Free Online Workshops for biology/coding students!

Aug 31

Hello friends!

I’m sure many of you, if you’re still in school, have, or will, start your next semester of learning quite shortly. I start next week, and although nothing really changes for me since I’m not in any classes this semester, I’m so excited for students to be back on campus. Not only that, but workshops start up again!

In all honesty, I wish in my past I’d taken advantage of free online workshops. They’re a great way to participate in hands-on learning that can make you excited to learn new skills. I was inspired to write this post after seeing a visualizing science workshops series (all for free!) that teaches scientists how to create scientific drawings. And, the best part? You get a certificate at the end of it.

That sparked a thought. How many more free online workshops were out there? Well, there are actually a good amount; you just have to look. Complied below are free (mostly) online workshops/webinars that will teach you about research, coding, and all things science. Some of them start quite shortly (like I said…beginning of the semester means workshop time!) so make sure to add these to your calendar; you might just see me on zoom.

September

Your Research’s Potential

Sept 5th, 2024 9 AM - 2:30 PM (Berlin time?)

This workshop is intended for PhD students and Post-Docs to learn how to share their research and the importance of it with a group of people. It’s all online, and if you attend the whole time, you will receive a certificate.

Introduction to Data Science Using Python

Sept 9th, 2024 - Sept 13th, 2024 from 9 AM to 3 PM SAST

Although I don’t currently use Python, this would be a really good (an intensive!) course for those wanting to learn. Unfortunately, it is in South African Standard Time, so depending on where you live, it could be a struggle to make. But, it seems like an awesome course as it’s led by the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Link to sign up.

Social Media & Science: How to Connect to a Global Audience

Sept 18th, 2024 10 AM EST

This seminar is all about how to use social media for networking, collaborations, and promoting their research online. It’s hosted by Dr. Raul Peña and has four guest speakers as well! You’ll also receive a certificate for attending.

WatSPEED workshop: Getting Started with Python

Sept 19, 2024 12 PM - 1 PM EST

Another introduction to Python course that is much shorter! This one is taught by Dr. Carmen Bruni, a faculty member at the University of Waterloo. You’ll learn about basic Python techniques, especially how it relates to data science.

Productivity Workshop with Ali Abdaal

Sept 21st, 2024, 10 AM - 12 pm EST

This workshop is led by youtuber and ex-doctor, Ali Abdaal about productivity and how to define a set of goals, create an action plan, and gain confidence and motivation. This would be great for those struggling with completing their manuscripts or needing a push to finish a task!

See the sign up here.

October

Promoting Statistical Rigor in Scientific Manuscripts: Perspectives of a Statistical Reviewer

Oct 23rd, 2024 at 11 AM EST

Dr. Mike Malek-Ahmadi, a senior bioinformatics scientist in Arizona will be giving a 1-hr webinar on publishing your work, specifically aimed at statistics and common errors that reviewers point out. I know I get concerned that the statistics I’m publishing will be incorrect, so I’m really excited to see what he has to say.

See here for the post and sign up.

All Semester

Visualizing Science Workshop Series

Start date: Sep 12, 2024

End date: Dec 5, 2024

A six part series, led by scientist and illustrator Barrett Klein (with other speakers as well), teaches you for FREE about science illustration, graphical abstracts, and logo creation. Thankfully, you don’t need any experience at all. This zoom events page provides a wonderful description of each workshop. If you attend ⅚ workshops, you’ll get a certificate.

Highland Statistics Ltd Online Seminars

Start date: August 5th, 2024

End date: April 14th, 2025

Wow! What an awesome resource. These statistics company is hosting live FREE zoom sessions on a variety of statistical topics, such as linear mixed effects models, regression models, GLMS, and more. They also have other webinars you can watch, although they do cost money (one time fee).

Workshops for Ukraine - Statisitcs Webinars

Start: Sept 5th

End: Nov 7th

While I said all of these would be free, this is the workshop that does cost money. But, it’s for a good cause. To attend a workshop, you need to pay 20 USD but that goes directly to supporting Ukraine. If you’re still interested in attending, but don’t have the financial ability to do so, you can also join a waiting list where the public can sponsor your spot.

Topics include: data visualization, creating R functions, machine learning, time series analysis, spatial modeling, and more!

Click here to see all of the topics and sign up.

That’s it! If none of these work with your schedule, or you’re interested in if there will be more workshops coming soon, please follow my twitter (X??) or BlueSky account. I will do my best to find some and retweet them.

Have a wonderful labor day weekend!

Cassidy Waldrep