Bioinformatics and data skills training communities
There are so many communities, forums and meetings full of excellent people doing great things while training researchers. Now that most have switched to online meetings we are grabbing on the opportunity to connect with specialised groups of experts from around the globe. Here are just a few groups we participate in that are related to life science training - please come along and get involved!
The Life Science Trainers group is a global community of practice for short-format training in the life sciences. The monthly Community Calls are conveniently held in two time zones and are a fun way to exchange ideas and experiences, offering new ways of thinking about and doing training. It is a diverse group that is open to all trainers who serve researchers and educators in the life sciences.
Find out more about LifeSciTrainers and join their Slack channel
EOSC-Life hosts a network interested in training, and has an ongoing series of virtual Remote Training events. BioCommons presented at their recent knowledge-exchange workshop on hosting hybrid events that was attended by nearly 70 participants from mostly European countries, but also others such as Australia and Argentina (snapshot of meeting above). It was a great opportunity to hear about other people's experiences of organising virtual events.
Learn more about EOSC-Life and sign up for their newsletter
The Carpentries teaches digital research and data skills to researchers. It is a global community of trainers and learners who share a passion for evidence-based teaching practices and peer learning. A new ARDC-coordinated Carpentries partnership between 10 universities and research institutions will give Australian research institutions of all sizes access to two-day Carpentries instructor training at a reduced rate in 2022. Carpentry Connect Australia is a community networking event for new instructors and people interested in joining the Carpentries community in Australia.
Register for the 3 Nov 2021 free online Carpentry Connect event
There are a couple of Slack-based Australian groups that BioCommons participates in that might be of interest to bioinformatics trainers. The ENRICH CoP slack channel is for people interested in supporting and upskilling Australian researchers. The new Bioinformatics and HPC CoP has active discussions and has already had their first online meetup.
Join the Bioinformatics & HPC CoP before the next meetup
The Global Organisation for Bioinformatics Learning, Education and Training (GOBLET) aims to unite, inspire and equip bioinformatics trainers worldwide. They are a supportive community with ongoing working group activities that meet up at conferences where possible. BioCommons presented at their online 10th anniversary celebrations and enjoyed the international networking opportunity.
