Calling UO Students who are passionate about data and helping others!

The Data Services Department at The University of Oregon Libraries has job openings for one or more student peer consultants for the 2024-25 academic year. Our mission is to provide a welcoming environment for learning and intellectual exchange for our fellow Duck researchers. The ideal candidate enjoys working with data and helping others learn more about data analysis, statistics, programming, data visualization, and other exciting issues dealing with data! The student peer consultant will help fellow Ducks through statistical consultations on data questions and assist with workshops on subjects ranging from computer programming to research reference management.

More information about the position can be found in the PDF below or through the Handshake link below. Hiring for fall will occur this spring term. Applications must be received by May 30, 2024.

Please follow this link below for the full job description on Handshake. Make sure you are logged into Handshake before you click the link! From Handshake, you can also search “Quantitative Methods Peer Consultant”. If any questions arise, feel free to reach out to us via email at dataservices@uoregon.edu.

Spring is here and there are exciting new offerings at Data Services! For those who want to learn programming fast, we’re offering a command line workshop and boot camp-style intensives for Python and R at the introductory level. If you want a more relaxed and thorough approach with similar material, we have biweekly Python and R courses, as well as shorter workshops on Qualtrics, Git, and Pandas. 

As always, we offer consultations for statistical methods, data management, R, SPSS, Python, GIS, version control, Excel, Dedoose, and Qualtrics at our help desk Monday – Friday 11am – 4pm in the DREAM Lab and or by appointment. Want to meet others interested in data science? Drop by Coffee & Code for short talks, the Coding Circle to work on coding projects over snacks, or join our Data Book Club. 

Check out our full calendar below! 

Workshops

One-Day Programming Boot Camps 

These all-day workshops will introduce you to the fundamentals of Python and R respectively. Come in over the weekend, come out with a new skill. Lunch will be provided. 

Python April 13^th, 10:00am to 4:30pm 

R April 13^th, 10:00am to 4:30pm 

Weekday Workshops

Command Line Essentials April 12^th, 2:30pm to 4:00pm 

Learning to code? This workshop teaches the fundamentals of command line interfaces, filesystem navigation, and scripting in Bash. These are key skills for aspiring programmers. 

Introduction to Python Mondays and Wednesdays, begins April 8^th, 1:00pm to 2:00pm 

A ten-session, interactive course that will help you develop core Python programming skills. No experience required!  

Introduction to R Tuesdays and Thursdays, begins April 9^th, 12:00pm to 1:00pm 

This eight-session course will introduce you to the fundamentals of using R! Intended for absolute beginners or anyone wanting to review the basics. 

Introduction to Qualtrics May 13^th and May 15^th, 12:00pm to 1:30pm 

If you are conducting surveys, then you want to learn all about Qualtrics! This workshop will introduce the basics of online data collection, setting up projects, and exporting survey data. 

Python Data Science Fundamentals Mondays and Wednesdays, begins May 13^th, 1:00pm to 3:00pm 

Already taken our Python course? This four-part workshop will teach you to analyze and visualize tabular data in Python by working through hands-on exercises with real data. 

Events

Data Bookclub: The Cultural Logic of Computation Alternate Fridays, begins April 12^th, 1:00pm to 2:00pm 

Join us as we discuss the effects of computers on society as we read The Cultural Logic of Computation by David Golumbia. 

Coffee + Data && Code Alternate Fridays, begins April 19^th, 1:00pm to 2:00pm 

An informal space for presentations and conversations about topics in data science! Learn new tips and tricks and get to know other people interested in coding.  

Coding Circle Weekly, begins April 26^th, 2:00pm to 4:00pm 

Have a tangle in your coding project? Come to coding circle to work it out! An informal and inclusive co-working session for anyone working with data or code.  

Questions about our offerings? Reach out to us at DataServices@uoregon.edu. 

Our colleagues at the Oregon Data Science Collaborative (ODSC) are hosting a full day data science symposium!

This workshop and networking event will bring together scientists from across Oregon to learn about data science research and resources, network with potential colleagues, and help inform our efforts to build community and offer training and consulting services to promote data science across Oregon.  Share your data science research, ideas, and proposals, learn how you can get help with research projects, participate in brainstorming sessions, and connect with data scientists. 

Register using this link

May 7^th, 2024, 10:00 – 3:00

9:30-10:00 Welcome with coffee and light snacks
10:00-12:00 Morning session (Invited talks)
12:00-1:00 Lunch break and networking
1:00-2:00 Student flash talks
2:00-3:00 Panel discussion on careers in data science
3:00-5:00 Optional social gathering (location: TBD)

Portland State University, Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU) 327/328
1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201

Sign up for the ODSC slack to stay connected: ODSC SLACK 

The Oregon Data Science Collaborative (ODSC) is an NSF-funded collaborative institute between Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, and Portland State University. Our goal is to advance research across disciplines by facilitating collaboration between researchers and data scientists and by building a community of practice to disseminate familiarity, expertise, and training in data science. We offer data science workshops and research consulting for researchers across Oregon and the wider scientific community.

During my Vollstedt internship as a Data Services Learning Resources Specialist at UO, I found myself immersed in the dynamic world of research data management. My primary responsibilities included preparing Dryad launching at UO, creating LibGuides on best practices for data management, and curating and organizing learning resources related to research data. I really appreciate this internship opportunity as I gained hands-on experience and kept up with the latest trends and advancements in the field of data services.

In the initial weeks, I familiarized myself with the research data services provided, the library data infrastructure, and the various tools employed for data management. Meetings with my mentor, Gabriele Hayden, and other seasoned librarians provided me with valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities within research data management. Based on my interests and expertise, I contributed to developing LibGuides to help researchers understand and master research data management, including Dryad data repository, data publication, how to use DMPTool, and how to write data management plans. These LibGuides have been published on the Research Data Management website.

Another highlight of my internship was the opportunity to help the Graduate College track new publications published by UO’s amazing graduate students and advertise their works in their newsletter during a specific period. The challenge of this project is to track the publications of graduate students as they might not use any author IDs (e.g., ORCID) and might have wrong affiliation information in their works. By using the powerful OpenAlex API, I wrote some Python codes to automatically achieve the goal. I was so excited that I could address an actual problem in the academic setting. The codes have been shared on GitHub so that anyone can reuse the codes for their purposes.

Overall, this experience as a Data Services Learning Resources Specialist provided me with a comprehensive understanding of research data management and also equipped me with valuable skills and insights into this evolving field, which provided a solid foundation for my future endeavors in research data services. I am grateful for the opportunities for growth and learning that this internship has afforded me.

This Winter, Data Services is putting on a packed calendar or Workshops and Events. There are some exciting new additions to the calendar! 

Join us this term for workshops on Python, R, The Unix Shell & Bash, and Qualtrics. Prior to the start of the term, our Install Help Desk can help you install a variety of specialized data analysis software. Pop in for some of our engaging events, including a new edition of Data Bookclub, reading Caroline Perez’s Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, and Coffee + Data && Code. This term we are offering some new events: a seminar watch series, Talking Data, where we’ll watch a pre-recorded presentation followed by a discussion, and Coding Circles, an opportunity to co-work or talk through challenges in your code with other people. More details below! 

Look out for our Women in Data Science events as well: we’ll be co-hosting a conference watch party in collaboration with the School of Computer and Data Science, and we will be participating in the Datathon. More info to come! 

Workshops 

Install Help Desk 

February 5, 1-4 PM 

Are you taking classes this term that will require specialized software? Swing by the DREAM Lab to get help from Data Services with installations ahead of classes and workshops! Software we can help with includes R/RStudio, Python/Jupyter Notebooks, Anaconda, VS Code, Zotero, GIS/spatial data, Docker, and SPSS. 

Learn More Here! 

Introduction to Python 

Mondays & Wednesdays, 1-2 pm 

Begins January 15 

This eight-session workshop will introduce you to the fundamentals of programming in Python. This course is intended for absolute beginners or anyone wanting to review the basics. This series lays the foundation for attendees to understand Python code and begin writing scripts that apply to their work.  

1. Setup & Python Fundamentals (January 15) 

2. Analyzing Data with Python (January 17) 

3. Visualizing Data with Python (January 22) 

4. Lists and Loops in Python (January 24) 

5. If, Else, and Functions in Python (January 29) 

6. Troubleshooting and Testing (January 31) 

7. Debugging (February 5) 

8. Python on the Command Line (February 7) 

Learn More and Register for Intro to Python Here! 

Introduction to R 

Tuesdays & Thursdays 2-3 pm 

Begins January 16 

Are you interested in using R and RStudio but unsure where to start? This workshop is for you! 

This eight-session workshop will introduce you to the fundamentals of using R! This course is intended for absolute beginners or anyone wanting to review the basics.  

1. Intro to R and Rstudio (January 16) 

2. Getting started with R Part 1  (January 18) 

3. Getting started with R Part 2  (January 23) 

4. Data visualization with R & ggplot  (January 25) 

5. Functions Explained  (January 30) 

6. Working with Data in R part 1  (February 1) 

7. Working with Data in R part 2  (February 6) 

8. Reproducible reports with R & Rmarkdown  (February 8) 

Learn More and Register for Intro to R Here! 

Command Line Essentials: The Unix Shell and Bash 

Friday, January 19 2-4 pm 

Learning to code? Working in a computer lab for the first time? Open to students and faculty across disciplines, this hybrid workshop teaches the fundamentals of the Unix shell, command line interfaces, filesystem navigation, and simple scripts in Bash. Competency with the command line is required to develop software collaboratively and at scale; this course can be considered a prerequisite to writing scripts effectively in your programming language of choice. No prior experience with Unix or programming is required. 

Learn More and Register for Command Line Essentials Here! 

Introduction to Qualtrics 

February 20 & 22, Noon –2pm 

If you are conducting surveys, then you will want to learn all about Qualtrics!  

Qualtrics is a popular and powerful tool used for conducting web-based surveys and data collection. This workshop will introduce the basic guidelines of online data collection, set up a project in Qualtrics, and what to do with the data you collect. Participants will learn how to set up a survey in Qualtrics, the various question types available, share and collaborate on survey projects, and the options available for exporting the data. This workshop is presented by Cameron Mulder, a member of Data Services with over 10 years of experience conducting surveys with the Portland State University Survey Research Lab. 

Learn More and Register for Intro to Qualtrics Here! 

Events 

Talking Data 

Thursdays, 4-5 pm 

Join us in the DREAM Lab Sofa Area on Thursdays at 4pm during the Winter Term to learn and talk about issues and ideas in data, programming, statistical analysis, and data science. Each Thursday we will watch a 30 minute presentation followed by conversation. This presentation may be a pre-recorded talk with discussion questions, or it may be a live presentation followed by Q&A. Tea will be served. Feel free to attend the whole series, or just the ones that interest you! 

• Issues with Data Anonymity (January 11) 
• Data Feminism (January 18) 
• Getting the Most from Git (January 25) 
• Neuroscience, AI & Education (February 1) 
• Racial Bias in Tech (February 8) 
• Machine Learning for Biodiversity (February 15) 
• Generative Art (February 22) 
• Capturing & Visualizing Motion (February 19) 
• Gender Bias in AI (March 7) 
• Getting Started with Quarto (March 14) 

Learn More and Register for Talking Data Here! 

Coffee + Data && Code 

Every other Friday, 1-2 pm 

An informal and space for presentations and conversations about topics in data science! People of all skill levels and backgrounds attend to explore interesting topics, learn new tips and tricks and get to know other people interested in coding. We will be meeting in-person in the Sofa area of the DREAM Lab in Knight Library. Coffee and cookings will be provided. Attendees will also have the option to join via Zoom. This is an opportunity to learn new data analysis and programming skills and meet other people working on exciting projects. 

Learn More and Register for Coffee + Data && Code Here! 

Data Bookclub: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men 

Every Other Friday, 1-2 pm 

Embark on a captivating exploration of data bias and its far-reaching implications with this term’s Data Book Club. This winter, we’re delving into Caroline Criado Perez’s “Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men.” Join us in unraveling the complexities of gender data bias, shedding light on its pervasive influence across various facets of society.  

Through Perez’s meticulous research, we’ll uncover how seemingly impartial data can reinforce inequalities in areas such as healthcare and urban planning. “Invisible Women” challenges us to question existing norms and advocate for a more equitable future.  

Learn More and Register for Data Bookclub: Invisible Women Here! 

Coding Circle 

Fridays, 2-4 pm 

Drop in to our informal and inclusive co-working sessions for anyone working with data or code! There’s no presentation or formal workshop, just hanging out and working on projects while we finish the cookies from Coffee + Data && Code. Data Services folks with expertise in Python, R, and Excel will be on hand to answer questions, but we equally invite you to share your expertise with and learn from other attendees. This is an opportunity to learn new data analysis and programming skills and meet other people working on exciting projects! 

Learn More about Coding Circle and register Here!