will continue to support the community, which initiatives will continue through community-led support, and which activities will be sunset. All of the choices below have been made carefully. We are confident that they will allow the Core Team to continue its involvement everywhere it is needed most.</p>
<p>Our strength comes from our community members. We thank you for your support and encourage all community members to continue giving time and energy to Carpentries activities that bring you joy and meet the strong desire to give back to this community that many of you have expressed.</p>
<h2 id="workshops-and-training">Workshops and Training</h2>
<p>SherAaron Hurt, our Director of Workshops and Training, will lead our combined Workshops and Instruction Team. Sher will work closely with Dr. Angelique Trusler, our Community Manager, who will support workshops in Africa and Europe, and with Danielle Sieh, our Workshops and Training Manager, who will support workshops in the Americas, Asia, and Australasia. You will notice more Core Team representation at your workshops! Most members of the Core Team will now be teaching once a month to better complement the availability of our volunteer Instructor community. We excitedly await interacting more with our Instructors, learners, and workshop hosts.</p>
<p>With the support of our <a href="https://carpentries.org/trainers/">committed volunteer Trainers</a>, we will continue offering Instructor Training on a <a href="https://carpentries.github.io/instructor-training/instructor/training_calendar.html">rolling calendar</a> to Member organisations and individuals who have purchased seats. We will discontinue our Open Instructor Training program - this program was <a href="https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2016/11/open-instructor-training.html">initiated in 2016</a> to offer training to 60 individuals. We have since trained 1,330 people through this program! Individuals recently accepted into Open Instructor Training can enroll in any upcoming event and will not lose their accepted status.</p>
<p>Our Instructors will continue to network regularly, share teaching experiences, ask questions, and learn about updates that will impact them, but the frequency of Instructor meetings will decrease from monthly to alternate months. Our <a href="https://carpentries.org/trainers/">Trainer community</a> will continue to meet monthly and be supported by the <a href="https://github.com/carpentries/trainers/blob/main/governance.md">Trainers Leadership Committee</a>. We plan to recruit a new cohort of community members to become Trainers in the coming months. Trainer Training seats will be available to Member organisations and the general community.</p>
<p>If you have questions about Workshops, Instructor Training, or Trainer Training, please contact <a href="mailto:team@carpentries.org">team@carpentries.org</a> or Sher! directly at <a href="mailto:sheraaron@carpentries.org">sheraaron@carpentries.org</a>.</p>
<h2 id="membership">Membership</h2>
<p>In mid-2024, we plan to increase the flexibility of our membership structure to give Members more freedom to build a membership package with the right number of Instructor Training seats and Centrally Organised Workshops to support their local programming. We also plan to incorporate our newest program, <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/10/launching-collaborative-lesson-development-training/">Collaborative Lesson Development Training</a>, into our membership model so that continuing and future Members can include it in their membership packages.</p>
<p>We are discontinuing quarterly Member Council meetings. We will achieve the intended goals of those meetings (e.g., program updates) through our quarterly newsletter. Members will continue receiving individual updates about their benefit usage and the progress of their Instructor trainees toward certification. Additionally, Members are encouraged to <a href="https://calendly.com/carpentries-membership">schedule a call with our team</a> if they need additional support. They will be invited to quarterly Community Development Program calls to engage in capacity-building conversations. We remain committed to helping Member organisations build capacity at their institutions and hearing from our Member Council about matters impacting the organisation globally.</p>
<p>We are also discontinuing our financially-supported membership option, which had previously provided a percentage discount on membership packages for organisations with financial needs. Since it was initiated in 2022, we have provided USD 46,912 in sponsored membership benefits through this program. Moving forward, we are investigating pathways to allow Members to donate unused benefits to other organisations. We will continue to offer <a href="https://carpentries.org/membership/">tiered pricing</a> for all of our services to make them more accessible to institutions in the Global South.</p>
<p>If you have any questions about Membership, please contact <a href="mailto:membership@carpentries.org">membership@carpentries.org</a>.</p>
<h2 id="curriculum">Curriculum</h2>
<p>Dr. Toby Hodges, our Director of Curriculum, will continue leading the Curriculum Team, supported by Dr. Erin Becker, our Associate Director. We will continue to <a href="https://codimd.carpentries.org/maintainers?both">meet regularly with Maintainers</a> to support the ongoing upkeep of The Carpentries core curricula. The <a href="https://carpentries.org/maintainers/">Maintainer community</a> will be further supported by <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/11/welcome-maintainer-community-lead/">Dr. Nathaniel Porter, our Maintainer Community Lead</a>, who will coordinate monthly meetings and annual recruitment and onboarding of new Maintainers.</p>
<p><a href="https://carpentries.org/curriculum-advisors/">Curriculum Advisory Committees</a> will continue to provide oversight, leadership, and vision for particular curricula, but recruitment and onboarding of new committee members will no longer be directly supported by the Core Team. <a href="https://carpentries-incubator.org/">The Incubator</a> will continue to serve as a place for community members to come together around curriculum development, and we will be calling for community members to serve in the role of editors for <a href="https://carpentries-lab.org/">The Carpentries Lab</a>. After the currently active reviews have been completed, the Curriculum Team will no longer dedicate time to facilitating the review and publication of lessons submitted to the Lab.</p>
<p><a href="https://carpentries.github.io/workbench/">The Carpentries Workbench</a>, our revamped lesson infrastructure, is <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/08/celebrating-carpentries-workbench/">now live across all of our core curricula</a> and will be supported by Erin Becker and Dr. Robert Davey, our Director of Technology.</p>
<p>We will continue to scale up our <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/10/launching-collaborative-lesson-development-training/">Collaborative Lesson Development Training</a>, dependent on community demand. That program will be supported by our Curriculum Team and <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/10/cldt-curriculum-and-trainers/">Curriculum Development Trainers</a>.</p>
<p>If you have questions about lesson maintenance, Collaborative Lesson Development Training, The Carpentries Lab, Incubator, or Workbench, please contact <a href="mailto:curriculum@carpentries.org">curriculum@carpentries.org</a> or Toby directly at <a href="mailto:tobyhodges@carpentries.org">tobyhodges@carpentries.org</a>.</p>
<h2 id="community-programming">Community Programming</h2>
<p>The Community Engagement Team is now led by Dr. Kari L. Jordan, our Executive Director, and supported by Dr. Angelique Trusler, our Community Manager, and Oscar Masinyana, our Communications Manager. We will continue to host multiple <a href="https://pad.carpentries.org/welcome-sessions-2024">Welcome Sessions</a> each month to onboard new community members and Instructors. Angelique will continue to support <a href="https://codimd.carpentries.org/69NZJLzLSKCZakTPsWpo7Q?both">Regional calls for the African Carpentries Community</a>, and we will continue offering Zoom rooms and communication channels as resources for community members organising other meet-ups. We will continue to release our monthly newsletter, <a href="https://carpentries.org/newsletter/">Carpentries Clippings</a>, to keep the community informed about programmatic developments and highlights from the <a href="https://carpentries.org/community/#community-events">community calendar</a>. In a future blog post, anticipate more details regarding our support, including revisions to the Community Development Program.</p>
<h2 id="technology-and-infrastructure-support">Technology and Infrastructure Support</h2>
<p>Our Technology Team, led by Dr. Robert Davey and supported by Maneesha Sane, our Associate Director of Technology, will continue to support the infrastructure behind our services - making sure AMY, our Etherpads, Eventbrite registration, Zoom links, AWS instances, website, Typeform surveys, and many, many others are functioning to support community engagement and team operations.</p>
<h2 id="thank-you">Thank You</h2>
<p>Each of you is a catalyst for positive change and a testament to the extraordinary impact a united community can achieve. Though we have scaled back in some ways, our mission is impactful, and our vision is clear. With this approach to focus our Core Team on essential, mission-critical work, we offer a more streamlined approach to supporting you and anticipate positive shifts in community engagement.</p>
<p><strong>We invite you to attend on 20 February 2024 at 02:00 UCT the community session, <em>Reigniting Community: Coffee with The Carpentries Executive Director</em></strong> [<a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/eventedit/NzVpNGYwc29nMXZnbmUzMGd0bTBvc2pjdnQgb3NldXVvaHQwdHZqYm9rZ2czbm9oOGM0N2dAZw">add to your calendar</a>] [<a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Carpentries+Community+Discussion&iso=20240220T0200">find your time</a>] hosted by Dr. Kari L. Jordan, where she will discuss this topic and more. You can <a href="https://pad.carpentries.org/community-sessions-2024">sign up for the session</a> on the Community Sessions Etherpad.</p>
2024-02-01T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/reintroducing-the-carpentries-core-team/Re-introducing The Carpentries Core Team2024-01-31T00:00:00+00:00Oscar MasinyanaKari L. JordanErin BeckerMeet our team of nine at The Carpentries and learn how they will continue to support you.<p>Until recently, The Carpentries and its community were supported by a 16-member strong Core Team, but due to financial constraints, the organisation <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/with-gratitude-to-our-legacy-core-team-members/">let go of seven members of this staff cohort</a>, reducing the Core Team members to nine. This reduction in staff has necessarily entailed a reduction in the programs and activities the team can continue to lead and support, and tomorrow, 1 February 2024, we will share what continued work for the Core Team will look like moving forward. However, we are confident about and committed to carrying forward our vision and mission; this is <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2019/02/projects-teams-job-plans/">not the first time a small team has supported The Carpentries</a>, and for 25 years the organisation has grown into its vision of being the leading inclusive community teaching data and coding skills.</p>
<p>In this post, we would like to reintroduce you to <a href="https://carpentries.org/team/">The Carpentries Core Team</a> and inform you of the changes to some of their roles and titles.</p>
<h2 id="dr-kari-l-jordan-executive-director">Dr. Kari L. Jordan, Executive Director</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/karijordan.jpg" alt="Headshot of Kari L Jordan" /></p>
<p>Kari <a href="https://datacarpentry.org/blog/2016/08/new-assessment-director">joined the Core Team in 2016</a> as the Deputy Director of Assessment for Data Carpentry, eventually taking the helm of the organisation <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2020/04/kari-new-executive-director/">as its Executive Director in 2020</a>. Kari remains the Executive Director and will continue to work closely with the <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/announcing-the-results-of-the-2024-community-election/">newly constituted Board of Directors</a> to provide the Core Team and the community with executive and strategic direction and support. Additionally, she will lead the work of the Community Engagement Team, whose role is to actively engage members of The Carpentries global community in sustaining the organisation’s mission-aligned core activities.</p>
<h2 id="dr-erin-becker-associate-director">Dr. Erin Becker, Associate Director</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/erinbecker.jpg" alt="Headshot of Erin Becker" /></p>
<p>Erin <a href="https://datacarpentry.org/blog/2016/05/new-associate-director">joined the Core Team in 2016</a> as the Associate Director of Data Carpentry, transitioning to Associate Director of The Carpentries upon its formation in 2018. In this role, she has supported many disparate aspects of our programming, at various times serving as interim Team Lead for our Community Development, Curriculum, Instructor Training, Membership, and Technology Teams. In 2024, Erin will lead our newly constituted Management Team, overseeing all programming, personnel, and financial management aspects. Erin is active in the community as a Trainer, Instructor, Lesson Development Trainer, and Maintainer of The Carpentries Workbench.</p>
<h2 id="dr-toby-hodges-director-of-curriculum">Dr. Toby Hodges, Director of Curriculum</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/tobyhodges.jpg" alt="Headshot of Toby Hodges" /></p>
<p>Toby <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2020/08/carpentries-curriculum-community-developer/">joined the Core Team in 2020</a> as the Curriculum Community Developer, and he was <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2021/06/curriculum-team-lead-update/">promoted to be Curriculum Team Lead in 2021</a>. Before joining The Carpentries as a member of the Core Team, Toby had volunteered as a community member for a few years, first as an Instructor and committee member and subsequently as a Trainer. As the Director of Curriculum, Toby will continue leading the Curriculum Team, with some support from our Associate Director, Dr. Erin Becker.</p>
<h2 id="sheraaron-hurt-director-of-workshops-and-training">SherAaron Hurt, Director of Workshops and Training</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/sheraaronhurt.jpg" alt="Headshot of SherAaron Hurt" /></p>
<p>Sher! <a href="https://datacarpentry.org/blog/2017/09/announce-sheraaron">joined the Core Team in 2017</a>, working part-time as a Workshop Administrator. Then, in 2017 <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2019/02/Sher_New_Role/">she stepped into a new role</a> as Workshop and Logistics Manager, and finally, in 2022, <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2022/01/director-of-workshops/">she was promoted</a> to the position of Director of Workshops, responsible for supporting our Instructors. Following the sunset of the Director of Instructor Training position, Sher!’s responsibilities now extend to supporting Trainers, taking over some of the responsibilities previously managed by Dr. Karen Word. Her new title is Director of Workshops and Training, and she will receive some support from Danielle Sieh, our Workshops and Training Manager, Maneesha Sane, our Associate Director of Technology, and Dr. Angelique Trusler, our Community Manager. Sher! is looking forward to building relationships with the Trainers and continuing to support the Instructors.</p>
<h2 id="danielle-sieh-workshops-and-training-manager">Danielle Sieh, Workshops and Training Manager</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/daniellesieh.jpg" alt="Headshot of Danielle Sieh" /></p>
<p>Danielle <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2021/02/welcoming-danielle/">joined the Core Team in 2021</a> as the Workshop Administrator. Working closely with the Director of Workshops, she managed workshop logistics, communicated with and offered support to hosts and Instructors, and responded to general workshop inquiries. Danielle’s role has changed to Workshops and Training Manager in tandem with the newly-minted Director of Workshops and Training. She will be supporting workshops in the Americas, Asia, and Australasia. She will work closely with Community Manager Dr. Angelique Trusler, who will provide similar support for workshops in Africa and Europe. As Workshops and Training Manager, she will be more visible in the Instructor and Trainer communities. Danielle loves interacting with the community face-to-face and is excited to have an opportunity to do more of it in her new role!</p>
<h2 id="dr-robert-davey-director-of-technology">Dr. Robert Davey, Director of Technology</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/robertdavey.jpg" alt="Headshot of Robert Davey" /></p>
<p>Rob <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/01/welcome-new-director-of-technology/">joined the Core Team in 2023</a> as the Director of Technology, a role he will retain under the new structure. He became involved in The Carpentries efforts in 2014 when he helped teach his first Software Carpentry lesson, and subsequently became a Carpentries Instructor and Trainer. In his current role, he will continue to lead The Carpentries data privacy and security efforts and provide strategic direction for improvements to the technology stack used in our work.</p>
<h2 id="maneesha-sane-associate-director-of-technology">Maneesha Sane, Associate Director of Technology</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/maneeshasane.jpg" alt="Headshot of Maneesha Sane" /></p>
<p>Maneesha <a href="https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2015/11/introducing_maneesha.html">joined the Core Team in 2015</a> as Program Coordinator for Software Carpentry and subsequently fulfilled various roles within the organisation until her <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2022/10/deputy-director-of-technology/">appointment in 2022 as the Deputy Director of Technology</a>. Maneesha is the longest-serving member of the Core Team, and as such, she carries vast historical knowledge of the organisation’s development and processes. We are happy she continues to be with us as the Associate Director of Technology, doing critical and hard work behind the scenes to provide technical support to the Core Team and the Carpentries community.</p>
<h2 id="dr-angelique-trusler-community-manager">Dr. Angelique Trusler, Community Manager</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/angeliquetrusler.jpg" alt="Headshot of Angelique Trusler" /></p>
<p>Angelique <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2019/11/introducing-angelique/">joined the Core Team in 2019</a> as the Regional Consultant for Southern Africa, and <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2021/10/announcing-african-capacity-development-manager/">in 2021 she was promoted</a> to African Capacity Development Manager. Angelique has volunteered as an Instructor since 2017 and a Trainer since 2020. Under the new structure, her role has again changed to Community Manager, reflecting her commitment to supporting Carpentries communities in Africa and extending her reach to Europe and beyond. Angelique is excited to forge meaningful relationships with the global community and actively engage members of The Carpentries to sustain the organisation’s mission.</p>
<h2 id="oscar-masinyana-communications-manager">Oscar Masinyana, Communications Manager</h2>
<p><img src="https://carpentries.org/images/blog/2023/12/oscarmasinyana.jpg" alt="Headshot of Oscar Masinyana" /></p>
<p>Oscar <a href="https://carpentries.org/blog/2023/05/oscar-new-hire-blog-post/">joined the Core Team in 2023</a> as the Communications Manager. Working closely with Kari and Angelique, he will continue to support the community by publishing community engagement-related items on our external communication channels. He is particularly excited about increased participation in community events and having more opportunities to meet and engage with community members.</p>
<h2 id="continued-community-support">Continued Community Support</h2>
<p>The Core Team reiterates that we cannot work without the community’s support. We are excited to share our plans for work to be supported by the Core Team moving forward tomorrow, and we appreciate your continued support in this regard. We are excited about working together to realise our vision and mission in 2024 and beyond.</p>
2024-01-31T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/announcing-cchd24/Join us for CarpentryConnect Heidelberg 2024!2024-01-24T00:00:00+00:00The CCHD24 Organising CommitteeAnnouncing a community event in Heidelberg, Germany, 12-14 November 2024.<p>We are very excited to announce the upcoming CarpentryConnect Heidelberg 2024 (CCHD2024), scheduled to take place in Heidelberg, Germany, from November 12th to 14th, 2024.</p>
<p>Following the success of <a href="https://www.software.ac.uk/Events/carpentryconnect-manchester-2019-ccmcr19">CarpentryConnect Manchester 2019</a>, we aim to create an event where members of The Carpentries community from Germany and beyond can come together to explore and discuss community-led software and data skills training as well as capacity building initiatives.</p>
<p>CCHD2024 will feature a diverse range of sessions. The event will include breakouts, posters, lightning talks, workshops and curriculum co-working sessions, all centred around the Theme:
“Community-led training beyond academia”.</p>
<p>Attendees can expect engaging discussions, hands-on learning experiences and the opportunity to network with various communities.</p>
<h3 id="who-is-organising-the-event">Who is organising the event?</h3>
<p>The event will be hosted by <a href="https://biont-training.eu/">The Bio Network for Training (BioNT) consortium</a> with all its international partners and in collaboration with The Carpentries and their community members.
CCHD2024 will run parallel to the BioNT community event, fostering collaboration and networking opportunities.
The organising committee, consisting of experts with various backgrounds, includes (in alphabetical order):</p>
<ul>
<li>Renato Alves, EMBL - Heidelberg</li>
<li>Silvia Di Giorgio, ZB MED - Cologne</li>
<li>Anne Fouilloux, Simula Research Laboratory - Oslo</li>
<li>Toby Hodges, The Carpentries - Heidelberg</li>
<li>Claudia Kapp, IQWiG - Cologne</li>
<li>Rabea Müller, ZB MED - Cologne</li>
<li>Teresa Müller, University of Freiburg</li>
<li>Lisanna Paladin, EMBL - Heidelberg</li>
<li>Isabela Paredes Cisneros, EMBL - Heidelberg</li>
<li>Giacomo Peru, SSI - Edinburgh</li>
<li>Till Sauerwein, ZB MED - Cologne</li>
</ul>
<p>Over the coming months, the organising committee will lead several initiatives to ensure a successful CCHD2024. These efforts include:</p>
<ul>
<li>calling for workshops and session contributions</li>
<li>drafting a program</li>
<li>seeking sponsors for the event</li>
</ul>
<p>For updates, announcements, and detailed information about CarpentryConnect Heidelberg 2024, please visit our <a href="https://biont-training.eu/event-details/CarpentryConnect2024">event website</a>. Stay tuned for exciting developments as we work to bring this vision to life!</p>
<h2 id="get-involved-call-for-volunteers">Get Involved: Call for Volunteers</h2>
<p>To ensure the success of CCHD2024, we invite you to be a part of the organisation team.
Whether you’re interested in shaping the program, coordinating logistics, or helping with outreach and communication, your involvement is invaluable.
If you are passionate about community-led training and would like to contribute your skills, we encourage you to contact <a href="mailto:digiorgio@zbmed.de">Silvia Di Giorgio</a>.</p>
<h2 id="get-involved-call-for-sponsors">Get Involved: Call for Sponsors</h2>
<p>We are looking for sponsors to join us in supporting this event. Various sponsorship levels are available, and we are flexible in modelling them according to your needs. Could you contact <a href="mailto:digiorgio@zbmed.de">Silvia Di Giorgio</a> to explore options and discuss how your support can make a difference?</p>
<p>Help us find the perfect sponsors! If you know someone interested in supporting community-led training, share this call for sponsors. Together, let’s make CCHD2024 an unforgettable event.</p>
<h2 id="about-the-venue">About the Venue</h2>
<p>The EMBL Heidelberg campus is located in the hills of Heidelberg, surrounded by forest, and a well-renowned venue for holding scientific conferences and courses.
Several rooms with different sizes and features were booked for the event and will allow hosting workshops of different types. The rooms are distributed between two buildings, the main one and the EMBL Imaging Centre. A detailed map and guide to move around the campus will be shared with the participants later. Additionally, a room for prayer is available in the Advance Training Center on level E0 behind the auditorium on campus.
The public bus 39A serves the EMBL campus and reaches the city centre and the train station. Taxis can be easily booked from the campus reception.</p>
2024-01-24T00:00:00+00:00https://carpentries.org/blog/2024/01/ai-glam-library-carpentry-code-sprint/Join Our AI for GLAM Lesson Code Sprint - Library Carpentry, January 31, 20242024-01-22T00:00:00+00:00Cody HennesyLeigh PhanTim DennisYou're invited to a code sprint for the Intro to AI for GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) Library Carpentry Lesson on January 31, 2024!<p>You’re invited to a code sprint for the <a href="https://carpentries-incubator.github.io/machine-learning-librarians-archivists/">Intro to AI for GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) Library Carpentry Lesson </a> on January 31, 2024! The lesson maintainers and the <a href="https://github.com/LibraryCarpentry/curriculum-advisors">Library Carpentry Curriculum Advisory Committee</a> are co-hosting an open online sprint for anyone in the Carpentries community who wants to help contribute bug fixes, edits, and improvements to this important new lesson. The lesson introduces artificial intelligence topics and tools to galleries, libraries, archives, and museum staff. This is a great way to engage with the Library Carpentry community - all are welcome!</p>
<p>Details:</p>
<ul>
<li>UTC Wednesday, January 31, 2024, from 1:00 to 8:00 pm (<a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20240131T1300">Find your time</a>)</li>
<li><a href="https://umn.zoom.us/j/94839281281?pwd=eFF0eDd6MWVzc1YvSmtTeERaeGtMQT09">Zoom link </a></li>
<li><a href="https://pad.carpentries.org/ai-glam-sprint">Etherpad for notes</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The sprint will be open for seven hours, but yo aree welcome to stop in for as long or short as you like. <strong>All experience levels are welcome</strong> - there’s no need for AI subject expertise or previous GitHub experience. We will be looking for help with large and small issues, and folks will be on hand to help you find good ways to contribute.</p>
<p>Background:</p>
<ul>
<li>If you are interested in attending, please review <a href="https://carpentries-incubator.github.io/machine-learning-librarians-archivists/">the AI for GLAM lesson</a> ahead of time.</li>
<li>For an overview of the Carpentries GitHub process, see the <a href="https://carpentries.github.io/github-skill-up-maintainers/">GitHub for Maintainers and Lesson Developers Skill-up lesson</a>.</li>
<li>You can also preview the <a href="https://github.com/carpentries-incubator/machine-learning-librarians-archivists/issues">AI for GLAM issues</a>, where we will be organising work to be done during the code sprint.</li>
</ul>
<p>For questions about the code sprint, you can join the #lc-ai-glam channel on <a href="https://carpentries.slack.com/">Carpentries Slack</a> or contact the Library Carpentry Curriculum Advisory Committee at curriculum-advisors-lc@lists.carpentries.org.</p>
2024-01-22T00:00:00+00:00