---
# System prepended metadata

title: Unconference meta-sessions
tags: [unconference]

---

---
tags: unconference
---

# Unconference meta-sessions

This includes speaker notes for the sessions about the unconference itself.


# Unconference welcome and introduction

## Welcome

* Hei, Hej, Moi, Hæ, Tere, Sveiki, Alio!
* Welcome to first and only NordicRSE event this year

## About this event

- Nordic-RSE is a young group of people interested in Research Software Engineering and adjacent topics 
- One goal of NordicRSE is to bring people together, this event has been organized to do just that
- we will hear more about NordicRSE and RSE at 14.20 CEST

## Behind the scenes

- (NRSE) in zoom name

Radovan Bast
Richard Darst
Luca Ferranti
Anne Fouilloux
Patric Holmvall
Jarno Rantaharju
Naoe Tatara
Samantha Wittke


### HackMD

* collaborative document (like google docs)
* **Good for communication**: everyone can take part without competing to talk
* There are three views: view, edit, view and edit
  * "edit" at least once to get live updates
* show how to use
  * Based on Markdown
* taking notes, asking questions, collect links etc
  * We tend to use lots of bullet points: new level for replies
  * Unless otherwise mentioned, convention is to always write at bottom and we add sections as needed.
  * Agree with any idea by +1
  * Simple bar graph polls:
    * yes: oooooooo
    * no:  oooo
  * Speakers: check HackMD for questions, screenshare it during Q&A time.
* Sometimes we move old info to another HackMD (to keep performance up)

## Intro to the unconference format: 

* Unconference: a participant-driven event
  * (a) participant-driven sessions: we try to be more interactive
  * (b) participant-driven scheduling: let people submit
* We have some planned events at beginning, and the rest is dynamic.
* Mainly YOU create the event, with a much faster feedback loop than normal.
  * Propose new sessions during the event (via HackMD)
  * We quickly assign a room (in some scheduling periods)
  * Help everyone to succeed
    * [Check these hints](https://hackmd.io/@nordic-rse/S1iXnWk3_)
    * Attendees help hosts by being being interactive.
* Schedule
    * on hackmd
    * ever updating
    * highlights
        * invited speakers
        * NordicRSE intro
        * whatever you want!


### Proposing sessions 

* Why make all talks be pre-planned: what if we come up with a good discussion or demo?
* Before the event: 7 submissions came in
* now: collect more ideas
* voting
    * not for will happen yes/no but helps scheduling
    * votes don't mean quality, small is good too!
* Propose by writing in the main HackMD
  * Include facilitator (you), description, proposed length
  * OK to make request and hope someone else will facilitate
* OK to propose even if you aren't sure you will do it (to wait and see interest later).

### Scheduling 

* Use voting for decision what should not be in parallel sessions
* Later: We will update schedule on HackMD (top), and try to update the webpage too.
* Schedule updates announced in the main room

### Start proposing already

* You can already start proposing
* In the second half of today we look and schedule
* Probably more scheduling tomorrow
* Suggestions: demo, type-along, discussion, talks, lighting talks


## Have fun

* Breakout rooms are opened during breaks (after the starting sessions)
* Breakout rooms open after 16 CEST for social time until 18 

---

# Invited Speakers intro

* unfortunately talk by Athanasia Monika Mowinckel about R-packaging had to be moved to another time
* slight change of schedule: 2 great invited talks ahead, 20 min each
* common Q&A afterwards, questions in hackmd

13.15 CEST: 
**Shahnawaz Ahmed**, 
* PhD candidate at the Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology in Sweden 
* QuTiP (Quantum Toolbox in Python) and its journey from postdoc project to community-driven software 
* ("Keep your code alive - lessons from the QuTiP project")

13.35 CEST: 
**Kristoffer Carlsson** 
* was a Ph.D. student at Chalmers University of Technology before starting working at JuliaComputing as Software Engineer, currently living in Sweden 
* three of the areas where Julia really shines: productivity, performance, and reproducibility 
* ("Julia for research software engineers")

13:55 CEST: **10 min BREAK**
14:05 CEST: Q&A


14:20 CEST: Introduction to Nordic-RSE (Patric Holmvall)
14:30 CEST: **Anne Fouilloux** 
* Research Software Engineer working for NeIC and based in Oslo, Norway
* myths and misconceptions about Research Software development in Academia academia" (abstract)

14:50 CEST: Unconference scheduling (Richard Darst)






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# Unconference scheduling

In this session, we will look at what is submitted and schedule it.

* If you still have ideas for sessions, write them down now
* Vote via HackMD (+1 or bar graph)
* Update HackMD with your status (yes I will, cancel proposal)
* I (rkdarst) will look through them together with you and we'll put into schedule slots.

## Mechanics

* We open breakout rooms
* From the zoom "Participant List" you can select a room to join
* Tell your name and requested room on Zoom chat if you can't do that
* You can always leave a room and come back to the main meeting by the "Leave Meeting button"
* 

## Suggestions for dynamic sessions

* Realize that existing is more important than being perfect
* Some sessions may be more talk-like, some demo, some may be an idea and primarily discussion.
* HackMD lets you have more people talk than you could otherwise
  * Everyone has it open
  * Consider screensharing HackMD during discussions
* Can you make some sort of result?
  * Speedblog a summary to put on our blog?





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# Unconference "Conclusion and follow-up"
Here we write down what to say and do during the "Conclusion and follow-up" at the end of the unconference.

## Conclusion
- Thank everyone for attending
- Thank everyone for contributions

### Summary of impressions:
- Day 1:
    - Invited talks (Kristoffer, Shahnawaz)
        - Shahnawaz: Talked about how to keep your code alive. Important factors are funding support and institutional partners, open-minded supervisors who acknowledge the importance of software engineering.
        - Kristoffer: Julia is a great language for research software engineering, which can break the "two langauge problem". We will dive deeper into Julia during the Nordic-RSE seminar series this autumn.
    - RSE myths and misconceptions
        - Generated a lot of discussion in HackMD, many sharing experience and sympathy.
    - Session 1: **Getting funding for software projects** [HackMD](https://hackmd.io/@tpfau/Funding)
    - Session 1: **How to be a good "git-evangelist"** [HackMD](https://hackmd.io/P7KIwBgPSSe48gG3TLxQ2Q?view)
    - Session 1: **In "RSE", what is "research"? what is "software"? what is an "engineer"** [HackMD](https://hackmd.io/jDxqhg13T8ebeWOnGohbeg)
- Day 2:
    - Session 2:
    - Session 3:

## Feedback
- Feedback in bottom of main HackMD document.


## Follow-up

- **Blog posts:** Encourage people to write blog posts summarizing the discussion sessions.
    - We can help publishing (and maybe even writing these).
    - Great as material to use/build on in future. Great for dissemination
- **Seminar series:** Advertise the Nordic-RSE seminar series.
    - Dive deeper into the topics that generated most interest.
    - Go into things that were completely left out.


## Advertise Nordic-RSE

Show slide with:
- Nordic-RSE website
- Nordic-RSE twitter
- Zulip chat
- Membership form

## Forgot anything?
- Did we forget anything?

