Workshop Resources

Slides and additional materials from past workshops and events are shared on this page. Also, see our GIS Day Repository.

Title Date Description Materials
Machine Learning in Python: Transformer Models - Data Hub Tech Talk 2023-12-06 Part 5 of the series, learn how to develop and train a (simple, small) transformer model from scratch for generative text via next token prediction or language translation. Code and demonstration will use Python and PyTorch.
Presenter: Luke Sheneman
Video
Slides
Code
Machine Learning in Python: Diffusion Models - Data Hub Tech Talk 2023-11-28 Part 4 of the series, explore about developing and using (simple, small) diffusion models from scratch for generative text-to-image generation. Discussion and demonstration will be using Python and PyTorch.
Presenter: Luke Sheneman
Video
Slides
Code
Web Mapping for Every Discipline – How to Use ArcGIS Online (Graduate Student Essentials) 2023-10-11 Following this workshop, participants will be able to: Select GIS software and navigate the U of I Teaching & Scholarly Research Portal; Access apps for mobile data collection, web mapping, conveying information, and storytelling; Choose how to share their content using ArcGIS.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Video
Slides
Make Data Management Easier (Graduate Student Essentials) 2023-10-04 Following this workshop, participants will: Know the purpose of metadata and some approaches to creating it, Be able to articulate a backup strategy, Know some techniques to reorganize their data as needed.
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Slides
Video
Six Questions to Ask before Publishing Your Journal Article (Graduate Student Essentials) 2023-09-27 During this workshop, participants will learn more about: Finding relevant journals that reflect their research scope and audience, selecting a publishing model that meets their needs and budget, tracking the impact of their published articles, understanding the peer-review process and their rights as authors.
Presenter: Tyler Rodrigues
Slides
Handout
Video
The Textbooks are Too Expensive! Open Educational Resources and Graduate Students (Graduate Student Essentials) 2023-09-20 During this workshop, participants will learn more about various topics, including: Concepts and practices of Open including Open Educational Resources, Open Pedagogy, and Open Access Publishing; What recent research has revealed about student costs on our campus; Where to find high-quality educational resources and what to look out for.
Presenter: Marco Seiferle-Valencia
Handout
Video
New Whitestar Spatial Data Layers - Data Hub Tech Talk 2023-09-19 This information session will introduce attendees to a new set of foundational data layers for performing geospatial research and analysis in Idaho.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Video
Getting started with Zotero (Graduate Student Essentials) 2023-09-13 Following this workshop, participants will be able to: Download the free desktop version of Zotero; Collect and organize items; Create reference lists in the application and with a word processor plug-in; and share Zotero ‘group libraries' with others
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Video
Slides
Essential Library Resources, Services, and Skills for Graduate Students (Graduate Student Essentials) 2023-09-06 Describe key library spaces for essential services, study, and research and experiential learning. Search and locate books, eBooks, and articles using the library catalog and databases. Utilize search strategies to find information resources. Identify other library resources for graduate students.
Presenter: Hanwen Dong
Video
Slides
Exploring the Information Landscape: Image Illusions and Mind tricks 2023-04-26 Learn about logical fallacies and the methods used by professional fact checkers to fact check images and root out the truth.
Presenter: Diane Prorak
Slides
Exploring the Information Landscape: Introduction to Algorithmic Awareness 2023-04-27 This workshop will give an overview of how algorithms and the data they use affect what you see online, including concerns around privacy, racial justice, and the spread of misinformation.
Presenter: Diane Prorak
Slides
ArcGIS Experience Builder - Data Hub Tool Talk 2023-04-18 ArcGIS Experience Builder is a tool, built into ArcGIS Online, that enables you to build mapcentric or nonmapcentric web apps without writing code. We will perform drag-and-drop operations to choose various tools from a rich set of widgets and create a basic web app.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Slides
ArcGIS Image for ArcGIS Online - Data Hub Tool Talk 2023-04-05 ArcGIS Image for ArcGIS Online is a cloud software offering for hosting, analyzing, and streaming imagery and other raster data. Rasters are able to be published as web services that, unlike simple tile caches, are ready for analysis as pixel information is retained and different renderings can be applied. We will take a look at publishing a collection of images files as well as sharing and accessing the layer from a few apps.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Video
Slides
Machine Learning in Python: Convolutional Networks for Semantic Segmentation in TensorFlow and Keras - Data Hub Tech Talk 2023-03-07 Part 3 of the series introduces TensorFlow with Keras to train a convolutional neural network capable of recognizing and labeling objects within images, TensorBoard, and ways to optimize TensorFlow models to run efficiently on a variety of hardware.
Presenter: Luke Sheneman
Video
Code
Qualcoder - Data Hub Tool Talk 2023-02-28 QualCoder is a free and open source tool for qualitative data analysis. We will walk through the basic features of Qualcoder, including how to code text and run an initial report.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Video
Write Markdown *Everywhere* - Data Hub Tool Talk 2023-02-14 Markdown is a simple standard to create formatted documents in plaintext--a lightweight markup language based on how people intuitively write emails. This session introduces the basics of writing Markdown, useful applications, and tips for efficient writing.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Video
Website
Introduction to Falcon Supercomputer - Data Hub Tech Talk 2023-02-07 Learn about how U of I researchers can access and use the powerful Falcon Supercomputer at Idaho National Laboratory.
Presenter: Benji Oswald
Video
Machine Learning in Python - part 1/3 - Data Hub Tech Talk 2022-12-13 Overview on using Machine Learning with Python, discussing basic ML concepts with code examples, such as ensemble methods (random forests, gradient boosting), multi-level perceptrons (simple neural networks), and K-means clustering using the Python scikit-learn framework.
Presenter: Luke Sheneman
Slides
Notebook
ArcGIS Image for ArcGIS Online - Data Hub Tool Talk 2022-12-06 ArcGIS Image for ArcGIS Online is a cloud software offering for hosting, analyzing, and streaming imagery and other raster data. Rasters are able to be published as web services that, unlike simple tile caches, are ready for analysis as pixel information is retained and different renderings can be applied. We will take a look at publishing a collection of images files as well as sharing and accessing the layer from a few apps.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Video
Slides
RAWGraphs - Data Hub Tool Talk 2022-11-29 RAWGraphs is a browser-based app for quick data visualization. With extensive help built in, this is a great tool for teaching, learning, and experimenting with charts. This sessions will introduce the tool, along with tips for working with data on the web and other browser-based apps.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Video
Website
Exploring the Information Landscape: Defend yourself against misinformation! 2022-11-09 What tricks do creators of misinformation use to mislead? How can you sleuth out misinformation and its more devious partner, disinformation? Learn about logical fallacies used by misinformation creators and the methods used by professional fact checkers to root out the truth.
Presenter: Diane Prorak
Slides
SQLAlchemy - Data Hub Tech Talk 2022-11-15 SLQAlchemy is a Python toolkit and object relational mapper for abstracting your application's data model away from underlaying relational databases and specific SQL dialects. When used properly, SQLAlchemy makes writing database-backed Python applications much easier to write, deploy, and maintain.
Presenter: Tanner Varrelman, John Brunsfeld
Video
Exploring the Information Landscape: Optimizing Online Shopping 2022-10-27 In this workshop, we'll take a look at some of the common and emerging mechanisms of ecommerce and explore tools and techniques to help you save money and get what you really want when you shop online.
Presenter: Sarah VanGundy
Slides
Web Mapping for Every Discipline – How to Use ArcGIS Online (Graduate Student Essentials) 2022-10-04 Select GIS software and navigate the U of I teaching and scholarly research portal, access apps for mobile data collections, web mapping, conveying information, and storytelling, and how to share their content using ArcGIS Online.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Video
Slides
Supercharging Your Scholarly Presence in 3 Easy Steps (Graduate Student Essentials) 2022-09-28 Learn more about ORCID; creating a scholarly and professional presence on Google Scholar, LinkedIn, and social media; Altmetrics; and easy productivity hacks for managing digital clutter.
Presenter: Marco Seiferle-Valencia
Handout
Video
3 Simple Tips for Expanding Your Literature Review (Graduate Student Essentials) 2022-09-20 Learn more about: Saving searches and setting search alerts; Mining author networks; Conducting citation chaining; and Strategies for organizing and planning literature reviews.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Video
Slides
7 Tips To Make Your Data Management Life Easier (Graduate Student Essentials) 2022-09-13 Know the purpose of metadata, articulate a backup strategy, know some techniques to reorganize the data as needed.
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Slides
Video
Essential Library Skills to Ace Graduate School (Graduate Student Essentials) 2022-09-06 Identify key library resources and services. Navigate the library website. Utilize search strategies to find books and articles.
Presenter: Hanwen Dong
Video
Slides
Handout
Become a Power Browser --> Understanding How the Web Works! 2022-04-20 Join us to explore the basics of how the web works (servers, addresses, and web browsers) and what the web is made of (HTML, CSS, JS). Taking a peek under the hood will give you a more critical view of the web--and help you become more savvy with your web browser!
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Exploring the Information Landscape: Exploring the Outdoors in Idaho 2022-03-24 Are you interested in exploring the Idaho outdoors but don't know where to begin? Learn how to use the tools and resources in the library's collection and online to help you navigate where to go to learn more about enjoying Idaho's great outdoors, whether it's camping, hiking, fishing, or water sports.
Presenter: Samantha Thompson-Franklin and Ramirose Attebury
Guide
Exploring the Information Landscape: Adulting 101: What you need to know to be a responsible grown-up (especially in college!) 2022-03-25 Now that you are in college, you might need to ask yourself the following questions: How do I budget to pay the bills? What should I cook to eat smart and save money? How do I work on my resume writing and interviewing skills? In this workshop, we will use the lateral reading technique to examine some sample information sources on money management, cooking, job hunting, and other essential life skills topics.
Presenter: Hanwen Dong
Website
Hello Arduino: Introducing Microcontrollers, Code, and Simple Circuits for Everyone! 2022-03-03 Learn about the Arduino electronics platform by making lights blink and buzzers buzz!
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Create instructional videos using an illuminated eGlass whiteboard 2022-02-23 An eGlass is a transparent glass that allows instructors to write, draw, and annotate. It comes with a built-in camera that can capture any instructor’s facial expressions and gestures while facing their (remote) students for better engagement. In addition, the eGlass can be used for creating asynchronous instruction videos and allows for zoom integration for live classes. In this workshop, we will do a live demonstration of using the eGlass, and talk about why this tool is perfect for remote instruction and how to use it.
Presenter: Hanwen Dong
Slides
Video
Create Instructional Videos Using Camtasia 2022-01-19 Camtasia is a beginner-friendly video editor suitable for instructional video creation. Any U of I faculty and staff who assist in creating instructional material for courses can install and use Camtasia for free. This workshop will cover the essentials of video editing and instructional video production. Participants will learn how to use Camtasia to edit Zoom/Teams lecture recordings, record a PowerPoint slide show with narration, create screencast tutorial videos, and create interactive videos.
Presenter: Hanwen Dong
Website
Video
Get Git! Introduction to Version Control with Git and GitHub 2021-11-10 This workshop will get you started with version control by introducing the basic Git workflow and commands, and will cover Github features for collaboration, project management, and sharing.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Videos
Idaho 911! The Steunenberg Assassination 2021-10-13 True Crime from the Files of the Gem State session looks at the assassination of Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg, examining the related artifacts held in the University Archives. Get hands on with the more sinister side of Idaho history!
Presenter: Robert Perret
Video
7 Tips To Make Your Data Management Life Easier (Graduate Student Essentials) 2021-09-28 Know the purpose of metadata, articulate a backup strategy, describe an organizational scheme for your data, find a repository where you can store your data, explain the value of unique identifiers.
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Slides
Video
Web Mapping for Every Discipline – How to Use ArcGIS Online (Graduate Student Essentials) 2021-09-21 Select GIS software and navigate the U of I teaching and scholarly research portal, access apps for mobile data collections, web mapping, conveying information, and storytelling, and how to share their content using ArcGIS Online.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Video
Slides
Six Questions You Need to Ask Before Publishing a Journal Article (Graduate Student Essentials) 2021-09-14 Find relevant journals that reflect your research scope and audience, select a publishing model that meets your needs and budget, and track the impact of your published articles.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Video
Slides
10 Essential Library Skills to Ace Graduate School (Graduate Student Essentials) 2021-09-07 Refresh your research skills! Access the library from anywhere, find theses and dissertations, connect Google Scholar to the library, and quickly find useful articles and books.
Presenter: Jessica Martinez
Video
Slides
Handout
Create Visuals for Instruction: Screen Capture with Snagit 2021-09-01 If you need to capture or edit images and videos for your instruction, Snagit is a powerful tool that can make your life easier. Any U of I faculty and staff who assist in the creation of instructional material for courses can install Snagit for free. This workshop video will cover the essentials of capturing, editing, and sharing images and videos.
Presenter: Hanwen Dong
Website
Video
Web Mapping – An Introduction to ArcGIS Online 2021-04-14 Want to share data and make web maps? This tutorial will show you how by providing an overview of ArcGIS Online.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Video
Alternative Literature Searching for Live Animal Research 2021-04-07 An overview for live animal researchers on finding alternative research methods to reduce, refine, and replace their use of animals. This process is an essential part of the protocol submission for live animal research.
Presenter: Jessica Martinez
Guide
Video
Introduction to Instructional Design 2021-03-31 Have you heard about instructional technology, educational design, learning sciences, or other similar terms, but aren't sure what they entail? And what about the instructional designers—what do they do exactly? This workshop covers the basics of instructional design, including the theories, processes, models, and strategies.
Presenter: Hanwen Dong
Website
Video
ArcHub, Experience Builder, and Other Esri Apps for Research and Education 2021-03-30 An overview of the Esri web tools and services available help to store and disseminate your ideas and data.
Presenter: Dan Cronan
Video
ArcGIS Pro Basics Plus 2021-03-29 An overview of Esri’s next-generation desktop GIS that integrates web GIS, spatial machine learning, open science technologies, and 3d rendering into one package.
Presenter: Dan Cronan
Video
Get Started with OpenRefine: Explore, Clean, and Transform your Data! 2021-03-03 Before analysis comes the messy work of evaluating, cleaning, and transforming data. This hands on workshop will introduce a free power tool to get the job done: OpenRefine.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Video
Canva 101: Introduction to the Basics of Design 2021-02-10 Learn Canva, a free web-based graphic design program designed for non-designers! No experience necessary to learn and make engaging flyers, cards, presentations, resumes, and more! This webinar will cover the basics of elements, templates, fonts, uploads, as well as tips and tricks for accessibility, balance, and making the most out of the free version of the program.
Presenter: Shelley Carr
Video
Try Linux: Getting Started with Linux Desktop Operating Systems 2021-02-17 Want to get started with Linux on your laptop? This workshop will introduce the most popular operating system in the world!
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Video
Essential Excel Skills – on a Time Budget! 2020-11-05 Do you want to learn more about Excel but don't have the time to attend an entire workshop? Then check-out this series of pre-recorded short video sessions covering some of the most valuable Excel skills, such as organizing and formatting data, inserting functions, creating charts and graphs, and generating PivotTables.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Video Playlist
Go-Go GH-Pages: Introduction to Creating Websites with GitHub Pages and Jekyll 2020-11-04 With GitHub Pages you can create and publish a website for free! It is an ideal solution for creating a simple project, open educational workshop, or personal site to highlight your academic work.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Video Playlist
Web Mapping – An Introduction to ArcGIS Online 2020-11-04 Want to share data and make web maps? This tutorial will show you how by providing an overview of ArcGIS Online.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Slides
Graduate Student Essentials: Creating a Research Poster 2020-10-20 Do you need to create a poster presentation for a class or a conference? Use PowerPoint to easily design and print a poster to to exhibit your research.
Presenter: Perri Moreno
Slides
Video
Graduate Student Essentials: Organizing your Research and Data Management 2020-10-13 Data management is an increasingly common aspect of research. In this workshop, we will discuss file organization strategies, storage options, naming conventions, and tips to manage your workflows when analyzing data. Never lose a file again!
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Slides
Video
Graduate Student Essentials: Tips and Tricks for Microsoft Word, Excel, and OneDrive 2020-10-06 Do spreadsheets and paper formatting leave you frazzled and confused? When you know how to use them, Microsoft apps are powerful tools and include many features and shortcuts that can make work more efficient. Join the Library to learn about some of the hidden tricks and time-saving tips available to you in Word, Excel, and OneDrive.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Slides
Video
Intro to Web Archiving: Fight Link Rot and Preserve Your Citations 2020-09-30 Fight link rot by creating permanent archived records of web pages with Archive.org and Perma.cc. This workshop will introduce the issues of link rot, web archiving services, and best practices for citing web pages in your articles.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Graduate Student Essentials: Citation Management with Zotero 2020-09-29 Writing a research paper or thesis? Drowning in citations? Zotero is here to help! Zotero is a citation manager that can save citations online, insert them into Word or Google docs, format them into a number of citation styles, then create a bibliography automatically.
Presenter: Jessica Martinez
Video
Graduate Student Essentials: Tools for Building Scholarly Presence 2020-09-22 Do terms like ORCID, author profile, metrics and Altmetrics, and professional social media have you scratching your head? These concepts are all important aspects of your scholarly presence. At this workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn more about creating and managing your scholarly presence and the ways that you can create greater visibility for your work.
Presenter: Marco Seiferle-Valencia
Handout
Video
Graduate Student Essentials: Planning and Organizing a Literature Review 2020-09-15 Don’t know where to start when it comes to your literature review? Literature reviews are often key parts of theses, dissertations, and research articles but are difficult to begin. We will discuss planning for a literature review, utilizing advanced search strategies to find sources, and options for organizing the review.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Slides
Handout
Video
Graduate Student Essentials: Research Refresher 2020-09-08 Do you have questions about getting started on research or how to access resources from the library? This session re-introduces everything the Library has to offer to graduate students!
Presenter: Jessica Martinez
Handout
Video
Organizing your Research and Data Management 2020-04-03 Data management is an increasingly common aspect of research. In this workshop, we will discuss file organization strategies, the benefits of data management plans, as well as cloud-based storage options.
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Slides
Creating a Research Poster 2020-03-26 Do you need to create a poster presentation for a class or a conference? Use PowerPoint to easily design and print a poster to to exhibit your research.
Presenter: Perri Moreno
Guide
Markdown and Pandoc for Academic Writing 2020-02-21 Markdown offers a quick and intuitive way to write formatted documents in plaintext that can be converted to other formats such as PDF or HTML using Pandoc.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
What does your data mean? Tools for understanding and making metadata for data 2019-12-04 This workshop introduces common types of metadata used for describing data with a focus on creating metadata in numerous fields.
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Slides
ArcPro Basics: A beginner's guide to Esri ArcGIS Pro 2019-10-31 An overview of ArcGIS Pro, Esri’s next-generation desktop GIS that integrates web GIS, spatial machine learning, open science technologies, and 3d rendering into one package.
Presenter: Dan Cronan
Video
LaTeX for Beginners 2019-10-30 LaTeX is a powerful free software for typesetting documents, designed for techincal and scientific writing. This workshop will introduce LaTeX using the online platform Overleaf.
Presenter: Siva
Website
Video
Quick and Simple Podcasting! 2019-10-24 An introduction to simple podcast production, including recording techniques and using Audacity for audio editing.
Presenter: Corey Oglesby
Website
Office 365 for Academics – It’s more than just your email! 2019-10-23 Did you know that Office 365 has apps that go above and beyond your email and calendar? U of I has access to a suite of tools through our campus license to power communication, collaboration, and research.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Slides
Video
Getting Started with Password Managers 2019-10-17 You have too many passwords... a password manager, such as LastPass and KeePass, will simplify and secure your digital life!
Presenter: Carrie Roever
Slides
Graduate Student Essentials: Citation Management with Zotero 2019-10-10 Learn how to keep your citations and notes organized with this free and easy-to-use platform.
Presenter: Jessica Martinez
Video
Graduate Student Essentials: Organizing your Research and Data Management 2019-10-01 Data management – either by choice or by requirement – is an increasingly common aspect of research. In this workshop, we will discuss file organization strategies, the benefits of data management plans, as well as cloud-based storage options. Never lose a file again!
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Handout
Video
Tools for Accessing Literature on the Web! 2019-09-25 While the U of I Library is a hub for scholarly literature, searching the library website is not the only way to gain access to material. This workshop will focus on using the Library’s log-in bookmarklet, browser extensions like Kopernio, Unpaywall, and others. We will look at advanced methods for searching Google, and utilizing specialized tools like Google Dataset Search, and others.
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Website
Web Crash Course! 2019-09-25 HTML and CSS and JS, Oh My! Designed for beginners, this workshop will dive into the fundamentals that power the websites you look at everyday.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Graduate Student Essentials: Scholarly Presence 2019-09-17 Do terms like ORCID iD, author profile, metrics and altmetrics, and professional social media have you scratching your head? These concepts are all important aspects of your scholarly presence. At this workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn more about creating and managing your scholarly presence and the ways that you can create greater visibility for your work.
Presenter: Marco Seiferle-Valencia
Handout
Video
Graduate Student Essentials: Tips and Tricks for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2019-09-10 Are you a graduate student who wants to become a Microsoft power-user? Then this is the workshop for you! Learn about some of the hidden tricks and time-saving tips available to you in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Handout
Video
Graduate Student Essentials: Research Refresher 2019-09-03 Do you have questions about getting started on research or how to access resources from the library? This session re-introduces everything the Library has to offer to graduate students!
Presenter: Jessica Martinez
Handout
Video
Introduction to Using Web APIs 2019-02-27 Many websites provide Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that allow users to access data and services via simple web queries. For example, you might want to retrieve a historic image, harvest the latest tweets, or run sentiment analysis on a text. This session will use several examples to introduce the basics of understanding and using server-side web APIs, including the IIIF image API, Chronicling America historic newspaper API, and Text Processing Sentiment Analysis demo. We will learn how to construct queries as HTTP GET and POST requests to retrieve information from services, and introduce ways to integrate them with tools such as commandline, programming languages, or OpenRefine.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Teaching Digital Humanities with Analog Tools: Text Mining 2019-02-20 It's difficult to guarantee access to the range of tools needed to bring digital humanities into the standard classroom, especially when it's not feasible to schedule every single class session in a computer lab. But one of the most exciting aspects of digital humanities is that it's what we do with the tools, not the tools themselves, that matters. This session introduces the basics of text mining, a technique that provides several different approaches to exploring and reading large swaths of information, and sends you home with an activity that you can adapt and use to introduce your students to text mining, no matter your discipline or the digital capacity of your classroom.
Presenter: Olivia Wikle
Website
Textual Analysis and Digital Tools for Writers 2018-11-28 Analyze your own writing using a variety of digital scholarship tools, including those that provide sentiment analysis, corpora comparisons, and visualizations and insights of all kinds.
Presenter: Devin Becker
Website
Introduction to Text Encoding for Digital Humanities Scholarship and Teaching 2018-11-14 Ever wish for a new way to approach the texts you study? Encoding text in a machine-readable language can present exciting opportunities for research and teaching, and may be applied to documents with content as wide ranging as comics and music notation. This workshop introduces text encoding and demonstrates examples of its scholarly and educational uses. This is an introduction for beginners from all backgrounds, no experience with coding required.
Presenter: Olivia Wikle
Slides
Introduction to SPSS 2018-10-24 SPSS is a statistical analysis program which combines ease of use with a wide variety of data processing and analysis options. It is available on all library computers, and through Vlab.
Presenter: Amanda Pavlov Culley
Slides
Introduction to Creative Commons Licenses 2018-09-26 Do you want to make your work more available and encourage its reuse while also protecting your copyright? This workshop will discuss the basics of CC licenses, including: what they are, how to apply them, and how to find and use CC-licensed material.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Slides
How to Create Publication-Quality Figures 2018-04-25 You have spent months, if not years, working on your research project, and you are finally ready to share it with the world. Next that high-impact journal article needs to be accompanied by high-impact figures. In this 30-minute presentation, we will introduce you to some tips and tricks to create journal-ready figures. While we won’t cover all topics related to figure design, we will discuss the technical and practical issues involved with turning your results into something that can be proudly displayed in print or on a computer screen.
Presenter: Carrie Roever and Gina Wilson
Slides
Combining the Power of ArcGIS, Jupyter Notebook, and R 2018-04-11 ArcGIS Pro, a newer desktop GIS product, offers the ability for integration with open-source software such as the R to perform statistical analysis and Jupyter Notebook to prototype geoprocessing workflows in an interactive manner. This presentation will provide attendees with information about how to configure these tools to work together and will show simple examples of integrating ArcGIS spatial data into R and Jupyter Notebook.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Slides
Introduction to Linux! 2018-03-29 Want to get started with Raspberry Pi or Linux on your laptop? This workshop will introduce the most popular operating system in the world! Although most people are more familiar with Windows or Mac, Linux OS runs the vast majority of web servers, super computers, smartphones (Android), TVs, and other electronic devices. You can also use desktop versions for free on your laptop or home computer! Come get an introduction to free and open source operating systems, and see desktop versions of Linux in action on Raspberry Pi and laptops. We will get oriented to the basics of the desktop, burn USB/SD images, and learn how to install it on a computer.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Visual Programming with ArcGIS ModelBuilder 2018-03-21 ModelBuilder, included with ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Pro, provides a visual drag-and-drop interface (i.e. no coding required) to create geoprocessing models that automate GIS workflows. ModelBuilder is a valuable tool for stringing together geoprocessing tools to conduct spatial analysis. If you need to visually represent a GIS workflow for a presentation or publication or if you need to create a reusable tool for repeatability and efficiency ModelBuilder might be helpful to you. This presentation will provide an introduction to ModelBuilder and attendees will leave with a basic understanding of its capabilities enabling them to determine if it is useful for their needs.
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Slides
Introduction to Excel: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies 2018-02-21 Excel is a powerful tool that can help you organize information and data. In this workshop, participants will learn Excel basics as well as time-saving tricks.
Presenter: Jylisa Kenyon
Website
Get Git! Introduction to version control with Git and GitHub 2018-01-31 Do you have files like final.txt, final_revised.txt, final_revised2.txt, final_revised2_revised.txt? Version control WILL make your life better! Git is a free version control system originally developed for coordinating huge software development projects. However, Git is also great for personal uses such as organizing the code for your research project or the drafts and notes for writing an article. Pair Git with free hosting from Github and you have a powerful platform for managing your code and writing while collaborating and sharing with others. This workshop will get you started with version control by introducing the basic Git workflow and commands, and will cover Github features for collaboration and sharing. Members of the university community from all disciplines are encouraged to attend as Github has diverse applications from managing code and technical documentation, to collaborative writing of lessons and articles, to setting up free blogs and websites. We will introduce Git on the command line, but will also feature the Github web interface.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
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[2016]
Zotero: Simplify your Citations! 2018-01-24 Writing a research paper or thesis? Drowning in citations? Zotero is here to help! Zotero is a citation manager that can save citations online, insert them into Word documents, format them into a number of citation styles, then create a bibliography automatically. It will also save PDFs and notes, and allows for organization by folders and tags--plus find anything using full text search! This workshop will cover the basics of Zotero for researchers.expand
Presenter: Kimberly Foster
Handout
Video
Climate Engine 2017-11-15 U of I GIS Day 2017 lightning talk presents Climate Engine, a web tool that allows the visualization of maps and time series from large climate and remote sensing datasets.
Presenter: Katherine Hegewisch
Slides
Video
Web GIS - Making Your Data Available as Maps, Apps, & Layers 2017-09-27 ArcGIS Online is a web-based collaborative platform that allows users to create, manage, store, and share maps, applications, and data layers. The University of Idaho ArcGIS Online Portal makes these services available to faculty, staff, and students for research, teaching, and administrative purposes. Attendees will leave the presentation with a broad understanding of the capabilities of ArcGIS Online enabling them to determine if it is useful for their needs.expand
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Slides
R: Beautiful graphics with ggplot2 2017-09-12 In this workshop, participants will learn to visualize data using the R package, ggplot2. ggplot2, named for the “grammar of graphics”, is a (free and open source) popular and flexible plotting system that is well suited to multivariate data exploration as well as developing graphics for academic publication and popular science communication. In this workshop, we will introduce the ideas behind the grammar of graphics, briefly identify the structure of data required for plotting with ggplot2, and work together through examples that will give participants the tools they need to use ggplot2 in their own data visualization projects. Participants will leave with sample scripts that can be modified for use with their own data and a list of resources for learning more. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop with a recent (2016 or later) installation of R and RStudio.
Presenter: Adrienne Marshall
Website
Make @ the MILL! 2017-06-27 Hands-on session in the MILL offered as part of Idaho 4-H State Teen Association Convention. This workshop will provide an opportunity to engage with emerging technologies that offer the stepping stones for solving real world challenges of the future. Explore The MILL’s many resources, including tools for fabricating and printing (3-D printer and vinyl cutter); open source electronic-based tools for coding and programming (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and Makey Makey); and tools for virtual and augmented reality (Google cardboard, View-Master, and Leap Motion). Use your creativity and curiosity to collaborate with peers on a simple electronics-based project using Arduino to explore engineering and technology.
Presenter: Evan Williamson and Beth Hendrix
Website
Build a Website with Jekyll and GitHub Pages 2017-04-19 With GitHub pages and Jekyll you can quickly create and publish a website for free! It is an ideal solution for creating a simple project or personal site to highlight your academic work. This workshop will introduce the basics of using the popular static website generator Jekyll integrated with GitHub pages. You will learn how to set up a project directory, write content in Markdown, and publish your site, all using GitHub's user friendly web interface. More advanced usage of Jekyll for local web development will be introduced in the second half of the workshop for those wishing to dive deeper.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Screencast
Apps for the Field: Mobile Data Collection using ArcGIS Online 2017-03-31 Collecting data in the field this summer? Maybe ArcGIS Online’s apps that offers data collection on smartphones or tablets would be helpful to you. This presentation will provide an introduction to Collector for ArcGIS and Survey123 for ArcGIS which are available to students, faculty, and staff for teaching, research, or administrative purposes. Attendees will leave the presentation with a basic understanding of the capabilities of these two apps enabling them to determine if they are useful for their needs.expand
Presenter: Bruce Godfrey
Slides
Creating Digital Exhibits with Omeka 2017-03-22 Omeka is a flexible, easy to use web tool that will allow you to share projects or resources online. It provides a web-based platform for creating digital exhibits on your research, class resources, or student projects. Take digital images, audio files, maps, or datasets and design an Omeka exhibit by uploading items, adding metadata, and organizing them into different collections to tell a story about your work. Explore free plugins to enhance the functionality of your exhibit. Omeka is a great way to build or enhance any digital humanities project.expand
Presenter: Ashlyn Velte
Website
Geospatial Metadata: a survey of tools 2017-03-08 Sharing data – either by choice or by requirement – is an increasingly common aspect of research. In order to make data useful to other parties, it must be documented. This session will explore a range of tools available to assist you in documenting the details of your geospatial datasets. We will cover tools for use with ArcGIS, platform-independent tools, free and proprietary, that will help you explain your data to others. No experience necessary.expand
Presenter: Jeremy Kenyon
Website
Intro to the Command Line 2017-03-02 Mini-workshop: Does command line interface (CLI), REPL, terminal, console, or shell sound scary? Don’t worry, we’ll learn about the basic computer interface that gives you super powers! If you want to work with Raspberry Pi, Linux, or many programming languages you need a basic familiarity with the CLI. This MILL-Mini will demystify the terminal so you can use it to get things done.expand
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
Start a Website with WordPress 2017-03-02 Want a great looking personal or project website that is easy to build and maintain? This workshop will make you a web master in about an hour! WordPress is a flexible, open source that powers more than 25% of the world's top web sites. You can start your own site for free on the hosted service WordPress.com. No code and no experience necessary! Come to the workshop with your ideas and you will leave with a new website. Start a blog, create a personal portfolio, or share your academic projects to start building an online presence -- all while gaining experience with a powerful CMS used by thousands of organizations worldwide.expand
Presenter: Evan Williamson and Devin Becker
Website
Questions
Intro to OpenRefine: Explore, Clean, and Transform your Data! 2019-01-30 Before analysis comes the messy work of evaluating, cleaning, and transforming data. This hands on workshop will introduce a free power tool to get the job done: OpenRefine. We will install Refine, create a project, and get oriented to the many features for exploring and transforming tabular data. Intended for: students, faculty, and staff with an interest in cleaning, transforming, and working with diverse data sources. No experience necessary.expand
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
[2017 Video] [2015 Slides]
Implementing DOIs for Research Data 2017-02-08 Come learn about the process involved in linking your academic publications to your research data by assigning a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to the the underlying datasets. Traditionally, research is shared in the form of a publication such as a journal article. However, only a very small proportion of the research is made available in the typical journal. The original data used to produce the research is often lost to poor archiving practices. This workshop provides an overview of DOIs -- what they are, how they work, and the current approach at the U of I for obtaining one. No previous experience is required for this introductory level workshop. expand
Presenter: Beth Hendrix
Slides
Introducing Arduino 2016-10-26 Come learn about the Arduino electronics platform by making lights blink and buzzers buzz! Using simple, open-source, and interactive hardware and software components, Arduino makes learning code and creating physical computing projects easy. During this workshop we will build basic electronic circuits and program an Arduino micro controller. This is an introduction for beginners from all backgrounds, no experience with electronics or coding required! expand
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Website
The Many Faces of Joe Vandal 2016-09-30 The U of I Library celebrates Homecoming with a special workshop where you can learn about the evolution of Joe Vandal. Come see how our mascot has progressed over time looking at materials in Special Collections and Archives. Then see how Joe Vandal has turned 3-D while touring the new MILL space (Making, Innovating, and Learning Laboratory). Workshop begins in Library Room 120.expand
Presenter: Erin Stoddart, Kristin Henrich, and Annie Gaines
Slides
Perma.cc: Fight Link Rot with Archived Web Citations 2016-09-07 Your citation URLs are in danger: "Over 50% of cited links in Supreme Court opinions no longer point to the intended page. Roughly 70% of cited links in academic legal journals and 20% of all science, technology and medicine articles suffer from link rot" (Perma.cc). Fight link rot by creating permanent archived records of web pages with Perma.cc, a free service developed and maintained by the Harvard Law School Library. This workshop will introduce the service and best practices for citing links in your articles. expand
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Slides
Tinkering with Technology at The MILL 2016-06-28 Introduction to 3D printing and Arduino for the Idaho 4H Leadership Conference.
Presenter: Evan Williamson and Beth Hendrix
Light Theremin
3D print
Meaningful metrics and what to do with them 2016-03-23 Although the impact factor can sometimes be a useful tool to measure journal prestige and impact, this metric has come under considerable criticism due to its limitations, misuse, and inaccuracy. With impact factors no longer credible, what other metrics are available, and how should they be used? This workshop will go over the basics of metrics and altmetrics, discuss current trends and limitations of metrics, and explore various scholarly metrics tools. expand
Presenter: Annie Gaines
Slides
Handout
Introducing Jupyter Notebook for Python and R 2016-03-02 Jupyter Notebook is a powerful tool for writing, using, and sharing code, perfect for academic teaching and learning. For researchers using Python and other languages, it is an efficient interface to iteratively explore data, present live code to students, or share data driven visualizations with colleagues. If you are just getting started with programming, it is also a great interactive environment for learning and prototyping code. This workshop will introduce the unique features that code notebooks offer to researchers and students. Participants will learn how to install and use Jupyter with the IPython and R kernels. Intended for: students, faculty, and staff interested in learning about code notebooks, sharing code, or learning to code. Complete beginners interested in learning about programming with Python are welcome and encouraged to attend! expand
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Slides
DH 101 for History 2016-02-26 A short introduction to the possibilities of Digital Humanities for history majors.
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Slides
Data Visualization 101: Concepts and Tools 2016-02-03 Visual Analytics (VA) and Information Visualization are booming interdisciplinary fields grappling with new methods to interact with and comprehend complex data. Informed by theories of interactive design, human perception, and statistical computation, VA tools enable researchers to ask new questions and transform abstract information into meaningful representations. This workshop will provide a brief introduction to the underlying concepts of visualization and VA, as well as present several VA tools freely available for academic use. It will include a demonstration of Tableau Desktop, a powerful and flexible visualization software used in many industries. Participants will be provided with further resources to explore the field and find software with free academic licenses. Intended for: students, faculty, and staff with an interest in exploring data and creating visualizations. Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop. expand
Presenter: Evan Williamson
Slides
Using ArcGIS Story Maps to Map Hemingway 2016-11-11 Mapping Hemingway in Idaho, a unique interactive digital story map, is an ongoing collaboration between the North Idaho College English Department, the University of Idaho Library, and the Ketchum Community Library.
Presenter: Laura Godfrey
Slides