Why contribute to Open Source? A Panel Discussion @Two Sigma [with NYC Python]

Two Sigma will be hosting NYC Python and NYC PyLadies for a discussion on contributing to open source. Our panelists will include Julia Meinwald (Two Sigma), Jane Adams (Two Sigma), Hannah Aizenman (CUNY), Piper Thunstrom (NYC Python), Katharine Hyatt (Flatiron Institute), & Hyonjee Joo (Two Sigma). The discussion will be covering a number of topics from how to get started with a new open source project, to more complex topics as you take leading roles in a project.

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AGENDA

6:00 - 6:30PM: Doors open / Networking
6:30 - 6:45PM: Two Sigma, NYC Python, & NYC PyLadies Welcome
6:45 - 7:50PM: Panel discussion
7:50 - 8:30PM: Networking

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SPEAKER BIOS

Julia Meinwald
Julia is the open source coordinator at Two Sigma. Her background is in music, but she’s been learning more about technology and scientific computing ever since she joined Two Sigma in 2010. She’s enjoyed every stop of her quest to learn more about open source software, from getting to know what makes the products developed at Two Sigma special to writing backing tracks for her musical, Reb + VoDKa + Me, on Sonic Pi.

Jane Adams
Jane works at Two Sigma, where she spends a lot of time thinking about how data are going to fail. Jane holds a B.A. from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University and an M.S in Urban Data Science from New York University. She speaks actively at local meetups and international conferences on topics ranging from how to not accidentally hurt people with data to how ants find your picnic basket.

Hannah Aizenman
Hannah is a doctoral candidate in Computer Science at the Graduate Center, CUNY, where she studies visualization of high dimensional multivariate datasets. She is an organizer for the New York City Linux Users Group, in particular the biweekly newbie geared hack workshops. As a member of the American Meteorology Society Annual Meeting Python Symposium, she's trying to figure out ways to introduce Earth and Atmosphere Scientists to new Python libraries. She is also a core matplotlib developer, where her interest is supporting more types of data and her focus is mentoring summer students and learning to get better at outreach.

Piper Thunstrom
Piper is a web developer currently working as a Software Engineer at GLG. For the past 3 years, she’s been working on PursuedPyBear, an education focused game library. Piper is an organizer in the NYC Python community. She’s proudly and visibly queer and has talked about her experience transitioning while being a public figure. Her current focus is building open curriculum and better documentation for ppb.

Katharine Hyatt
Katharine works on developing new algorithms for simulating quantum materials as a postdoc at the Flatiron Institute. She also contributes to the Julia language, and is the 9th most prolific committer to it.

Hyonjee Joo
Hyonjee is a software engineer at Two Sigma, where she builds scalable analytics solutions for researchers. She holds a B.S. from Columbia University in Computer Science and Psychology and spends her time thinking about how to tackle data science problems with well-engineered systems. At Two Sigma, she’s leveraged distributed compute and open source tools to make all sorts of research possible. When Hyonjee’s not writing code, she enjoys giving technical talks and meeting other engineers.

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ABOUT TWO SIGMA

Two Sigma's mission is to find value in the world's data. Its clients in investment management, insurance, securities, private investments and venture capital benefit from its research-led data science approach and advanced technology. The company was founded in 2001 by co-chairmen David Siegel and John Overdeck with a belief in the power of the scientific method. Today, Two Sigma has over 1,500 employees and offices in New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Houston and London. For more information, please visit www.twosigma.com.