The University of Hull

3rd - 7th September 2018

The E. A. Milne Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Hull is hosting the STFC Introductory Summer School for Research Computing in Solar Physics and Astronomy from 2nd to 7th September 2018.

The Summer School is aimed at (but not restricted to) PhD students in astrophysics and solar physics. This summer school will consist mostly of practical sessions, allowing the students to quickly put into use the concepts they are being taught. This will be combined with a number of invited talks and specialist sessions.

We will use the Python language, which is fast becoming the de facto standard in scientific computing, particularly in astronomy and space physics. Although these fields have historically used IDL, Python has become more popular in recent years, due in part to the fact that it is free and open-source. Additionally, Python’s simple, readable syntax and thriving developer community make it an excellent choice of first language for beginners. However, the principles we will be teaching are language-agnostic and will give the students a good understanding of how to develop and maintain high-quality software in any language.

In addition, there will also be sessions on computing, teaching, outreach, careers, and secret things you will need to know, in order to survive and thrive as a PhD student.