The Holland Computing Center will host a Software Carpentry workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 20-21 in Avery Hall, Room 119.

Topics covered will include:

• Automating tasks using the Unix shell;

• Software Version Control; and

• R Scripting.

The R scripting session on Saturday will include:

• Working with vectors and data frames;

• Reading and plotting data;

• Creating and using functions; and

• Using R from the command line.

Software Carpentry is a volunteer organization that has a goal to make scientists more productive and their work more reliable by teaching them basic computing skills. The organization runs short, intensive workshops that cover program design, version control, testing and task automation.

Computing is now an integral part of every aspect of science, but most scientists are never taught how to build, use, validate and share software. As a result, many spend hours or days doing things that could be done in just a few minutes. The goal is to change that so scientists, artists and humanists can spend less time wrestling with software and more time doing useful research.

Space is limited. Registration is available at http://go.unl.edu/96nd. A $25 fee helps to defray the costs of instructor travel.

For more information, go to http://hcc.unl.edu.