CarpentryCon 2020: Tips for Submitting a Session Proposal

CarpentryCon is one of the most awaited events of The Carpentries for community building and networking. The theme for CarpentryCon 2020 is “Growing inclusive, computational communities and leaders.” This three-day event brings together new and experienced community members to share knowledge, network, develop new skills, and exchange strategies for building local communities of practice. The conference will be at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA from 29 June to 1 July, 2020. Come and help develop the next generation of leaders through practical skill-ups, networking, workshops, and breakout sessions.

We invite you all to submit proposals to share your knowledge and skills to help enhance research, learning outcomes, and productivity across the board for librarians, scientists, and technologists from various domains. The Taskforce has developed an enriching program with ample opportunities for networking, learning, and discussions on The Carpentries’ experiences within our diverse community.

A proposal in the context of this conference is a formal written suggestion to host/run a session at the conference. #CarpentryCon2020Madison will have three types of sessions described here later. The proposed session should be a blend of lecture and interactive learning. The Taskforce will provide the necessary classroom space and, depending on need and availability, supplies for workshops, breakout sessions, and skill-up sessions.

Breakout sessions (1 hr) - discussion sessions on specific topics (for example Burnout, Python, Open Science, Science communication, Leadership).
Skill-ups (1 hr) - more specific sessions aimed at sharpening skills around specific tools like Git, Python, and R.
Workshops(~3 hrs) - interactive Carpentry-style sessions.

Important Dates

Last date for proposal submissions: Feburary 28th, 2020
We will start reviewing the submitted proposals from March 2nd, 2020
Notification of accepted proposals will be sent to participants on March 31, 2020

Submit a Proposal

To propose hosting a session, please use the online submission form.

The motivation statement is an essential part of the selection process and should clearly support why your session should be considered - it should be in harmony with the theme of the conference. The motivation should be 500 words max and written for a general audience in English. A template you can use to put together your submission can be found below.

All submissions should include the proposed contact details, type of session, suggested title, keywords, and motivation. The motivation should include:

1. Name of host(s): List instructor(s)/facilitator(s), and helper(s) (if applicable)
2. A session intro: Provide a brief overview of the background of this session and summarise the scientific/technical research skills you would like to cover.
3. Justification: Explain why your proposed session is significant and how it is aligned with one (or more) of CarpentryCon’s major initiatives and the conference theme.
4. Execution: Propose a mini-program for the session (if applicable). For instance, the workshops will have 3 hours with two sub-sessions of 1.5 hours each, you could say, sub-session 1: topic(s) A…; sub-session 2: topic(s) X….

More Information

A big thank you to Alfred P. Sloan foundation for making CarpentryCon 2020 possible.

Proposals for lightning talks and poster sessions will be submitted during registration in January 2020.

For more updates around CarpentryCon 2020, please visit our website or follow us on Twitter by following the @CarpentryCon account and the hashtag: #CarpentryCon2020Madison

Asking for Help

You are welcome to send any questions related to CarpentryCon 2020 to carpentrycon@lists.carpentries.org