Join the ACT-CMS Community Workshop: Empower Your Teaching with Python Programming!
Dates: July 9-10, 2025
Location: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA
Application: Apply Here (Deadline May 15, 2025)
Who should attend the workshop?
This workshop is designed for university faculty in the molecular sciences (chemistry, physics, molecular biology, materials science, and related disciplines) who want to learn Python programming and how to incorporate it into their class. This workshop targets faculty who have no or very limited python programming experience and want to upskill and then incorporate cyberinfrastructure skills, like programming, data analysis, data visualization into their courses. The workshop is open to faculty at all academic ranks, including tenure-stream and instructional faculty.
Workshop Details
The workshop will be held in-person on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California all-day on Wednesday, July 9 and Thursday, July 10, 2025. We recommend that all participants travel to San Luis Obispo on Tuesday, July 8 to be prepared to participate in the workshop starting at 9:00 am on Wednesday. The workshop will conclude at 5:00 pm on Thursday, July 10. For participants who are traveling from out-of-state, we recommend arranging your flight home on Friday, July 11.
Workshop Topics
Wednesday, July 9: Introduction to data analysis and visualization. Topics covered include:
- Basic Python syntax
- Reading and writing data from files
- Analyzing data with the Python libraries Numpy and pandas
- Plotting data with matplotlib
Thursday, July 10:
Faculty will be able to choose from several specific curriculum workshops where MolSSI ACT-CMS Faculty Fellows present curricular activities that use Python in molecular science courses. There will also be sessions about computational platforms that can be used for class actitivites and best practices for teaching programming.
Travel Awards
We’re committed to making this workshop accessible! Apply for one of two travel awards (Participants should indicate what type of travel award they wish to apply for on their application. Self-funded applicants are also welcome):
- Full travel award: This award includes support for airfare (up to $600) and three nights hotel accommodation (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) in San Luis Obispo. Breakfast is available at the hotel each day and lunch is provided at the workshop. Dinner is not provided. These travel awards are targeted for out-of-state participants, particularly those at institutions which serve diverse student populations. 10 awards available.
- Mini travel award: This award includes support for two nights hotel accommodations (Tuesday and Wednesday) in San Luis Obispo. Breakfast is available at the hotel each day and lunch will be provided at the workshop. This award does not include reimbursement for mileage or other travel. These awards are targeted for in-state participants, particularly faculty in the California State University system. 15 awards available.
To apply for the workshop, please fill out the online application. The application asks for contact information, information about your institution, and a short statement of interest explaining why you want to attend the workshop.