With just a few days until BES2016 kicks off in Liverpool, here’s a handy guide to the events we have organised for the conference:
Best Practice for Code Archiving
Sunday 11th December 12:00 – 17:00
Interested in how to distribute and archive code? Join Methods in Ecology and Evolution Editor Rob Freckleton, along with several experts with backgrounds in programming and ecology to provide practical discussion of writing and sharing code for your research. All levels of expertise are welcome, especially those just starting out.
The workshop will be introduced by Natalie Cooper who will explain why reproducible code is important and give an overview of the rest of the workshop. We will then have three breakout sessions giving participants practical training in best practice for using code in ecology research. We will focus on quality, functionality, robustness and usability. Breakout groups will be led by code experts Mike Croucher, Laura Graham and Tamora James.
Finally, participants will have the opportunity to input into the development of new guidelines for archiving code for publication, which are currently being developed by the BES journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution. Journal Editor Rob Freckleton will introduce the new guidelines and lead a discussion on how they can best serve the community.
Lunch will be available from midday and tea and coffee will be provided.
Wikithon: Quantitative Ecology Documentation (QED)
Tuesday 13th December 1:15 – 2:45
Dominic Bennett, Institute of Zoology, London
We’ll be running a WIKITHON workshop at this year’s BES annual meeting conference for our wiki, Quantitative Ecology Documentation. The aim of the wiki is to help foster communication between ecologists on all things computational and quantitative in ecology, a “how I did this in R” pinboard of links, code and empathetic encouragements. Documents on the wiki can be very simple, “best ways to read data into R” very complex, “how to develop your own IBMs”, or even very original, “best ways to relax after extended and frustrating coding sessions”. At the workshop we’ll be demonstrating the new wiki and providing training on how to edit and create new pages. Then, the wikithon will commence! Attendees can write their pages based on a list of suggestions, or you can come up with your own ideas. (Oh plus…. the workshop may be featuring the, highly acclaimed, wikipedia music!)
Macroecology and Quantitative SIG joint mixer
Tuesday 13th December: Meet in the registration area at 18:20 or at the Pump House at 18:30
This year there will be a joint social between the quantitative and macroecology groups. We will be meeting at 18:20 in the reception and making our way over as a group. If you’re coming later, the Pump House is 5 mins walk from the conference centre; it can’t be missed! It’s the redbrick building with the large Victorian chimney. Activities include: informal networking, alcohol consumption, awkward standing around plus the possibility of laughter (N.B. please provide your own jokes/gags/amusing anecdotes). Oh, by the way, drinks are on us!
Additionally, committee member Robert Salguero-Gómez (University of Sheffield), is running a workshop on Monday 12th December: Macro-ecology through the lens of comparative demography.
A handy guide to How to survive the BES Annual Meeting has been provided by Markus Eichhorn. Enjoy!
BES Quantitative Ecology Blog 