Introduction to Programming in Python

This Spring, Cal Poly's Data Science Initiative is running a series of python-based Data Science workshops for faculty professional development.

We are able to open a limited number of spots to the general public. This workshop is remote; a Zoom link will become visible upon RSVP and further details will be emailed.

Please see the description below for this second workshop, Introduction to Programming in Python

There is no fee for this workshop; however, we are asking that you make a donation to the Cal Poly Black Student Scholarship Fund (https://www.calfund.org/calpolyblackstudentfund/) in lieu of a workshop fee. The suggested donation is $50.

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Programming in Python is a six-hour workshop (across two days) that will introduce basic python syntax, data structures, and a few widely used python libraries.

The workshop will focus on developing practical programming skills that are immediately applicable to data analysis and visualization. Topics covered include introductory python syntax (assigning variables, lists, slicing, conditionals, for loops, etc.), file parsing, analyzing tabular data using numpy, plotting data using matplotlib, and accessing data in pandas.

The workshop is six-hours long, split over two days; it is important that participants attend both days.

No prior programming experience is required.

At the end of the workshop, self-paced curricular materials will be provided that cover more advanced topics like writing functions, curve fitting, testing with pytest, and more advanced data visualization techniques.

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Preparation steps for attendees:

The workshop will be taught in a “live-coding” style where code is demonstrated live and you follow along, followed by examples and exercises to solidify your understanding. Note that since the you will want to be typing in your own jupyter notebook while watching the workshop, it is very helpful to have two screens so that you can watch the zoom meeting in one window and type in another window.

While there are ways to access a programming environment online, I strongly recommend that you install python and set up a development environment on your own computer, so you can continue working in python after the workshop is over. These are the things you need to do to set up your computer to get ready for the workshop.

1. Install anaconda. (https://www.anaconda.com/products/individual)

Anaconda is a python package manager. This means it is software that helps you install python and other python packages (we’ll talk more about what python packages are in the workshop). Go to the link above and download the appropriate package for your operating system. In virtually all cases, you want the 64-bit version and not the 32-bit. The default options are generally fine. If you are a windows user, be sure you choose Make anaconda the default python in the setup.

2. Download the workshop files. (https://education.molssi.org/python_scripting_cms/data/data.zip)

Download the zip file linked above. Create a folder on your Desktop called python-workshop (use a dash or underscore in the name; do NOT use a space), move the zip file to your python-workshop folder, and unzip the file.

3. Test your setup. From Finder or Spotlight (Mac OS) or the Start Menu (Windows) find the Anaconda Navigator. The icon looks like a green circle. Click Launch under Jupyter Notebook. It may take a few seconds to load the page, especially if it is the first time you have ever used the jupyter notebook, so don’t panic if nothing loads for a few seconds. Then a new window should open in your default internet browser. Use the file navigation window to navigate to Desktop and then to the python-workshop folder. In the upper right hand corner, click New, then choose Python 3 from the dropdown list. This should start a new jupyter notebook in python 3 and you are ready to go!