---
# System prepended metadata

title: 'PlasmaPy Community Meeting | Tuesday 2021 March 30 at 18:00 UT'
tags: [community, ' minutes']

---

---
tags: community, minutes
---

# PlasmaPy Community Meeting | Tuesday 2021 March 30 at 18:00 UT

[![hackmd-github-sync-badge](https://hackmd.io/_c2rcK7gR_G1L2z8YWwAAw/badge)](https://hackmd.io/_c2rcK7gR_G1L2z8YWwAAw)


### Video Conference Information
* [Jitsi video conference link](https://meet.jit.si/plasmapy) with [call-in information](https://meet.jit.si/static/dialInInfo.html?room=plasmapy) 
* Instant messaging: [Matrix](https://app.element.io/#/room/#plasmapy:openastronomy.org) and [Gitter](https://gitter.im/PlasmaPy/Lobby)
* [GitHub Minutes Repository](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/plasmapy-project/tree/master/minutes)
    * ["Community" Sub-directory](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/plasmapy-project/tree/master/minutes/_community)
* [PlasmaPy on GitHub](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/plasmapy) ([pull requests](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/plasmapy/pulls), [issues](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/plasmapy/issues))
* [PlasmaPy Enhancement Proposals on GitHub](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy-PLEPs) 
* [PlasmaPy Google Calendar](https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=bzVsb3ZkcW0zaWxsam00ZTlrMDd2cmw5bWdAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ)

## Agenda (please feel free to edit or add items)

1. Introductions
2. 10-15 minutes for roadmap
    * drafting [roadmap](https://hackmd.io/@plasmapy/ry0mmnj6v/edit)
3. solicit "Project Issues"
    * Need to add Distribution overhaul
    * Particle factory (issue [687](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/issues/687)) **??**
4. [Nick] Making decisions via [trade-off analysis](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_tradeoff_analysis_method>)
    * "There are no right or wrong answers in architecture: only trade-offs."
6. Test helpers
    * Purpose
    * [#4 reviewed](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/923)
7. Issues
    1. ...
    2. ...
8. Pull requests in progress 
    1. [#1062 Pydocstyle](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/1062)
    2. [#789 Requirements](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/789)
    3. [#1084 Chandrasekhar](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/1084)
    4. [#1000 Paschen](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/1000)
    5. [#1091 SymbolicEquilibrium](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/1091) (early WIP)
9. Pull requests MERGED
    1. ...
    
## Attendees

* Dominik @StanczakDominik 
* Erik
* Peter
* Nick

## Action Items

***Erik***
> ***Continuation***
> * Open "Project Issue" on the distribution functions
> * refine roadmap for next weeks discussion
> * add OMFIT to affiliated pkgs
* Keep reviewing [PR 1000]
    * waiting on refactor before adding RTD stuff
* determine status for Khalil's old PRs
* open an Issue for a lexicon of formulary parameters...physical parameter being represented, parameter symbol, docstring description
* Create PR for speeding up `validate_quantities`

***Dominik***
> ***Continuation***
> * add feedback to roadmap items "Transport" and "Particle Tracker"
> * Write tests, check formula for [PR 979](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/979) - "Relativistic Boris Pusher"
>    * started on this
> * PR on `plasmapy.plasma.geometry` for [exact Solov'ev equlibrium with an arbitrary boundary](https://arxiv.org/pdf/1908.04449.pdf)
* Investigate GitHub Actions new contributor bot for automatically adding comments for new contributors adding a PR (or the like).
    * message to users that checks don't need to pass right away (we'll work together to get things refined)
    * how to run pre-commit `isort` and `black`
* Review [PR 923](https://github.com/PlasmaPy/PlasmaPy/pull/923)

***Nick***
> ***Continuation***
> * add feedback to roadmap items "Workshop" and "Simulations"
* put some effort towards the dev guide
* Take back up forming simulation working group
* Email reminder for Hackathon meeting on Friday
* Draft landing page for hack.plasmapy.org

## Minutes

* Trade-off analysis on pros and cons of tradeoff analyses
    * (thanks, my connection is iffy)
    * **Take away: Whenever a development item comes up that needs further discussion of implementation, pros and cons, etc. then we open an issue to have a public discussion of it.**
* Test helpers
    * Trade-off analysis!
    * @StanczakDominik volunteers to refactor particles tests without run_test in the next 2 weeks as a prototype for our trade off analysis
    * also look, you can tag people on hackmd like this now
    * people generally like the option of checking if a specific exception and not its sublass is raised; `pytest.raises` does not do that, @StanczakDominik volunteers to investigate

* **Starting practice of Triaging open PRs during the 1st meeting of every month.**
* **Have a "journal club" discussion about unfamiliar coding practices/pkgs/etc. at the last meeting of every month.**
    * @StanczakDominik volunteers
* 