The African Open Science Platform School of Research Data Science, in collaboration with the CODATA-RDA Data Schools Initiative took place on 17-28 June 2019 at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
The goal of this school was to train researchers in Research Data Science (RDS). RDS refers to the principles and practice of Open Science and research data management and curation, the use of a range of data platforms and infrastructures, large scale analysis, statistics, visualization and modelling techniques, software development and data annotation. These are important tools for extracting useful information from data and these tools are useful in every research area. This was a 10-day school organized by the African Open Science Platform (AOSP), the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences (EAS), CODATA: the Committee on Data of the International Science Council, the Research Data Alliance (RDA), the International Centre of Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and East African Institute for Fundamental Research (EAIFR), will be conducted at Addis Ababa University to introduce participants to the skills of RDS.
Topics covered
- Open Science
- Unix Shell
- Version Control
- Introduction to R
- Research Data Management
- Databases and SQL
- Data Visualization
- Machine Learning and Artificial Neural Networks
- Research Computational Infrastructure
Directors
Robert Quick
UITS Research Technologies, Indiana University
rquick (at) iu.edu
Louise Bezuidenhout
Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, University of Oxford
louise.bezuidenhout [at] insis.ox.ac.uk
Solomon Gizaw
Department of Computer Science, Addis Ababa University
solomong [at] aau.edu.et
Participation Information
This school was open to researchers in every field. Science graduates (masters and doctoral levels) working in data intensive fields will find it particularly useful. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Selection of participants is based on their technical background and also the urgency of their needs to apply the tools of RDS.
Applications for participation for the workshop must be made at: https://e-applications.ictp.it/applicant/login/9010
Deadline for applications: May 10, 2019
For further information contact: data_school_directors@codata.org
Information for Applicants
There is no registration fee for this event. Some support for travel and accommodation is available and its allocation will be determined during the selection process. Much of this funding is intended for participants from lower and middle income countries. Potential participants have the opportunity to indicate they need support in the application. Self-funded participants are welcome. All applicants are strongly encouraged to look for alternative ‘third-party’ sources of funding to support their participation. Applicants are expected to be based in Ethiopia or certain countries in the surrounding region (Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia and Central African Republic).
The AOSP School of Research Data Science, in collaboration with CODATA-RDA, is open to researchers in any discipline. The data skills taught are also useful for (data) librarians and other research support staff, such as those who envisage a career as data steward or data analysts. Furthermore, people who are more advanced in their careers who would like to improve their data skills as a form of continuing professional development are also eligible.
Participants will be selected on merit from a very competitive field. Applicants are urged therefore to ensure they pay careful and full attention to the requirements of the application process.
Selected participants for this School will have a baseline of data skills and these will have been tested by an online form.
Applicants should pay particular attention to their personal statement and communicate persuasively their reasons for wishing to attend the School: how do they intend to use these skills and experiences, how will participation in the Summer School and/or Advanced Workshops benefit their research or the institution in which they work? Finally, candidates should take pains to ensure that their application is well supported by references from their past or present tutors or line managers. This is particularly important so that the directors and organisers of these events have confidence in the candidate and that the skills learnt will have the maximum benefit and impact.