About us
R-Ladies Ottawa welcomes members of all R proficiency levels, whether you're a new or aspiring R user, or an experienced R programmer interested in mentoring, networking & expert upskilling. Our community is designed to develop our members' R skills & knowledge through social, collaborative learning & sharing. Supporting minority identity access to STEM skills & careers, the Free Software Movement, and contributing to the global R community!
A local chapter of R-Ladies Global, R-Ladies Ottawa exists to promote gender diversity in the R community worldwide. We are pro-actively inclusive of queer, trans, and all minority identities, with additional sensitivity to intersectional identities. Our priority is to provide a safe community space for anyone identifying as a minority gender who is interested in and/or working with R. As a founding principle, there is no cost or charge to participate in any of our R-Ladies communities around the world.
We are part of Global R-Ladies group. You can access our presentations, R scripts, and Projects on our Github account and follow us on twitter to stay up to date about R-Ladies news!
Website: https://www.rladies.org
Twitter: @RLadiesGlobal ( https://twitter.com/RLadiesGlobal )
Github: https://github.com/rladies
PS Community Policies & Code of Conduct: The leadership, mentoring & teaching roles within this Community are held exclusively by minority genders (majority gender speakers may be allowed/invited as one-off guests in exceptional circumstances at the leadership team's discretion). Due to unexpected demand, we have opened learning participation to all genders, dependent on initial and on-going vetting by the leadership team. However, the stated priority of the R-Ladies communities is the development & support specifically of those identifying as a minority gender, and we, therefore, reserve the right to guard this interest through whatever measures the leadership team deems appropriate. Anyone involved with R-Ladies Ottawa is expected to fully respect each other, the mandate of this community, and the goodwill on which R-Ladies is founded, or face expulsion/a penalty of any form, at the discretion of the leadership team.
Full community guidelines are found here: https://github.com/rladies/starter-kit/wiki
PPS Photos, Films and all other media/recordings: Photos, Films, and all other media/recordings: photographs and/or video/other media will be taken at events held by this community. By taking part in an R-Ladies Ottawa event you grant the community organizers full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming/media, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for publicity, fundraising or other purposes to help achieve the community’s aims. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity, social media, press releases and funding applications. If you do not wish to be recorded in these media please inform a community organizer.
Upcoming events
2
Co-working: IWD Data Challenge 2026
·HybridBayview Yards, 7 Bayview Road, Ottawa, ON, CAIWD Data Challenge 2026
R‑Ladies Ottawa is excited to host our fourth annual data challenge in celebration of International Women’s Day. This year, we invite you to explore openly available data connected to your community. That could be Ottawa, Gatineau, another part of the National Capital Region, or any place in the world that feels meaningful to you. As a starting point, we encourage you to browse datasets available through Open Ottawa. Although the challenge is hosted by R‑Ladies Ottawa, you’re welcome to use any programming language or visualization tool you prefer.How to Participate
You can participate individually or in teams of up to five people. Submissions are due on Friday, April 3rd, and you’re free to choose the format that best showcases your work. It could be a Quarto document, an image, a webpage, a YouTube video, or something else entirely.Submission Options
- Option 1: If you're comfortable with GitHub and Quarto, you can create a pull request on our repository and add your project under the Submissions section of this page.
- Option 2: If GitHub isn’t your thing, simply email us (ottawa[at]rladies.org) a link to your submission materials and we’ll add it to the website for you.
Once we've received your entry, we'll reach out and ask whether you'd like to present your work at the showcase event. Presenting is completely optional.
After the Challenge: Showcase Event
Once the submission deadline has passed, we’ll host a hybrid showcase event where participants can present their projects and celebrate the creativity of the community!Co‑Working Session
To help you get started, we’re hosting a casual co‑working evening on Monday, March 9th in honour of International Women’s Day. This session offers a collaborative, low‑pressure environment where you can work on your project, ask questions, and get support from others in the community. No previous programming experience is required, and experienced programmers will be available to help you get started or get unstuck.Event Details
This event is free to attend and will be offered in a hybrid format, with limited in-person capacity. If you RSVP for an in-person spot, please do so only if you're able to attend in person. Bayview Yards is located just a stone's throw away from the Bayview station. There is also a free parking lot for those who are driving. You can find us in the Training Room, located on the second floor of the building.What to Bring
Please bring your laptop, charger, and any project ideas you'd like to explore! We also recommend installing an IDE (e.g., RStudio, VS Code) ahead of time, but we're happy to help you get set up if needed.Community Guidelines
Please note that the mission of R-Ladies is to increase gender diversity in the R community. The data challenge and co-working session are intended to provide a safe space for women and gender minorities. We ask for male allies to be invited by and accompanied by a woman or gender minority.Special Thanks
We are grateful to be part of the Bayview Yards Meetup Program and extend our thanks to Bayview Yards for generously providing the venue space.13 attendees
Data Challenge Solution Showcase
·HybridBayview Yards, 7 Bayview Road, Ottawa, ON, CAIWD Data Challenge 2026
For this year's data challenge, we asked you to explore and analyze data from your communities. Whether that meant digging into datasets about Ottawa, Gatineau, the broader National Capital Region, or another place that feels like home, the goal was to uncover community-focused insights. If you'd like more background on the challenge itself, you can find the full details in the original event listing or on our webpage.Join Us for the Showcase Event
We're excited to celebrate the hard work and creativity of everyone who took part in this year's challenge. Join us for a fun, casual hybrid event on Tuesday, April 28th, where participants will walk us through their submissions. It's also a great oppotuity to connect with others in the city who are passionate about data, learning, and community!Event Details
This event is free to attend, with limited in-person capacity. Please reserve an in-person spot only if you plan to join us onsite. Bayview Yards is located just a stone's throw away from the Bayview station. There is also a free parking lot for those who are driving. You can find us in the Training Room, located on the second floor of the building.If You're Presenting
Please bring your laptop and charger so you can walk us through your project.Community Guidelines
Please note that the mission of R-Ladies is to increase gender diversity in the R community. The data challenge and showcase are intended to provide a safe space for women and gender minorities. We ask for male allies to be invited by and accompanied by a woman or gender minority.Special Thanks
We are grateful to be part of the Bayview Yards Meetup Program and extend our thanks to Bayview Yards for generously providing the venue space.4 attendees
Past events
25
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