This 2-part (10/14/24/24 & 10/16/24) 5-hour course will be offered via Zoom, over two mornings. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

In this course, participants will learn how to keep track of the code they use in their research using the version control system Git and the collaboration platform GitHub. Git allows you to keep track of changes to your code, easily revert to previous versions, and “tag” versions of code used in publications so that the exact code used can be retrieved at a later date. GitHub allows Git users to collaborate with each other on projects by managing simultaneous changes to the same files and allowing users to review and discuss each others’ code. Git and Github are applicable to any text-based programming or analysis language, including R, Python, Stata, Julia, and others.

Participants should create a github account at github.com and install git prior to the class. Windows users can download git at https://git-scm.com/download/win; there are multiple installation options, the first link is fine. Mac users can install git by opening the terminal application (in Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and typing “git version” (no quotes) and pressing enter. If git is not installed, you will be prompted to install it.

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NC TraCS Data Science Seminar Series: Matching: An Observational Necessity

This seminar will provide a brief overview for why and how to match cohorts for use in studies using observational data, with a particular view to utilization of existing matching tools in Python and R.

Seminars in the NC TraCS Data Science Seminar Series will cover a range of topics related to health care data science, clinical data, data engineering, and working in these areas at UNC-Chapel Hill. These hybrid seminars will be held on the third Tuesday of each month from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the NC TraCS suite on the 2nd floor of Brinkhous-Bullitt or via Zoom.

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Qualtrics is a powerful browser-based web-survey tool. It is available to UNC Chapel Hill faculty, staff, and students, for UNC-related projects. Qualtrics allows users to build complex surveys, distribute them, and analyze the responses all from one place.

In this course, we will cover basic Qualtrics functions beginning with an overview of survey options and settings, followed by hands-on practice programming and distributing a survey and downloading results. We will program some of the most common question and response types, customize requirements and validation, and add display logic, skip logic, and basic branch logic in the “survey flow”. We will then create and upload a contact list and discuss advantages and disadvantages of distributing the survey with an anonymous link vs. the survey mailer. Finally, we will cover a basic overview of the Data & Analysis tab for viewing, editing, and exporting raw data into various formats including .csv, .tsv, .excel, and .spss. Other topics include project sharing/ collaboration, Groups and Libraries, and preventing fraudulent responses and bot activity.

This is an introductory course and will not cover use of the online analysis tools within Qualtrics. Please note, this is a hands-on course. All participants are required to create a Qualtrics account before the course.

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This 2-part (10/14/24/24 & 10/16/24) 5-hour course will be offered via Zoom, over two mornings. Attendance is required as the course will not be recorded.

In this course, participants will learn how to keep track of the code they use in their research using the version control system Git and the collaboration platform GitHub. Git allows you to keep track of changes to your code, easily revert to previous versions, and “tag” versions of code used in publications so that the exact code used can be retrieved at a later date. GitHub allows Git users to collaborate with each other on projects by managing simultaneous changes to the same files and allowing users to review and discuss each others’ code. Git and Github are applicable to any text-based programming or analysis language, including R, Python, Stata, Julia, and others.

Participants should create a github account at github.com and install git prior to the class. Windows users can download git at https://git-scm.com/download/win; there are multiple installation options, the first link is fine. Mac users can install git by opening the terminal application (in Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and typing “git version” (no quotes) and pressing enter. If git is not installed, you will be prompted to install it.

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UNC NRP October Education Session: Pathways to Success in Your Research Career and Professional Development

This NRP Education session focuses on pathways to success in your research career and the professional development opportunities that can help you along the way.

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From Competition to Collaboration: Fostering a Data Sharing Culture for Collaborative Team Science

The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at UNC-Chapel Hill is excited to announce the next event from Accelerating Collaborative Team Science (ACTS) — a Team Science educational program.

ACTS functions as a connector, bridging the gap between researchers, coordinating centers, and other parties involved in practicing and promoting collaborative team science theory and practical applications across the scientific research landscape. With twenty years of experience coordinating team science efforts, RENCI provides a unique vantage point for those seeking to understand the role of the coordinating center and the challenges specific to large, geographically dispersed scientific teams.

Brandy Farlow from ACTS will be joined by Heather Barnes, PhD, and Mary Hannah Currin, MS, from RTI, who will address data sharing hesitancy that is common in research. They will highlight work underway in the NIH HEAL Data Ecosystem to engage with NIH HEAL-funded investigators and promote data sharing, exploring practical strategies research data administrators and stewards employ within the HEAL Data Ecosystem to overcome hesitancy and create a culture of data sharing to benefit collaboration and knowledge integration within and across scientific research teams seeking to end the opioid crisis.

Learn more at renci.org/team-science/.

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Rigorous Testing of Behavior Change Interventions: Lessons from the BE ACTIVE Randomized Clinical Trial

This NIH Collaboratory Rethinking Clinical Trials Grand Rounds features:

Alexander Fanaroff, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

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