April 21, 2025 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

​Join the CSC and Academic Technology as the Art & Futurism finalists present their interactive projects. The finalists are Anupam Bhakta (CU '25, Mathematics), Chloe Lee (CU '25, CS), Lulu Wang (CU '26, Visual Arts and CS), Gwendolyn Seto (CU '25, Operations Research), and Rayhana Mouaouia (BC '27, Anthropology and CS).

​Come by, ask questions, and interact with the wall!

​This event is planned to take place in-person only (Milstein 516). 

​We look forward to seeing you there!

​For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

April 9, 2025 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

This workshop explores public data, its potential biases, and the role of surveillance in shaping urban environments. Looking at data available for New York City, we will look at what types of data get collected or left out and how that impacts punishment and regulation. No prior coding experience needed.

​This workshop is taught by Hannah Pullen-Blasnik (PhD Candidate, Sociology, Columbia University; Senior Data Scientist, Vera Institute of Justice).

​​​This workshop is planned to take place in-person only (Milstein 516).

​​​We look forward to seeing you there!

​​​For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

April 8, 2025 | 4:00pm - 5:30pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

Learn about the basics of digital accessibility and explore how to design accessible digital content. Topics we will explore include digital accessibility in relation to color contrast, headings, images, and links. No coding experience is required. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop to engage in the activity. Please note this workshop is for faculty and staff only. The workshop will take place from 4-5PM. Participants are welcome to stay for snacks and mingling from 5-5:30PM.

​This workshop is taught by Anisa Bora (Instructor of Pixel @ CSC, Barnard College).

​​​​​This workshop is planned to take place in-person only (Milstein 516).

​​​​​We look forward to seeing you there!

​​​​​For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

March 26, 2025 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

Join us in celebrating NYC Open Data Week by playing with squirrel data! Presented by Kiley Matschke (Post-Baccalaureate Fellow, Barnard College Vagelos Computational Science Center), this workshop will explore the intersection of data visualization and gameplay using real NYC squirrel census data. Participants will learn how to use the game engine LÖVE to work creatively with data through the lens of game design principles.

​This workshop is open to people from all backgrounds and coding levels! Beginner friendly. For participants who would like to follow along, it is recommended that they bring a laptop and download Visual Studio Code and the LÖVE game engine ahead of time (both free!).

​This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and Zoom. Due to security measures at Barnard College requiring Barnard/Columbia IDs to enter campus, we ask that those who are not affiliated to please attend via Zoom! A link will be sent to registrants ahead of time.

​​​We look forward to seeing you there!

​​​For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

March 12, 2025 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

Have you ever wondered how library databases produce results, or why one result seems more relevant than another? Join Dan Woulfin, the Computational Research Instruction Librarian, and Sydni Meyer, the Teaching and Undergraduate Services Librarian, from Columbia University Libraries to go "under the hood" of database search through discussion and code. Participants will leave this workshop as better researchers with a new understanding of how search works.

​Some prior coding knowledge for this workshop would be helpful – but all code will be explained step by step, making it accessible for those with little to no coding familiarity while still being engaging for more experienced programmers.

​​​​This workshop is planned to take place in-person only (Milstein 516).

​​​​We look forward to seeing you there!

​​​​For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

March 3, 2025 | 12:00pm

516 Milstein

Overview

Barnard Academic Technology and the Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC) are excited to announce the fourth annual Visualization Wall competition with the theme of Art & Futurism. This competition is open to all undergraduate students in any discipline at Barnard and Columbia – the top four winning submissions will receive a $500 grant to develop their proposals. Show us what you’ve got!

We are specifically looking for proposals that thoughtfully engage with ideations about the future. How might social, economic, environmental, medical, and/or other fields look in the future? What are your hopes and curiosities? Your fears and apprehensions? Your proposal should find imaginative ways to showcase your perspective and approach to the future, in any aspect(s) that may resonate with you. Your proposal should also embrace the medium and capacities of the Visualization Wall. Consider the following example sub-topics as a starting point: (1) public interest initiatives; (2) working with public data; (3) envisioning yourself in the future; (4) the future of digital platforms and communications; and (5) analyzing cause and effect among various sectors of a singular community.

Winning proposals will be innovative projects, ranging from data visualizations to immersive storytelling, that push boundaries — you can use Generative AI or design programs, filmmaking, coding, and more to make artistic interventions that explore the relationship between Art & Futurism.

Winners will receive a $500 grant and mentorship to help to develop their proposals. We're keen to see how you can creatively use the Visualization Wall, with its unique touch-sensitive capabilities, to bring your future-inspired visions to life.

• 1 large touch-enabled screen

• Runs on Windows 10

• Equipped with speakers

How to enter

Fill out this form by 12pm (Noon) ET on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Timeline

You must upload your proposal by 12pm (Noon) ET on March 3, 2025.

Winners will be selected by the following week. Grantees will be awarded $500 to develop their proposals and receive feedback and mentorship before the showcase.

Questions? Email csc@barnard.edu.

February 26, 2025 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

The final part of this three-part series introduces building "agentic" AI systems. We will explore OpenAI's Assistants API, function calling, and document search.

​This workshop is taught by Marko Krkeljas (Senior Software & Applications Developer and CSC Technical Manager, Barnard College).

​​​This workshop is planned to take place in-person only (Milstein 516).

​​​We look forward to seeing you there!

​​​For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

February 12, 2025 | 11:00am - 1:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

​The presentation will discuss aspects of phylogenetic analysis and how it is applied to linguistic data including the algorithms used to create, optimize, and search for phylogenetic graphs. The use case will be Indo-European languages. The visualization tool allows users to explore alternate hypotheses of linguistic evolution and their impact on comparative optimality scores. No prior coding knowledge needed.

​This workshop is taught by Ward Wheeler (Curator, AMNH Science Computing Facility; Professor, Richard Gilder Graduate School).

​​This workshop is planned to take place in-person only (Milstein 516).

​​We look forward to seeing you there!

​​For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

January 30, 2025 | 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Brown Institute for Media Innovation

​

Inspired by Barnard College’s launch of Trigger Planting 2.0, an exhibition that explores the impact of the 2022 Dobbs vs. Jackson Supreme Court decision on abortion access, this event convenes investigative journalists and researchers who share their experiences reporting on abortion in the US. Panelists will discuss how they access, analyze and represent data, and the obstacles they may face while navigating a shifting legal landscape and issues of privacy and security. The conversation will also consider stories left out of the frame of mainstream coverage, including challenges faced by underrepresented communities and the informal nature of community care outside of medicalized settings. The panel will be followed by a reception.

​Panelists:

​Caitlin Myers, Middlebury College

​Caitlyn Ralph, The Pudding

​Johana Bhuiyan, The Guardian

​This event is made possible with support from the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, the Barnard Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC), Milstein Exhibitions, and Barnard + Columbia Architecture

This event is planned to take place in person at The Brown Institute for Media Innovation.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

January 29, 2025 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

In this talk and demo, Imane Berchane will share her ten-year journey into the world of social entrepreneurship and how it can be a powerful tool for positive change in Morocco and in Africa more broadly. She will discuss the importance of equipping young people with essential skills and elaborate on the impact it has had on their lives and communities. The talk will be followed by a robotics demonstration.

​This event is led by Imane Berchane (2024-2025 Obama Scholar, Columbia University; Co-Founder, Robots & More; Co-Founder, LOOP for Science & Technology).

​This event is planned to take place in-person only (516 Milstein).

​We look forward to seeing you there!

​For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

January 22, 2025 | 6:00pm - 6:30pm

Zoom

Interested in learning the basics of web design and development?

Join a virtual info session for Pixel @ CSC on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025 from 6-6:30PM! 

Pixel @ CSC is a free, non-credit, 8-week in-person course where you can learn how to build a simple website in community with other students! This course is open to Barnard and Columbia students from all majors, and no coding experience or computer science background is required. At the info session, you will have an opportunity to learn more about the course and how you can apply to join the Spring 2025 cohort!

This event is planned to take place on Zoom only. Register above to receive the link.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

December 6, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

Note: The application form has closed, as we have reached maximum capacity for participants.

Learn how to design generative art using code! In this workshop, participants will learn the basics of creating computational art using Processing, including drawing basic shapes, creating patterns, and introducing randomness to add character to your designs. We'll then use the AxiDraw computer-controlled machine to create physical postcards of the art you create. Through this process, participants will be able to take home a piece of art that they created and learn about the history of computer code and digital art. 

This workshop is planned to take place in-person only (516 Milstein).

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

November 18, 2024 | 5:30pm - 7:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

Join the CSC and Media Center in celebrating the release of Digital Age Academy's new docuseries "Citizen Science: A Symphony of Human Power" with a screening of the pilot episode. The series models how one can utilize data science and public data to address some of the issues they identify in their own communities. The pilot focuses on Citi Bike's lack of available docks in Red Hook.

The screening will be paired with talks from creator Azadeh Keivani (Co-Founder of Digital Age Academy, Physicist/Data Scientist at Barnard College) and Guillermo Kardolus (Astrophysicist/Software Engineer at Cloudera), followed by a discussion and Q&A with the audience. Refreshments will be served.

This event is planned to take place in-person only (516 Milstein).

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

November 16, 2024 | 10:00am - 4:00pm

In-person / Pulitzer Hall, Brown Institute (Ground Floor) / Apply to attend

Graphical (or pictorial) presentations of data have become an almost essential part of journalistic practice. Data visualization helps us see patterns in data and is an important tool for finding stories. Over the past decade, major outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, and Reuters have been publishing data visualizations that push the idea of storytelling, creating new data-driven ways to inform and entertain. Alongside these graphics are newsrooms based entirely on data visualization, including the Kontinentalist and The Pudding.

In this day-long workshop co-sponsored by the Brown Institute and Barnard Vagelos Computational Science Center, members of The Pudding will immerse participants in their tried-and-true design process, segmented into four stages: story, data, design, and development. 

In the week leading up to the workshop, accepted participants will be asked to embark on a creative journey to collect data about the NYC subway system. This data might be methodical and sourced from the MTA turnstile API, capturing the flow of commuters through the city. Or it could be more personal and observational—hand-documented notes from your daily treks, sketches of the subway’s unique quirks, maps of broken lights, or a visual catalog of tile murals across stations. Inspired by the work of Denis Wood, who mapped his neighborhood in surprising ways, and Giorgia Lupi, known for blending data and personal stories, we encourage you to be creative! Use whatever tools come natural to you, whether it’s pen and paper, a spreadsheet, or a snippet of code. Every one of us has a unique story shaped by these subterranean journeys, and we can’t wait to see what data you find interesting and valuable. Do not spend more than an hour or two on this effort.

The session will begin with Story, a throughline that should resonate with all participants of the program. As we’ve all experienced, the strongest visualizations are those with equally strong narratives. Diving deeper, students will be introduced to the realm of Data. Using curated datasets around key topics, students will seek to uncover the nuances of integrating specific, meaningful data with their narratives. The emphasis then shifts to the visual canvas, focusing on the core elements of Design. The goal is to ensure that every story is captivating both visually and narratively. And culminating the day is a glimpse into Development. While the intricacies of programming might remain in the backdrop, attendees will understand and appreciate the development scaffolding that turns their narratives and designs into dynamic interactive features.

This workshop will only be able to accommodate 24 students. Applications are due by 12pm on Wednesday, November 6. Notices will be sent out on Friday, November 8.

About the Presenters

Caitlyn Ralph is the Studio Director at The Pudding’s in-house data journalism agency called Polygraph, where we do the same type of visual storytelling work with the same team for different brands and organizations. Her BA is in Computer Science, her MS is in Data Viz, and her prior professional experience is in magazine journalism. She spends her working days explaining this practice as clearly as possible to clients with varying backgrounds, managing projects and the team, and crafting future strategy for both Polygraph and its sister publication The Pudding. She spends her non-working days running, taking film pictures, and on a K-pop group called Stray Kids.

Alvin Chang is an assistant professor of Journalism and Design at the New School. He's a data and visual journalist who has worked in several newsrooms, most recently as Head of Visuals and Data at Guardian US. His work as a journalist often combines deep reporting with data analysis to help readers clearly understand the world around them. His stories often show how small decisions accrue into invisible problems like discrimination, segregation, and ultimately dehumanization. And he makes those things visible using data viz, interactives, cartoons, and videos.

This workshop is planned to take place in person at Pulitzer Hall, Brown Institute (Ground Floor).

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

November 1, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom (Register for link)

This workshop is designed to transform your ideas into mobile app prototypes—no prior coding experience required. Discover how to seamlessly integrate AI-generated images into your designs and gain practical experience with AI prompts through hands-on sessions. You will learn how to adjust large language model prompts to meet your expectations as a user, and we will discuss how to align prompts that accurately portray aesthetics and emotions. Next, using Figma's intuitive visual tools, you'll explore the power of AI technologies to create digital artwork, illustrations, and more. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with AI, turning your creative vision into impactful, real-world applications. 

This workshop is taught by Sowon Hahn (Department of Psychology, Seoul National University), Yoon Kyung Lee (Ph.D., Postdoc at Institute of Psychological Sciences, Seoul National University), and Da Yeong Yoon (Visual Artist, Director at Sanxoro Art Studio). 

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and Zoom. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

October 18, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom (Register for link)

This workshop explores incorporating AI language models directly into software development. We'll focus on using these models to turn unstructured information into structured data to create smarter, more capable applications. 

This workshop is taught by Marko Krkeljas, Senior Software & Applications Developer and CSC Technical Manager at Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and Zoom. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

October 2, 2024 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm

In-person / 225 Milstein

In this session, you will learn how MATLAB can be used to visualize and analyze data, perform numerical computations, and develop algorithms. Through live demonstrations and examples, you will see how MATLAB can help you become more effective in your work.

Highlights include:

• Accessing data from many sources (files, other software, hardware, etc.)
• Using interactive tools for iterative exploration, design, and problem solving
• Automating and capturing your work in easy-to-write scripts and programs
• Building and deploying interactive applications

This workshop is taught by Ram Krishnamurthy, a Senior Education Application Engineer with MathWorks. He assists faculty, researchers, and students in doing their best work by collaborating with them on curriculum and research matters. He received his Master's degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2016. His expertise is in the applications of Artificial Intelligence techniques for Image and Signal workflows.

September 26, 2024 | 5:00pm - 7:30pm

Guggenheim Museum

Have you ever been provoked by the marble bench on Barnard's campus inscribed with comforting, inspiring, disturbing, moving, or just perplexing all-caps one-liners such as "MUCH WAS DECIDED BEFORE YOU WERE BORN," "THERE'S NOTHING EXCEPT WHAT YOU SENSE," and "ABUSE OF POWER COMES AS NO SURPRISE"? These and other texts by the artist Jenny Holzer have been set in motion across town at the Guggenheim Museum.

Join the CSC & CEP for an evening at the Guggenheim Museum to view and experience the exhibition Jenny Holzer: Light Line. We’ll discuss issues related to technology's role in art curation and practice and engage with the themes of the exhibition, which include authorship and authenticity; technology and aesthetic form; text as a medium; and rights to political speech in public spaces. This event, open to up to 60 Barnard students, consists of a self-guided exploration, an interactive tour, facilitated discussion, and hands-on collaborative activities.

For more information about the event and to apply to attend, visit https://bit.ly/barnardxgugg

Apply by Thursday, September 19, 2024 to be considered.

This program is co-sponsored and co-organized by the CSC, CEP, and the Guggenheim Innovation Lab, an experiential learning program run by the Guggenheim’s Academic Engagement department. In collaboration with university and college partners, the Innovation Lab cultivates pedagogy and practice in the humanities and creative fields in a way that is interdisciplinary, collaborative, publicly engaged, and experimental.

Photo credit: Installation for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1989/2024; LED with blue, green & red diodes; 16.375 x 1944 in. / 41.6 x 4937.8 cm; Text: Truisms, 1977–79; Installation: Jenny Holzer: Light Line, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2024; © 2024 Jenny Holzer, member Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY; Photo: Filip Wolak

This event is planned to take place in person (Guggenheim Museum).

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

September 26, 2024 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm

The Generative AI Learning Community will continue to meet throughout the academic year. To receive event invitations and information, fill out the interest form above.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

September 20, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

This workshop is designed for beginners to get their feet wet working with Pandas dataframes and doing basic statistical analyses on real neuroscience data. The Drosophila connectome has data about the neurons and connections within a single fruit fly brain. Participants will be given access to a Jupyter notebook that is populated with starter code. During this workshop, we will walk through some simple analyses using Pandas dataframes, such as taking the sum of values in a column, creating a pivot table, and visualizing data. With the remaining time, participants will work in small groups to do analyses of their choice with the connectome data and to customize their visualizations.

This workshop is taught by Gabrielle Gutierrez, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

September 6, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

We're kicking off our workshop series with an exciting introductory workshop featuring four Barnard faculty whose work engages with computing. Each presenter will give 15 to 20 minute overviews of how they use and apply computing to topics across disciplines. 

Presenters and topics include:

Machine Learning and AI for Pandemic Biology, JJ Miranda, Associate Professor of Biology, Barnard College

We will discuss our own previous work and emerging trends in the field that use machine learning to understand how viruses interact with humans from the cellular to the population level.

Optimization for Robotics through Co-Design, Brian Plancher, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Barnard College

Today's robots range from humanoids to autonomous cars to micro-drones and have a wide variety of different computational platforms on board (e.g., CPUs, GPUs, MCUs). Across all of these scales, optimization algorithms are a core underlying operation and yet often remain a computational bottleneck at the edge. In this presentation we'll explore some of our recent work unlocking real-time optimization at the edge through hardware-software co-design.

Computing for Insights into Mind and Brain, Michelle Greene, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience & Behavior and Psychology, Barnard College

Have you ever wondered how you can instantly make sense of the world the moment you open your eyes? In this talk, we'll explore the hidden computational challenges behind visual perception and show how cutting-edge computing is helping scientists decode the brain's ability to understand the complex scenes around us in a fraction of a second.

Monitoring long-term success in urban forests: A 10 year case study from NYC Million Trees Initiative, Elizabeth Cook, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Barnard College

Urban reforestation is an increasingly common strategy cities use to address pressing social and environmental changes, yet there is little long-term data on urban tree growth and the success of urban reforestation. I will share results from 10 years of monitoring reforestation success in the NYC Million Trees Initiative.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and on Zoom. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

September 5, 2024 | 6:00pm - 6:30pm

Interested in learning the basics of web design and development?

Join the virtual info session for Pixel @ CSC on Thursday, September 5th, 2024 from 6-6:30PM! 

Pixel @ CSC is a free, non-credit, 10-week in-person course where you can learn how to build a simple website in community with other Barnard students! This course is open to students from all majors, and no coding experience or computer science background is required. At the info session, you will have an opportunity to learn more about the course and how you can apply to join the Fall 2024 cohort!

This event is planned to take place on Zoom.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

April 30, 2024 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Virtual

Barnard IMATS and CSC Art & AI Viz Wall Showcase

Please note that this event has been *postponed* to Tuesday, April 30th from 1-3pm.

Join us online as the Art & AI finalists present their interactive projects. The finalists are Lana Levine (BC '25, CS), Em Sieler (CU '24, CS and Visual Arts), Hana Memon (BC '24, CS), Audrey Acken (CU '26, CS), Eris Gao (BC '24, CS), and David Jihwan Lee (CU '25, CS).

Come by, ask questions, and interact with the wall!

This event is planned to take place online only. A link to join via Zoom may be found at the "Zoom Link" tab at the top of this page.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

April 19, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

What is computational thinking? Computational Thinking (CT) has become a skill for the 21st century that is becoming ever-more important in today’s increasingly technological world for problem solving both in industry and the academic sector. In this workshop, you will not only understand various dimensions of CT but also explore these dimensions through different solutions for the same problems. This workshop is useful for everybody who wants to understand the way we make computers work. 

Although no coding experience is needed, depending on your prior knowledge you are welcome to use Python instead of Pseudocode. The workshop will start with a short presentation about CT definitions, dimensions, and processes followed by a problem solving session. The workshop will end by a discussion on the comparison of CT processes based on the problem solving experiences.

This workshop is taught by Yasemin Gulbahar, Visiting Faculty, Learning Analytics Program at Teachers College, Columbia University.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

April 16, 2024 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm

In-person / The James Room (Barnard Hall, 4th Floor)

Join us for our next Generative AI Learning Community event - co-sponsored by Barnard CSC, CEP, IMATS, and BLAIS:

What is good technology? Is it even possible? And how can feminism help us work towards it? Join Dr. Kerry McInerney and Dr. Eleanor Drage (Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge), as they provide a snapshot of key challenges, questions and provocations in the field of feminism and technology, from Prometheus, protests and policing, to collective efforts to map out pleasurable and life-sustaining interactions with technology. The Good Robot: Why Technology Needs Feminism is a collection of short essays by leading technologists, philosophers, artists, and activists that grapples with the priceless, though frequently commodified question: "what is good technology?" Drs. McInerney and Drage will be joined by co-author Frances Negrón-Muntaner (Columbia University) and the discussion will be moderated by Savannah Thais (Data Science Institute, Columbia University).

Run of Show

• First 25 attendees receive a free copy of the book & refreshments will be served
• Book overview and Introduction: 20-25 minutes 
• Moderator discussion with Panelists: 15-20 minutes 
• Q&A with Audience: 10 minutes 

Speaker Biographies

Eleanor Drage is a Senior Research Fellow at The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge. Dr. Drage teaches AI professionals about AI ethics on a Masters course at Cambridge. She is the co-editor of The Good Robot: Feminist Voices on the Future of Technology, and Feminist AI: Critical Perspectives on Algorithms, Data and Intelligent Machines. She specialises in using feminist ideas to make AI better and safer for everyone. She is also currently building the world's first free and open access tool that helps companies meet the EU AI act's obligations. Drage co-hosts The Good Robot Podcast, where she asks key thinkers 'what is good technology?'. She is also also an expert on women writers of speculative and science fiction from 1666 to the present - An Experience of the Impossible: The Planetary Humanism of European Women’s Science Fiction.

Kerry McInerney is a Senior Research Fellow at The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge. Dr. McInerney co-leads the Global Politics of AI project on how AI is impacting international relations. She is also a Research Fellow at the AI Now Institute (a leading AI policy thinktank in New York) and a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies, UCL for 2023-2024. She is also co-editor of The Good Robot: Feminist Voices on the Future of Technology and Feminist AI: Critical Perspectives on Algorithms, Data, and Intelligent Machines. Her work explores the intersections between race, gender, political violence, and artificial intelligence. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in Signs, Big Data and Society, New Media and Society, Philosophy and Technology, Public Understanding of Science, Feminist Review, Ethics and Information Technology, Gender, Place and Culture, and the National Political Science Review. Dr McInerney is also the co-author of the forthcoming book Reprogram: Why Big Tech is Broken and How Feminism Can Fix It (2026, Princeton University Press).

Frances Negrón-Muntaner (Panelist) is a Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. She is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and scholar. She is the recipient of Ford, Truman, Scripps Howard, Rockefeller, and Pew fellowships as well as a Social Science Research Council and Andy Warhol Foundation grants. She is the author of Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and the Latinization of American Culture (winner, 2004 CHOICE Award), and the editor of several books, including Puerto Rican Jam: Rethinking Nationalism and Colonialism; None of the Above: Puerto Ricans in the Global Era, and Sovereign Acts. Among Negrón-Muntaner's films are AIDS in the Barrio, Brincando el charco: Portrait of a Puerto Rican, and War for Guam. She is currently completing various films, including on Valor y Cambio, her award-winning just economy public art installation of the same name, and writing an intellectual biography on Arthur Schomburg.

Savannah Thais (Moderator) is an Associate Research Scientist at the Data Science Institute, Columbia University. Dr. Thais is interested in how designing and performing measurements impacts systems and societies. With a background in high energy particle physics, her recent work has focused on geometric deep learning, methods to incorporate physics-based inductive biases into machine learning (ML) models, regulation of emerging technology, social determinants of health, and community education. She is the founder and Research Director of Community Insight and Impact, a non-profit organization focused on data-driven community needs assessments for vulnerable populations and effective resource allocation. She also currently serves on the Executive Board of Women in Machine Learning and the Executive Committee of the APS Group on Data Science, and is a Founding Editor of the Springer AI Ethics journal.

This event is planned to take place in person only (The James Room, Barnard Hall 4th Floor).

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

April 12, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

Learn to set up, organize, and efficiently handle databases, preparing you for real-world data analysis and storage challenges.

This workshop is taught by Marko Krkeljas, Senior Software & Applications Developer and CSC Technical Manager at Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

March 22, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

Join us in celebrating NYC Open Data Week! This two-part workshop and data jam will explore data analysis and visualization utilizing NYC environmental data. In the first half of this workshop, participants will explore ChatGPT’s data capabilities and contrast them with their own analyses via Google Co-lab. In the second half, participants will work in small groups to ideate and produce creative, accessible projects that showcase their data findings (i.e; in the form of collages, songs, stories, etc.). This workshop will explore the importance of data presentations and their impact on viewer perceptions. People from all backgrounds and coding levels are welcome! Beginner friendly.

This workshop is taught by Kiley Matschke (BC ‘23), CSC Postbacc Fellow and Marko Krkeljas, Senior Software & Applications Developer and CSC Technical Manager at Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person only (516 Milstein). 

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

March 1, 2024 | 11:59pm

516 Milstein

Overview

Barnard IMATS and the Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC) are excited to announce the third annual Visualization Wall competition with the theme of Art & AI. This competition is open to all undergraduate students in any discipline at Barnard and Columbia – the top four winning submissions will receive a $500 grant to develop their proposals. Show us what you’ve got!

We are specifically looking for proposals that either utilize AI in their execution or thoughtfully engage with, critique, or find innovative ways to integrate AI into various aspects of your project. Your proposal should also embrace the medium and capabilities of the Visualization Wall. 

Winning proposals will be innovative projects, ranging from data visualizations to immersive storytelling, that push boundaries — you can use Generative AI or design programs, filmmaking, coding, and more to make artistic interventions that explore the relationship between Art & AI. 

Winners will receive a $500 grant and mentorship to help to develop their proposals. 

We're keen to see how you can creatively use the Visualization Wall, with its unique touch-sensitive capabilities, to bring your AI-inspired visions to life.

• 6 interconnected (3x2) touch-enabled panels
• Option to use panels individually for up to 6 different sources
• Runs on Windows 10
• Equipped with speakers

How to enter

Fill out this form by 11:59pm ET on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Timeline

You must upload your proposal by 11:59pm ET on March 1, 2024.

Winners will be selected by the following week. Grantees will be awarded $500 to develop their proposals and receive feedback and mentorship before the showcase on April 26, 2024.

Questions? Email csc@barnard.edu.

March 1, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

This workshop demonstrates one highly accessible app (such as I-Naturalist) and how it interfaces with a more technical platform (I-DigBio.org) and explicitly discusses how there are opportunities for amateurs and aspiring professionals. We will look mostly at plants and maybe a few insect examples, like butterflies and other pollinators.  

For those interested in the computing and data science side, you can also see some specimens from Barnard's herbarium to show how the digital world is built firmly on the foundation of material and analogue predecessors. All levels welcome.

This workshop is taught by Hilary Callahan, Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Biological Sciences at Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

February 23, 2024 | 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Shabazz Center

Getting Critical with Data: Data 4 Black Lives

This event, hosted by BLAIS and the ERC, was proudly co-sponsored by IMATS, CEP, CSC, Africana Studies Department, Barnard Computer Science, and The Movement Lab.

In her keynote, Data 4 Black Lives Founder Yeshimebeit Milner demystified how to use data for resistance in the fight for Black Lives.

After the keynote, there was a ‘Decompress’ session hosted by Data 4 Black Lives. ‘Decompress’ is a DIY multidisciplinary event space and movement laboratory that centers music as a Black technology, featuring DJs, dancing, and rest.

This event is part of the Getting Critical with Data Series.

Location & Time:

5:00-9:00 pm Shabazz Center

About the “Getting Critical with Data” Series:

The year-long Getting Critical with Data series was a collaboration between the Empirical Reasoning Center and BLAIS. Our series highlighted how we can engage critically with data as creators, consumers, and learners, ranging from how data impacts marginalized communities historically and now, how census data collection is racialized, how to use data for activism and resistance, and the connections between surveillance and public health data.

About Data 4 Black Lives:

Data for Black Lives is a movement of activists, organizers, and scientists committed to the mission of using data to create concrete and measurable change in the lives of Black people. Through research, advocacy, and movement-building, we are working to support the vital work of grassroots racial justice organizations to challenge discriminatory uses of data and algorithms across systems.

About the Empirical Reasoning Center:

The Empirical Reasoning Center (ERC) helps faculty, students, staff, and alumnae engage critically with data, quantitative, qualitative, and spatial. ERC staff provide empirical research support and technology training at all levels -- from introductory to advanced -- in statistical, textual and spatial analysis, and data visualization methods. The ERC also hosts events and discussions on the role of data in the fight for justice and data ethics.

About BLAIS:

The Teaching, Learning, and Research Services team at BLAIS is composed of Personal Librarians that help students find joy in doing research.

February 16, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

This workshop will cover the fundamentals of data analysis using Python. We will cover retrieving, processing, and analyzing data using Polars, a new library in the Python data science ecosystem.

This workshop is taught by Marko Krkeljas, Senior Software & Applications Developer and CSC Technical Manager at Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

February 12, 2024 | 4:30pm - 5:30pm

Hybrid / LL001 Milstein + Zoom

In this Generative AI Learning Community session (co-hosted by the CSC, CEP, IMATS, and BLAIS), Prof. Lydia Chilton and Grace Li BC '24 will share their research on on how AI tools can support science communication on social media. There will be ample time for questions and discussion with the audience. You can find a description of Prof. Chilton and Grace Li's research below.

In this project, we focus on how we can build AI-tools to support science communication on social media. We explored Tweetorials, in which we help scientists communicate STEM topics in a more engaging and accessible way through Twitter threads. Our research focuses on three different areas of support for Tweetorial writing: Topic Scoping, Hook Generation, and Narrative Structure Generation. Through Tweetorials, we focused on specific aspects of the writing process that people often struggled with when trying to make scientific writing more engaging and reduce the cognitive load of brainstorming. 

This event is planned to take place in person (LL001 Milstein) and online. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

February 12, 2024 | 4:30pm - 5:30pm

Hybrid / LL001 Milstein + Zoom

In this Generative AI Learning Community session (co-hosted by the CSC, CEP, IMATS, and BLAIS), Prof. Lydia Chilton and Grace Li BC '24 will share their research on on how AI tools can support science communication on social media. There will be ample time for questions and discussion with the audience. You can find a description of Prof. Chilton and Grace Li's research below.

In this project, we focus on how we can build AI-tools to support science communication on social media. We explored Tweetorials, in which we help scientists communicate STEM topics in a more engaging and accessible way through Twitter threads. Our research focuses on three different areas of support for Tweetorial writing: Topic Scoping, Hook Generation, and Narrative Structure Generation. Through Tweetorials, we focused on specific aspects of the writing process that people often struggled with when trying to make scientific writing more engaging and reduce the cognitive load of brainstorming. 

This event is planned to take place in person (LL001 Milstein) and online. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

February 2, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Zoom

This workshop will explore the basics of the R programming language from a Python user's perspective, paying particular attention to some of the structural, as well as syntactic and idiomatic differences between the two languages. We'll look at R's strengths and weaknesses with the goal of exposing non-R users to the language using practical hands-on exercises. Suitable for beginning/novice programmers but based on the practicalities of working with real-world data.

This workshop is taught by Dan Woulfin, Ph.D., M.L.S., Computational Research Instruction Librarian at Columbia Libraries. 

Dan Woulfin is currently the Computational Research Instruction librarian at Columbia University Libraries. Prior to this position he was the Senior Data Associate at Global TIES for Children, an international social science research center at NYU. There he worked daily in R which he used to curate, clean, wrangle and engineer research data throughout the research data lifecycle and to prepare for archiving. He is also a coauthor of 'rddi', an R package on CRAN, and an accompanying shiny application, 'diyddi'.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

January 19, 2024 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

Kick off the Spring Semester with a warm welcome back to the CSC! Join us for beginner friendly coding games, take part in our Python coding quiz for a chance to win exciting prizes, and grab some snacks! 

Taught by Kiley Matschke (CSC Post-Baccalaureate Fellow) and Nica Genestin (CSC Coordinator).

This workshop is planned to take place in person only (516 Milstein).

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

January 18, 2024 | 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Virtual

Join the Break Through Tech AI team on Thursday, January 18 at 1pm ET for a Virtual Information Session covering key details about the 2024/25 program which will begin in June 2024! 

Break Through Tech AI, an initiative of Cornell Tech, is a paid, 1-year extracurricular experience that helps undergraduate college women (trans and cis), nonbinary, and other underrepresented groups in tech gain the skills they need to get jobs in data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

The program includes an online Machine Learning course over the summer, followed by industry challenges and mentorship and career coaching during the Fall and Spring - all meant to help you launch your career in AI and Machine Learning. All accepted participants who successfully complete the program will receive a $2,000 award. 

Apply by February 5 for priority admission, and register HERE for the January 18 Information Session.

This event is planned to take place online only.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

December 1, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

In-person / 516 Milstein

Explore the use of Language Models (LLMs) in software development. We'll focus on steering models with prompt engineering, differences between 'instruct' and 'completion' models, streaming responses, and function calling. Prior experience with Python is recommended.

This workshop is planned to take place in person only (516 Milstein).

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

November 14, 2023 | 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Hybrid / Lynn Chu Classroom (LL002) + Virtual

Generative-AI is here to stay, impacting everything from the markets for human- and AI-generated works to who gets to be a creator under copyright law. A Midjourney image recently won first prize at the Colorado State Fair, beating out dozens of submissions by human-creators. Getty has launched a “commercially safe” image generator trained on the large corpus of images made by Getty’s artists and photographers. Adobe has built AI generators for Photoshop, promising “accountability, responsibility and transparency” in their announcement for a range of new AI-driven tools. But are AI-generated works protected by copyright? Should they be? And what about the human-creators whose works are used to train AI? Do AI companies violate these copyrights when developing generative-AI tools?

Courts are grappling with these questions across the globe. Lawsuits against AI companies will soon reveal whether exceptions in copyright law, like fair use or text and data mining, permit the use of copyright-protected works by AI systems. Should the human-creators win, the effect may be that AI companies are required to license creative works en masse for AI training. What might be the follow-on impacts for creative industries and the market for creative works? What new barriers to entry might arise for smaller tech companies with limited resources to spend on licensing for new AI-technology development? What will be the impact for consumers, both in terms of competition and diversity in AI technologies, as well as the outputs they produce?

Fortunately, in-copyright creative works are not the only materials available for training. A growing corpus of public domain works unrestricted by copyright is being published as part of an open GLAM movement (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums). Globally, at least 1,616 cultural institutions have published more than 95 million digital surrogates of public domain works for unfettered reuse. These range from digital surrogates of books, sculptures, paintings, drawings, scientific illustrations, music, letters, and other creative works, to transcriptions, descriptions, collections data, provenance data, metadata. Given copyright’s long term of protection, the demographic of this public domain reveals many of the biases that advocates for critical approaches to AI have fought diligently to expose in large image and language models. How might biases long-embedded in our cultural collections be operationalised for AI, leading to similar harms and outcomes that we know to be present? 

This session will begin with a talk to problematize generative-AI through the lens of copyright. We’ll explore power imbalances in the data, technology and capital required to develop and shape AI, the (un)fairness of using human-creators’ works to train AI systems, and ask who shares (or not) in the profits—and how? We’ll also ask: could the underlying justifications for copyright shape new policies that result in more equitable outcomes? We’ll think about policy making in practice using copyright’s (alleged) goals to decide: what to do with generative-AI?

• Nuria Rodrïguez-Ortega. (2018). “Canon, Value and Cultural Heritage: New Processes of Assigning Value in the Postdigital Realm,” Multimodal Technologies and Interaction 2(2) 
• Authors Alliance. (2018). “Amanda Levandowski on Fair Use for Fairer AI” 
• Pamela Samuelson. (2023). “Generative AI meets copyright,” Science 981(6654), (or podcast option)
• Creative Commons. (2023). “Making AI Work for Creators and the Commons” 

Andrea Wallace is an Associate Professor of Law & Technology at the University of Exeter in the UK. Her work examines the role of law and technology in transforming how we understand, consume and disseminate art and cultural heritage in the digital realm.

This talk is planned to take place in person (Lynn Chu Classroom LL002) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

November 8, 2023 | 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Hybrid / Milstein 402 + Virtual

This talk traces a brief history of the academic-industrial conceptual formation of ‘AI ethics’ and evaluates its purchase at a moment when AI is poised to become its own ethicist and regulator. As a critical feminist practitioner and scholar bringing Humanities and Social Sciences scholarship to working professionals keen to build ethical AI, Maya Indira Ganesh -- assistant teaching professor and senior research fellow at the University of Cambridge -- argues that ‘AI Ethics’ should be translated and transformed into a critical technical practice.

This talk is planned to take place in person (Milstein 402) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

November 4, 2023 | 10:00am - 4:00pm

In-person / Pulitzer Hall, Brown Institute (Ground Floor) / Apply to attend

Graphical (or pictorial) presentations of data have become an almost essential part of journalistic practice. Data visualization helps us see patterns in data and is an important tool for finding stories. Over the past decade, major outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, and Reuters are publishing data visualizations that push the idea of storytelling, creating new data-driven ways to inform and entertain. Alongside these graphics are newsrooms based entirely on data visualization, including the Kontinentalist and The Pudding.

In this day-long workshop co-sponsored by the Brown Institute and Barnard Vagelos Computational Science Center, members of The Pudding will immerse participants in their tried-and-true design process, segmented into four stages: story, data, design, and development. The session will begin with Story, a throughline that should resonate with all participants of the program. As we’ve all experienced, the strongest visualizations are those with equally strong narratives. Diving deeper, students will be introduced to the realm of Data. Using curated datasets around key topics, students will seek to uncover the nuances of integrating specific, meaningful data with their narratives. The emphasis then shifts to the visual canvas, focusing on the core elements of Design. The goal is to ensure that every story is captivating both visually and narratively. And culminating the day is a glimpse into Development. While the intricacies of programming might remain in the backdrop, attendees will understand and appreciate the development scaffolding that turns their narratives and designs into dynamic interactive features.

We will only be able to accommodate 24 students. Applications are due by 12pm on Wednesday, October 25. Notices will be sent out on Friday, October 27.

About the Presenters

Caitlyn Ralph is the Studio Director at Polygraph. She likes film photography, running, Animal Crossing, a band called Inhaler, and a K-pop group called Stray Kids. Mostly Stray Kids. Mostly Jeongin. 🦊🐶🐁 You can follow her on the socials or check out her website. She has worked on seven stories to date.

Alvin Chang is an assistant professor of Journalism and Design at the New School. He’s a data and visual journalist who has worked in several newsrooms, most recently as Head of Visuals and Data at Guardian US. His work as a journalist often combines deep reporting with data analysis to help readers clearly understand the world around them. His stories often show how small decisions accrue into invisible problems like discrimination, segregation, and ultimately dehumanization. And he makes those things visible using data viz, interactives, cartoons, and videos.

This workshop is planned to take place in person at Pulitzer Hall, Brown Institute (Ground Floor).

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

October 27, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

Join Marko Krkeljas, Sr. Software & Applications Developer and CSC Technical Manager, on learning the basics of data analysis using Python. This workshop will cover commonly used data and visualization tools in the Python ecosystem. We’ll also cover basic statistics, problem solving techniques, and making predictions.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

October 13, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Virtual

What is text mining? Text mining has become a popular technique for data analysis both in industry and the academic sector. This beginner-friendly workshop will introduce the basics of text-mining, explore pre-processing techniques, and leave attendees with the basic tools to get started in text analysis for their own work. This workshop is great for those in the humanities and social sciences who are interested in incorporating more technological methods in their work as a tool for understanding. No coding experience needed. 

Rukimani PV is a PhD student in Literature at Duke University focusing on critical race theory. They have a background in Computer Science and work at the intersection of CS and Critical Technology Studies, including anti-surveillance work.

Workshop Level: Beginner 

Requirements: Basic Knowledge Python + Laptop (with the ability to install software) 

Tentative Schedule:

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM: Introduction: What is Text Mining?

12:30 PM - 1:15 PM: Demo of Text-Mining

1:15 PM - 1:30 PM: Wrap-Up + Applications of Text-Mining in Digital Humanities Research/Social Sciences

This workshop is planned to take place online only. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

October 6, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Online only 

What makes a good chart? How can you ideate the right chart for the story you want to tell? Which charts call for bespoke solutions? When is it good to follow the rules and when is it good to break them? We answer these questions and more, and introduce you to Observable for quick prototyping and exploratory data vizualizations.

This workshop is led by Gurman Bhatia, information designer, data visualization trainer, award-winning data journalist, and Director of Revisual Labs.

This workshop is planned to take place online only. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc), and Facebook.

September 29, 2023 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm

The Brown Institute, Pulitzer Hall (ground floor), Columbia University School of Journalism

Using FOIA: A Talk and Demo of MuckRock, a website empowering citizens and journalists to write, file and track public records requests online, and its new FOIA Logs tool with Derek Kravitz, Investigations and Data Editor at MuckRock

This talk and demonstration is an invitation to play, experiment with, and learn about MuckRock, an open-source web transparency platform that assists citizens in preparing, filing, and tracking public record requests to government agencies. The site enables users to access government documents and data covered by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state open-records laws, ensuring that citizens can acquire information vital to the functioning of their government. As part of the training, participants will be given a tour of a new service launching from MuckRock called FOIA Logs, which allows users to lookup, review, and download previous FOIA requests placed to various departments and agencies across the government. Learn about the interface, discover how the site integrates NLP and Machine Learning principles, and understand how the tools might impact your workflow as a journalist and storyteller.

Leading the session is Derek Kravitz, MuckRock's investigations and data editor. With an illustrious career that includes roles as research director at ProPublica, and stints at The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and The Washington Post, Kravitz brings a wealth of experience. He has been recognized multiple times for his contributions to journalism, being a two-time Livingston Award finalist, participating in three Pulitzer Prize finalist teams, and having projects he edited or reported on receive numerous accolades. Derek's endeavors also extend to grant-funded initiatives through Columbia and Stanford's Brown Institute for Media Innovation, as well as the founding of the Documenting COVID-19 project and the MISSING THEM project at THE CITY.

Co-hosted by The Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC) at Barnard College and The Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School

__________________________________________________________________________________

This event is planned to take place in person at the Brown Institute in Pulitzer Hall (Columbia Journalism School). 

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and X (@barnard_csc).

For more information about the The Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School, go to https://brown.columbia.edu or follow us on X (@BrownInstitute).

September 15, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

Welcome back!

We're kicking off our workshop series for the year with an exciting introductory workshop featuring three folks working in Computer Science. Each presenter will give 30 to 45 minute overviews of how they use and apply computing to topics across disciplines.

Presenters and topics include:

Algorithmic Fairness and its Applications to Law and Policy, Emily Black, Assistant Professor of Computer Science @ Barnard College

Prof. Black is new faculty at Barnard and her research is about algorithmic fairness and machine learning (ML). This presentation gives a brief overview of what algorithmic fairness is and then describes Prof. Black's current project, which is to highlight recent research showing how there are many interchangeable ML models for every prediction task. Namely, this work shows that are several easily-discoverable models with similar accuracy, but different levels of discrimination across demographic groups, and showing how to translate this research into proposed updates to anti-discrimination law (the disparate impact standard). 

Monte Carlo Methods for Reconstructing Jet Structures in Particle Physics, Antonio Moretti, Roman Fellow in Computer Science @ Barnard College

This presentation discusses the use of Monte Carlo methods in analyzing data generated by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Learning About Database Applications, Ramya Subramanian, BC ' 26, majoring in Computer Science and Economics

Ramya will give an overview of a project she's working on with Columbia University faculty, which is developing an open-source suite of cyberinfrastructure tools, called the Decision Engine for Socioeconomic Disaster Risk (DESDR), to fill data voids by collecting and cleaning disaster risk data directly from affected populations from natural disasters. Learn how the DESDR model incorporates databases through Typescript, Svelte, and DBT. This application is useful because it is a reproducible model that allows farmers to input their own data files and create an interactive model to view insurance payouts and other such charts.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

April 28, 2023 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm

516 Milstein

Barnard IMATS and CSC Art + Tech Viz Wall Showcase

Join us in person as the Art + Science finalists present their interactive projects. The finalists are Eris Gao (BC '24, CS and Architecture), Skylar Li (CU '23, Biomedical Engineering), Elijah Zulu (CU '23, CS), Aaron McKeever (CU '23, Information Science), and David Lee (CU ' 25, CS).

Winning proposals include:

• Simulations of pathogenic bacteria and human heartbeats
• Generating flowers and plants that repond to real-world deforestation
• The sonification of art
• Visualizing and documenting traditional flora
• Simulating slime molds

Come by, ask questions, interact with the wall, and eat some snacks!

April 21, 2023 | 2:00pm - 6:00pm

The Brown Institute, Pulitzer Hall, Columbia University School of Journalism

The Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC) at Barnard College in partnership with The Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School welcome you to Computing &, a series of panels exploring the complex and multifaceted role of computing in spaces of public life.

Framed around the theme of 'Computing &', we will rotate through three crucial subtopics, each representing an area where computation directly impacts vulnerable communities and the stories told about them. The discussions will highlight the oppressive and surveillant aspects of technology, as well as the innovative ways individuals and groups have leveraged technology and journalistic reporting to counteract these effects. This event is in-person only.

We'd also love to hear from Barnard and Columbia grads and undergrads who are interested in producing a journalistic piece based on one or more topics covered at the event. You can apply to receive mentorship and a seed grant to develop the piece. Apply here.

Event Schedule:

2:00pm - 3:15pm: Computing & Carceral Technology

A deep dive into the role of computation on communities pre-, during, and post-incarceration, exploring carceral technologies and alternative information networks. Featuring Sylvia Ryerson, Dan "April" Feng, Clarence Okoh, Martin Garcia, and moderated by Adam Iscoe.

3:30pm - 4:45pm: Computing & Queering Technology

A discussion on the role of queer communities in the design and implementation of internet technologies, examining the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital world. Featuring Afsaneh Rigot, Christina Dragon, Colleen Macklin, and a Tech Learning Collective instructor.

5:00pm - 6:15pm: Computing & Reproductive Justice

An exploration of how technology intersects with reproductive rights and justice. Featuring Anna Louie Sussman, Runa Sandvik, Dr. Kameelah Philips, and moderated by Saima Akhtar.

https://www.adamiscoe.com/

Participant Bios

• Sylvia Ryerson is a PhD Candidate in American Studies at Yale University, with a Master’s concentration in the public humanities. Prior to graduate school she worked as an independent radio producer and at the Appalshop media arts and education center in Whitesburg, Kentucky. There, she served as a reporter and the director of public affairs programming, and co-directed Appalshop/WMMT-FM’s Hip Hop from the Hilltop & Calls from Home radio show, a nationally recognized weekly radio program broadcasting music and toll-free phone messages from family members to their loved ones who are incarcerated.
• Dan “April” Feng is the Chief Operating Officer at Ameelio. She holds a Masters degree in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics. An economist by training and curious by nature, she had dedicated her work to solving the hardest challenges at the most critical time. Her previous experiences include solving social loneliness with Freakonomics author, Steven Levitt, working at the UK Parliament during Brexit, and managing public  transportation innovations under then Mayor Pete Buttigieg.​​​​​​
• Clarence Okoh is Senior Policy Counsel in Youth Policy at the Center for Law and Social Policy.
• Martin Garcia, who is the Manager of News Inside, the print publication of The Marshall Project, and the Associate of Inside Story, The Marshall Project’s new video series, both of which are distributed in hundreds of prisons and jails throughout the United States. Martin is also one of the co-chairs of The Marshall Project’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He is a Mercy College graduate and well versed in Department of Corrections policy.
• Afsaneh Rigot is a scholar and researcher covering issues of law, technology, LGBTQ, refugee, and human rights. She is a senior researcher at ARTICLE 19 focusing on MENA LGBTQ and Tech issues, an Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, Advisor to the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard University, and a  Technology and Public Purpose Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s  Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She is the founder of the Design From the Margins tech design methodology.
• Christina Dragon (she|her) serves as the Measurement and Data Lead in the NIH Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office. Previously she served as the Sexual and Gender Minority Data Lead in Medicare’s Office of Minority Health and as the data analyst for the Health People 2020 LGBT Health topic area at the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, and has over a decade’s experience working on federal SGM data.
• Colleen Macklin is a game designer and an Associate Professor in the school of Art, Media and Technology at Parsons School of Design. She’s interested in how games model and reveal ideologies through systems.
• The Tech Learning Collective is an apprenticeship-based technology school for radical organizers founded in New York City that provides a security-first IT infrastructure curriculum to otherwise underserved communities and organizations advancing social justice causes. 

• Anna Louie Sussman is a journalist who writes on gender, economics, and reproduction. She is working on her first book, about the relationship between capitalism and reproduction, for Dey Street Books.

• Runa Sandvik is the founder of Granitt, a company focused on security for journalists and other at-risk people. Her work builds upon experience from her time at The New York Times, Freedom of the Press Foundation, and The Tor Project. Originally from Oslo, she now lives in New York.

• Dr. Kameelah Phllips is a board certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist, wife, mother, and lifelong women’s health advocate. She is an educator, mentor, and expert in women’s health issues and has been involved in local, national, and international organizations aimed at advancing women’s health care issues through advocacy and direct patient care. Dr. Phillips graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology with an emphasis in Women’s Health and Human Sexuality. As a Real World Alumnae, she has used this platform to travel nationwide to discuss domestic violence, smoking cessation, and other health-related issues.

• Saima Akhtar is the Senior Associate Director of the Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC) at Barnard College.

• Adam Iscoe is a writer and editor from Austin, Texas. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Texas Monthly and McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. Iscoe is an editor at Lapham’s Quarterly. In 2019, he worked as a Visiting Scholar at The University of California, Berkeley. He has also taught journalism at Solano State Prison, in Vacaville, California; and edited The San Quentin News, an award winning newspaper produced by incarcerated journalists at San Quentin State Prison. 

Computing & is a unique series of talks that engage area experts, scholars, technologists, and journalists working to expose and challenge harms often invisible to the masses.

__________________________________________________________________________________

This event is planned to take place in person at the Brown Institute in Pulitzer Hall (Columbia Journalism School). Refreshments will be served.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

For more information about the The Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School, go to https://brown.columbia.edu or follow us on Twitter (@BrownInstitute).

April 20, 2023 | 12:00pm

Online

Are you interested in writing about the relationship between tech and society? Would you like to learn how to critically leverage data and technology to tell stories?

We'd love to hear from Barnard and Columbia undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in attending this event and pitching a journalistic style-piece or op-ed based on a topic discussed at Computing &: A conversation on computing and storytelling, taking place on Friday, April 21st. Selected students will be invited to attend dinner with the panelists, and receive mentorship around developing their journalistic piece, along with a small seed grant.

Application form here.
Deadline to apply: April 20, 2023 @ noon EST.

Questions? Email csc@barnard.edu

April 7, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

From planets to stars to galaxies and galaxy clusters to the filamentary structure of the entire Universe, the topics in astronomy span an incredible range. And a tremendous amount of this data lives available online! In this workshop, we will review the largest online archives of astrophysical simulations and observations, learn about the science behind them, and produce some beautiful visualisations and movies in Python that should be equally at home in your academic work, museums, or art galleries.

This workshop is led by Mila Chadayammuri, Postdoctoral Fellow and Computational Cosmologist in the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at Harvard University.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

March 24, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

Using the 2017 NYC LiDAR survey, this workshop explores visualizing the city in three dimensions. Participants will learn how to import 3d mapping data, make sense of and analyze complexity, and export their models onto the web. No prior coding experience needed, open to beginners!

This workshop is taught by Adam Vosburgh, Assistant Director, MS Computational Design Practices, GSAPP at Columbia University.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

March 3, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual 

This workshop explores the relationship between machine learning and language translation, with a focus on sequence to sequence models. Participants will learn how to consider a basic character-level recurrent sequence-to-sequence model, how it can be applied across varying languages, and how differences in language representation impact aspects of the model. This workshop will be taught in Python. No prior experience is required!

This workshop is taught by Virgilia Antonucci, CSC Postbacc Fellow.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

February 17, 2023 | 11:59pm

Overview

For a second year, Barnard IMATS and the Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC) are holding a competition for proposals that use the Cyber Visualization Wall in Milstein 516 - this year the theme is art + science! This competition is open to all undergraduate students in all disciplines at Barnard and Columbia – the top four winning submissions will receive a $500 grant to develop their proposals. Show us what you’ve got!

We want to see proposals that embrace the medium and capabilities of the Visualization Wall - remember it’s touch sensitive! Winning submissions should engage directly with the medium (the Visualization Wall) and theme (art + science). You can use design programs, filmmaking, coding, and more to make artistic interventions that explore the relationship between art and science, or explore a question of interest to you in a scientific way. You can submit digital art, maps, a game design, or utilize the interactive/touch aspects of the panels, or find clever ways to subvert our expectations.

Cyber Visualization Wall Details:

• 6 interconnected (3x2), touch enabled panels
• Panels can also be used individually, e.g. up to 6 discrete devices can be projected at a time
• Windows 10 operating system
• Speakers/sound enabled

To watch the Spring 2022 Art + Tech showcase, click here.

How to enter

Fill out this form by 11:59 pm ET on Friday, February 17, 2023.

Grants

The top submissions will receive $500 to develop their projects in preparation for a showcase on April 28, 2023.

Timeline

You must upload your proposal by 11:59 pm ET on February 17, 2023.

Winners will be announced on February 24, 2023. Winning submissions will be awarded $500 to troubleshoot and develop their proposals in preparation for a showcase on April 28, 2023.

Questions? Email csc@barnard.edu.

February 17, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

This is the second of a two-part series co-sponsored by the Computational Science Center (CSC) and Empirical Reasoning Center (ERC) on Interactive Data Visualization and Storytelling!

We've all seen cool visualizations featured on websites that are interactive and engaging. We're able to engage with the data in a completely different way than when they're static charts/graphs/maps on paper or even on a website. Come join us to learn how to create beautiful and interactive data visualizations like those using Svelte and D3!

Some familiarity with HTML, CSS, or JavaScript would be helpful, but is not required. 

This workshop is led by Fatima Koli, Senior Associate Director of the Empirical Reasoning Center (ERC) at Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

February 13, 2023 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Hybrid / 102 Milstein + Virtual

This is the first of a two-part series co-sponsored by the Computational Science Center (CSC) and Empirical Reasoning Center (ERC) on Interactive Data Visualization and Storytelling!

Join us for a talk with Caitlyn Ralph, Studio Director at Polygraph, The Pudding's in-house data and visual storytelling agency. There, she manages data creation and visual storytelling. Caitlyn will speak about her background in computer science, journalism, and music and how that informs her work at The Pudding.

RSVP HERE! Or join us via Zoom HERE. 

Email us at erc@barnard.edu or csc@barnard.edu if you have any questions!

We look forward to seeing you there!

February 7, 2023 | 5:00pm - 6:00pm

402 Milstein

Join three neuroscience faculty and researchers in a conversation about how computing, mathematical modeling, and data analysis are used and could be used in neuroscience to advance cutting-edge research.

CSC faculty director Rebecca Wright will lead the panel discussion with:

• Mary Harrington (Tippit Professor in the Life Sciences, Smith College)
  • Mary Harrington trained in chronobiology with Ben Rusak while working towards her PhD from Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia. She then took a position teaching at Smith College, where she has been since 1987. Mary teaches courses in neuroscience, experimental methods in neuroscience, and a seminar on race and gender in neurological disorders. Her research is on negative health impacts associated with disruption of circadian rhythms. 
• Gabrielle Gutierrez (Department of Neuroscience, Barnard College)
  • Gabrielle Gutierrez is an Assistant Professor at Barnard College and an affiliate of the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University. As a computational neuroscientist, her research is focused on modeling neural circuits and developing theories about how they do the computations that enable us to function and to interact with the world around us. Her research has led her to investigate various neuronal systems - from visual processing in the retina to circadian rhythms in the fruit fly.  Gabrielle Gutierrez has a PhD in Neuroscience from Brandeis University. She did her graduate work in Eve Marder’s lab. She received her bachelor's degree from Barnard College where she majored in Physics and minored in Applied Mathematics.
• Martha Merrow (Institute for Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
  • Martha Merrow graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in Biology in 1979. She earned her Ph.D. in immunogenetics in 1991 before turning to molecular genetic approaches to understand circadian clocks, a relatively new field. She absolved a first post-doctoral fellowship at Dartmouth College followed by a second at LMU Munich. She was recruited to the University of Groningen on a women-only program leading to Professorships. In 2012, Merrow was recruited back to her old Institute at LMU Munich, the Institute of Medical Psychology where she serves as its ’Teaching Chair’ until September of this year. Her main scientific contributions have been on the timing of human behaviour using a novel questionnaire, conceptual models of the circadian clock and the discovery of new clock model systems. She has also contributed to the community, forming networks of women scientists in Groningen and Munich and currently serving as President of the European Biological Rhythms Society. She has taught in over 20 Chronobiology Training schools starting in 1996.

We'll have pizza -- come and bring your appetites and questions!

This panel is planned to take place in person (402 Milstein) .

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

February 3, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

This workshop is a primer on SQL and relational databases, covering basic SQL commands and operations, schema design, database normalization, and interfacing with external applications.

This workshop is taught by Marko Krkeljas (IMATS/CSC).

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

January 20, 2023 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

Gamma-ray astronomy studies the most energetic events in the Universe, from searching for primordial black holes to detecting the giant molecular clouds illuminated by ultra-high energy particles.

In this workshop, we will learn the applied mathematical and computational techniques in gamma-ray astronomy, including gamma-ray shower reconstruction, background estimation, and physical model fitting.

We will also discuss how this knowledge is being applied in other fields of large data.

Together we’ll use Python to engage in a short exercise of a simplified gamma-ray analysis to give participants a first-hand experience of gamma-ray astronomy.

This workshop is taught by Ruo-Yu Shang, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Reshmi Mukherjee, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

January 19, 2023 | 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Online

Break Through Tech AI is a free, 18-month extracurricular program hosted at Cornell Tech that helps college women (trans and cis), nonbinary, and other underrepresented groups in tech gain the skills they need to get jobs in the fastest-growing areas of tech: data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Applications for the 2023-24 cohort will open in January. Join the Break Through Tech AI team to learn more about this unique program and hear key details about the application process.

Panelists:

• Abby Kawola, Recruitment and Placement Coordinator
• Erika Bramwell, AI Studio Lead
• Veronica Sirotic, Career Services Lead
• Akshara Mahalingam, BC '24 (Computer Science)

This workshop is planned to take place online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

December 7, 2022 | 11:30am - 1:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

Join Izzy Lapidus (BC '24, Computing, Design and Pedagogy) for An Hour of Code event -- a one-hour coding tutorial designed for students across all disciplines. This workshop is a celebration of Computer Science Education Week, which is a yearly call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn about computer science, advocate for equity, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers and partners to the field.

No prior programming experience is required.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

December 2, 2022 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

In this workshop, participants will learn common Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques using a dataset of popular works from Project Gutenburg. We will review basic NLP methods including: data cleaning (removing stop and filler words, lemmatization, tokenization), extracting lexical features (word frequency, most common n-grams, etc.), and conducting topic modeling and sentiment analysis using Python. Participants can choose which author to collect these features for and by the end of the workshop, we will compare the writing styles of various authors in the dataset. This is an introductory level workshop. No prior coding experience required - come ready to experiment and have fun!

Taught by CSC Computing Fellows, Anushka Kulkarni (CS, BC '23) and Dipashreya Sur (CS with a minor in Arch, BC '23)

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

November 18, 2022 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

We’ve all seen the energy grades posted at the entrances of large buildings in New York City. But how does one building compare to its neighbor, or to buildings in other parts of the city? And how is the city doing overall? Are grades improving from year to year? Are there any interesting stories buried in the data?

Join Computational Designer Juan Francisco Saldarriaga for a workshop on mapmaking through programming. Python will be our language of choice, and we will introduce powerful packages like Pandas, Geopandas and Altair to explore geographic data. Our final product will be a Colab Notebook (similar to a Jupyter Notebook) with maps and graphs exploring the distribution of energy grades from 2020 and 2021 across the city and highlighting specific investigative leads.

No prior programming experience is required.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

November 16, 2022 | 5:00pm - 6:15pm

McCagg Gallery (Diana Center, 4th Floor)

Questions about the role that ethics plays with respect to technological advances have grown more urgent as tech continues to reshape our interactions with one another and our understanding about ourselves. From data privacy/misuse of personal information, to cybersecurity, inclusive design, data transparency, and the implications of artificial intelligence — and so much in between — stakeholders across industry, government, higher education, and advocacy spaces have important roles to play in these complex conversations.

Join a distinguished panel of Barnard alums working at the intersection of tech and ethics, moderated by Saima Akhtar, Associate Director of the Vagelos Computational Science Center.

We'll talk about ethics, technology, career paths, and your questions!

Panelists include:

• Reena Jana, English, Head of Content & Partnership Enablement, Responsible Innovation at Google
• Regina Flores Mir, Founder, Data X
• Clare Garvie '09, Human Rights and Political Science; Training & Resource Counsel at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (formerly at the Center on Privacy & Technology)

This event is a collaboration between the Vagelos Computational Science Center (CSC) and Beyond Barnard.

November 11, 2022 | 2:00pm - 6:00pm

Diana Center, Event Oval (LL1)

Columbia-Barnard Undergraduate Computer and Data Science Research Fair

The inaugural Columbia-Barnard Undergraduate Computer and Data Science Research Fair will take place this fall semester. Whether you have a classic research poster to present, a new application or startup to pitch, or a creative work showcasing tech and data science, we want your projects! 

MORE INFO HERE: Undergraduate Computer and Data Science Research Fair

Key Details:

• Application Deadline: Monday, October 17, 2022

• Event Date: Friday, November 11, 2022

• Event Location: Barnard Diana Center, The Event Oval (LL1)

• Contact Info: datascience@columbia.edu

Benefits: Meet students across the data science and computer science communities at Columbia, and receive feedback from Columbia professors and NYC startups!  Swag and prizes for the top exhibiting projects! 

The fair will include three thematic tracks: 

• Data Science and Society

• Interdisciplinary Data Science Applications

• Data Science and Computer Science Research

You’ll have the opportunity to present your projects to industry experts and senior faculty members, network with companies and other students, and gain valuable experience for advancing your projects.

Organized by: The Data, Media and Society Center at The Data Science Institute, Columbia University; the Barnard Program in Computer Science and the Vagelos Computational Science Center; and the Department of Computer Science at Columbia Engineering

November 4, 2022 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

This workshop is a primer on responsive web design. We will cover media queries, the Grid and Flexbox APIs, and creating fluid images. Basic HTML & CSS knowledge is helpful, but not strictly necessary.

This workshop is taught by Marko Krkeljas, Senior Software & Applications Developer and CSC Technical Manager/IMATS.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

October 26, 2022 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Davis Auditorium (CEPSR), 4th Floor (Campus Level)

Undergraduate Computer and Data Science Research Panel

Join this special panel event to learn about research and career opportunities for undergraduate students in data and computer science. Student moderators will pose questions related to research practices, mentorship, continuing education, successes, and more to an esteemed panel of Columbia faculty members. This panel will help undergrads in related disciplines plan for their future in emerging scientific fields.

This event is part of the Columbia-Barnard Undergraduate Computer and Data Science Research Fair, to be held on Friday, November 11.

Panelists:

• Martha Kim, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Columbia Engineering
• Henry Yuen, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Columbia Engineering
• Matthew J. Connelly, Professor of History, Columbia University
• Student Moderator: Angel Liang, Undergraduate, Barnard College
• Student Moderator: Samuel Hutchinson, Undergraduate, Columbia College

Organized by: The Data, Media and Society Center at The Data Science Institute, Columbia University; the Barnard Program in Computer Science and the Vagelos Computational Science Center; and the Department of Computer Science at Columbia Engineering

October 21, 2022 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

In this workshop, participants will explore a computational model of a neuron in a Matlab LiveScript. No previous coding experience is required. We’ll discuss the origins of the model, demonstrate it, and then participants will have a chance to play with the model code and customize it and design their own experiments with it.

This workshop is taught by Gabrielle Gutierrez, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience and Behavior at Barnard College.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

October 7, 2022 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

In this introductory workshop, Jack LaViolette (PhD Student in Sociology at Columbia University) will demonstrate how to pull, process, and visualize social media data using the Twitter API. No prior coding experience needed.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

September 23, 2022 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

In this introductory workshop, JJ Miranda, Assistant Professor of Biology at Barnard, gives an overview of computational methods to study how populations of cancer cells behave like diverse individuals. This workshop includes an interactive element—no prior coding experience is necessary, just be ready to have fun!

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc).

September 23, 2022 - September 24, 2022

Computer Science at Barnard College and the Vagelos Computational Science Center are co-hosting the Fall 2022 Diversity Hackathon (DivHacks) on September 23-24, 2022. DivHacks is Columbia University's premier student-led annual diversity hackathon. DivHacks, founded in 2017, is Columbia University's premier student-led annual diversity hackathon. Over the past four years, DivHacks has welcomed attendees from all over the tri-state area. DivHacks strives to create an empowering and inspirational space for students who are historically underrepresented in the tech industry.

The goal of DivHacks is to create an experience that not only reimagines what diversity should look like in the tech industry but gives students the tools to use technology to implement change

Learn more at https://columbiadivhacks.com/

September 9, 2022 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Hybrid / 516 Milstein + Virtual

Welcome back! We're kicking off our workshop series for the year with an exciting introductory workshop featuring folks from across the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Each presenter will give a 30-minute overview of how and why they use computation in their work. Presenters include: Mark Santolucito (Asst. Prof., Computer Science) on computational music and sound, Lisa Soros (Roman Fellow, Computer Science) on simulating living systems, and Nia Paz (BC '24) on uses of computing in astrophysics.  

Programs that Write Programs: Program Synthesis and Media Arts

Mark Santolucito, Assistant Professor of Computer Science

In this workshop we will explore program synthesis, where programs write programs. We will have an interactive demo of tools for automatically constructing programs that write music and make interactive visualizations. Join to learn about the future of programming. No prior programming experience needed, and no installation needed for the tools!

Simulating Living Systems

Lisa Soros, Roman Fellow, Computer Science

This seminar gives an overview of the field of artificial life and surveys key methodologies for creating lifelike and nature-inspired algorithms inside computational systems.

Astrophysics and Computing: Using New Radio Observations to Identify Dwarf Galaxies

Nia Paz, BC 2024, Physics

This talk is about how most astrophysics research is from telescope data. Using Jupyter Notebooks, you will learn how to read and use that data for multiple research questions. Nia will also share a little more about the specifics of her research and how she was able to use a broad radio telescope data for a specific dwarf galaxy project.

This workshop is planned to take place in person (516 Milstein) and online. A link to join via Zoom will be sent to registrants shortly before the event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Barnard CSC, go to https://www.csc.barnard.edu or follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@barnard_csc), and Facebook.