Which language should you choose to learn? This webinar will discuss the pros and cons of four languages that are widely used in academia, and will provide guidance on selecting the right one. Programming is becoming more and more popular, with many researchers using programming to perform data cleaning, data manipulation, data analytics, as well as creating publication quality plots. Programming can be really beneficial for automating processes and workflows. In this webinar, we are exploring four of the most popular programming languages that are widely used in academia, namely Python, R, MATLAB, and Julia.
This workshop consists of two days. If you would like to participate it in, make sure to be available on Wednesday and Thursday from 9.00am to 12.30 pm. Python has deservedly become a popular language for scientific computing. It has all the friendly features and conveniences you’d expect of a modern programming language, and also a rich set of libraries for working with data. We teach using Jupyter notebooks, which allow program code, results, visualisations and documentation to be blended seamlessly. Perfect for sharing insights with others while producing reproducible research. Join us for this live coding workshop where we write programs that produce results, using the researcher-focused training modules from the highly regarded Software Carpentry Foundation.
Aidan Wilson Digital Research Services Manager, Intersect,
Aidan is Intersect Australia's Digital Research Services Manager, a role that involves management of Intersect's Digital Research training platform. Aidan is an accredited Software Carpentry instructor and has taught countless courses on topics including Python, R, Unix, Git, Regular Expressions, Qualtrics and REDCap. During his time as Digital Research Analyst at Australian Catholic University, Aidan supported the university's research community to learn and use technologies to accelerate their research. Before that, Aidan was an active linguistics researcher, specialising in the Aboriginal languages of Australia's top-end. His Master's thesis focused on the verb morphology of Traditional Tiwi.
This is an introductory workshop about R/R studio for those who have not used R before. We will use the online R studio environment on Posit Cloud and get familiar with the R studio interface, best practice R coding, import a dataset, do some basic summary statistics and plotting, and learn to use simple functions and loops. Parts of this workshop are based on the training modules of Data Carpentry for Biologists.
This beginner’s workshop is all about data cleaning and visualisation using the R package tidyverse. After cleaning our data, we will create various plots for data exploration and present these in an interactive html using R Markdown. Parts of this workshop are based on the training modules of Software Carpentry. Basic R knowledge required (e.g. gained in Introduction to R workshop).
Mirjam Kaestli Microbial ecologist, Charles Darwin University / Menzies,
Mirjam is a microbial ecologist at the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL) and Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University. She holds a MSc in biostatistics and a PhD in molecular microbiology. She uses R on a daily basis to provide biostatistical consulting, assist RIEL students with quantitative data analysis and for her research projects chasing opportunistic pathogens in Top End’s water.
Gale Digital Scholar Lab, developed with participation from beta testers across a wide range of institutions and organisations, is designed to transform the way scholars and students access and analyse Gale primary source materials by offering solutions to some of the most common challenges facing researchers in the digital humanities today. The Gale Digital Scholar Lab was officially released in 2018 and has continued to grow in popularity with Academics and Institutions across the world. . By integrating an unmatched depth and breadth of digital primary source matter with the most popular DH tools, Gale Digital Scholar Lab provides a new lens to explore history and empowers researchers to generate world-altering conclusions and outcomes. Through advanced humanities computing tools that make natural language processing (NLP) for historical texts accessible, more efficient, and impactful, the footprint of digital humanities can be expanded to more classrooms around the globe.
Researching primary sources & text and data mining have become more intuitive and easier to access without having the prerequisite skills in digital humanities. This presentation will provide an introductory overview of the Gale Digital Scholar Lab, exploring the tools and functionality recently added for a better user experience. We will explore how Students/Academics/ Researchers, and Librarians can use the Gale Digital Scholar Lab to search through their institution's primary source holdings from Gale or upload their own content to build their content sets using articles from various historical newspapers, analyse this content using the TDM tools available in the Lab and finally export the visualisations from the Lab.
Darren Brain Marketing Manager, Gale,
Darren has worked in the library vendor industry since 2000 and has been part of the Gale ANZ team since 2014, initially working as an Account Manager. He has recently taken on the responsibilities of managing marketing & conferences for Gale in Australia and New Zealand.
Sarah Sutcliffe Inspired NT,
Sarah Sutcliffe combines her dual passions of science and art to facilitate science communication projects in her role as manager of Inspired NT. A master’s in environmental science and experience in live event production has led her on a quest to combine technical and artistic skills to better communicate with audiences of all types. In this session Sarah will show you some of the tools and programs available to help you expand your research impact.
Dr Kutay will explain why she has been setting up new sites with research students to handle Aboriginal knowledge sharing. The system Dr Kutay will be demonstrating is designed to be used by different people as their own site. It is not that easy to set up a new site, but when a new site is set up, users can add their own stories and share these. One or two demo sites will be shown as examples of how it is used and what can be done to improve the knowledge sharing back to community.
Cat Kutay Lecturer, Charles Darwin University,
Cat Kutay is descended from seafarers of Celtic and Aboriginal origin. Cat is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Charles Darwin University. She works with Aboriginal communities for online language learning and story sharing as a way for Aboriginal culture and knowledge to be acknowledged and integrated into Australian engineering approaches. She is a Computer and Electrical Engineer. She manages projects developing software for web services for Indigenous Knowledge sharing, including Aboriginal language learning and embed Indigenous Knowledge in university teaching. Cat Kutay's research is in the areas of Indigenous Knowledge management, including language learning using online systems and mobile apps; Human-Computer Interaction, in particular, the collection and presentation of information for exploration and pattern matching; Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL); Artificial agents for emergent narrative in games; and Digital History through Games Development.
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. As a researcher you are expected to be a master in your field. For some reason, this need for mastery often bleeds into other aspects of our careers. We often feel that if we are not an expert in a particular methodology or approach than it is not ours to use or try. But when it comes to technology, if you don’t allow yourself to be ‘bad at it’, what opportunities or ideas could you be missing out on? Join me in a talk all about how embracing new technology can make you a more creative, collaborative, and successful researcher.
Drones are one of those buzzwords for remote sensing data collection. As they gain popularity, many researchers are trying to incorporate them into their research projects and quickly find they may not be the magic bullet they were hoping for. In this session, I will talk about some of the amazing data opportunities there are with drone data collection. I will also discuss some of the operational and regulatory challenges you may need to overcome if you want to take advantage of this versatile data collection tool.
Rebecca Rogers Charles Darwin University Tafe, The North Australia Centre for Autonomous Systems (NACAS) ,
Rebecca is an experienced and passionate STEM educator, drone pilot and techno-ecologist. That is, she is interested in using emerging technology to solve complex ecological data problems that improve our understanding of wildlife, the environment and our lives. This includes uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV/drones), GIS, GPS and satellite tracking devices, weather radar and more. She currently works a VET lecturer at CDU TAFE, training job-ready drone pilots and is a researcher at the North Australia Centre for Autonomous Systems.
Do you have trouble distinguishing yourself from your peers who have the same name or initials as yourself? Would you like to spend more time doing research and less time managing it?
ORCID which stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID, is a free unique persistent identifier for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. In this session, Melroy Almeida from the Australian Access Federation will talk about ORCID in context of the research you are doing at your institution. The session will help you understand how to get an ORCID ID, to distinguish yourself from your peers and maximise the benefits you can get from your ORCID record.
Have you wondered what a DOI is, why your journal paper have a DOI and why you are asked to get an ORCID ID?
DOI’s and ORCID IDs are called persistent identifiers or PIDs. They have the ability to enhance research and make it F.A.I.R (Findable Accessible, Reusable and Interoperable). If you would like to know more about PIDs and how they can be used to help you with your research, this session is for you.
Melroy Almeida Australian Access Federation,
Melroy works at the Australian Access Federation (AAF) and his main role is to lead the Australian ORCID Consortium. Melroy works closely with consortium members in helping them with their communication and implementation strategies and to realise benefits of their ORCID consortium membership. He is a big fan of persistent identifiers and believes in their ability to enhance research and make it FAIR. Melroy also collaborates with other NCRIS providers to further persistent identifiers and build a community of like-minded practitioners.
You work hard. You have qualifications and experience behind you. You may even have won some awards. People respect you. So why do we often hear a little voice telling us that we’re not good enough, that one day we will be found out for the fraud we are, and wondering why you were even given this job in the first place?
Imposter syndrome is a psychological occurrence in which people doubt their skills, talents and accomplishments, and it is a lot more common than you think. In this workshop, we will unpack the different types of imposter syndrome and explore strategies to ensure it does not hold you back in your career.
Rachael Croker Consultant Organisational Capability and Engagement, Charles Darwin University,
Rachael is an experienced facilitator, passionate about helping people build confidence and overcome their fears. With a background is adult education teaching and management, Rachael now works as an Organisational Capability and Engagement Consultant at CDU, researching, designing, and delivering interactive and engaging workshops for employees to enhance their skills and form connections across the university. She specialises in leadership training and has a particular passion for helping empower women in leadership positions.
This presentation will focus on Open Access (OA) publishing, delving into its core concepts, benefits, and complexities. The presentation illuminates OA's essence – unrestricted online access to scholarly content. It discusses OA's advantages, including heightened research visibility and impact, while acknowledging the intricacies researchers face regarding OA journals. This presentation equips scholars to engage meaningfully with OA's transformative publishing options, including information on Read and Publishing agreements and levels of OA for different journals.
Darcy Sorensen & Rachel Klesch Academic & Research Librarians, Charles Darwin University,
Dedicated to advancing scholarly communication, Rachel and Darcy are experienced Academic and Research Librarians at CDU. With Masters qualifications in libraries and information management, Rachel and Darcy have experience supporting the academic community to succeed in evolving information landscapes. Driven by a shared commitment, Rachel, Darcy, and their ARL team are committed to empowering researchers and equipping them with the tools they need to navigate ethical and effective publishing practices.
In an increasingly interconnected world, proficiency in using digital tools not only enhances our ability to communicate research findings but also opens doors to collaborations, job opportunities, and grants. This mini-symposium will introduce some of the CDU and Inspired NT projects for Science Communication using digital tools.
Discover the diverse opportunities and alternative pathways towards a career in the digital space, while gaining invaluable insights from experts. What skills do you need? Are you already developing this skills in your current field? How can you transition to a career in the digital space, if you don’t have an IT background. This symposium will be your gateway to thriving in the Territory evolving digital landscape.
Carla Eisemberg Lecturer, Charles Darwin University,
Dr Carla Eisemberg is a Lecturer in STEM Pathways and Associate Dean of Innovation at the Faculty of Science and Technology. Carla leads research, science outreach projects in partnership with a diverse group of stakeholders such as industry partners, governments and traditional communities in Northern Australia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Tropical Asia. She is interested in the broader themes of wildlife conservation, environmental education, remote communities STEN and science communication.
QGIS is free open-source software and is an excellent platform for exploring fire data and including your own local information to support planning. The training material provided here is based on examples of mapping and data analysis for ecological and NRM applications in the North of Australia. Pictures of the earth’s surface are captured from satellites orbiting the earth and are a vital tool for mapping and monitoring landscapes. This presentation will provide an introduction into how satellite imagery can be used to inform landscape management operations to maximise long-term environmental and economic benefits.
The use of satellite and GIS information to map, monitor, assess, and report is critical to informing strategic fire management planning and response operations, to maximise long-term environmental and economic benefits, and to minimise detrimental impacts. This session will give an overview of satellite data and tools used to map and monitor fires across remote and region Australia.
Rohan Fisher Lead satellite-derived fire information analyst for the North Australian Fire Information service, Charles Darwin University,
Rohan Fisher has worked with satellite data and GIS for the last 30 years, initially for CSIRO in Canberra, and subsequently for the Northern Territory government in Alice Springs and Darwin. For the last 18 years, he has worked as a Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University, focusing on GIS and Remote Sensing tools for natural resource management and good governance in Eastern Indonesia and best practice savanna fire management in Northern Australia. His current research and training development work is focused on developing Projection Augmented Landscape Models; using low-tech tools to create dynamic spatial holograms of landscapes.
QGIS is free open-source software and is an excellent platform for exploring fire data and including your own local information to support planning. The training material provided here is based on examples of mapping and data analysis for ecological and NRM applications in the North of Australia. Pictures of the earth’s surface are captured from satellites orbiting the earth and are a vital tool for mapping and monitoring landscapes. This presentation will provide an introduction into how satellite imagery can be used to inform landscape management operations to maximise long-term environmental and economic benefits.
The use of satellite and GIS information to map, monitor, assess, and report is critical to informing strategic fire management planning and response operations, to maximise long-term environmental and economic benefits, and to minimise detrimental impacts. This session will give an overview of satellite data and tools used to map and monitor fires across remote and region Australia.
Kerry Crosbie Bushfires Spatial Data and Outreach Officer,
My professional foundations began within the pastoral industry working on cattle stations and farms throughout the Northern Territory before moving off into a career in the field of wildlife conservation and threatened species management. I have always been interested in landscape ecology – particularly the effects of fire within the landscape. I completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science in 2019 at Charles Darwin University majoring in both ‘Landscape and Spatial Ecology’ and ‘Biodiversity and Conservation Biology’ introducing and developing a strong interest in the use of GIS technology and monitoring changes within the landscape. I now work for the North Australia (and Rangelands) Fire Information service (NAFI) as a bushfires spatial data and outreach officer; responsible for mapping the Kimberley and Western Australia’s rangelands as well as providing project specific high-resolution burnt area mapping and training to fire managers on the use of NAFI and Geographical Information Systems for mapping, analysing, and reporting.
This short presentation will provide some key strategies around having the critical conversation with your research students about the use of Generative AI. This is with the view to both demystifying its use and creating a new culture around its use. As it is still early day, and even some of our own research staff are still coming to terms with this, it is timely to consider the development of an institutional framework for its use. Such a framework is the beginning of creating a new culture that can lay the foundations for a productive engagement with Generative AI.
This short presentation will provide some key strategies around having the critical conversation with your research students about the use of Generative AI. This is with the view to both demystifying its use and creating a new culture around its use. As it is still early day, and even some of our own research staff are still coming to terms with this, it is timely to consider the development of an institutional framework for its use. Such a framework is the beginning of creating a new culture that can lay the foundations for a productive engagement with Generative AI.
Michael Sankey Professor, Charles Darwin University,
Professor Michael Sankey is from Charles Darwin University in Australia, where he is the Director Learning Futures and Lead Education Architect. In addition to this role, Michael is President of the Australasian Council on Open, Distance and e-Learning (ACODE) and a Fellow of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE). He specialises in emerging technologies, technology enhanced learning, curriculum and assessment renewal, eLearning quality and benchmarking, multimodal design, digital, visual and multiliteracies. Michael has worked in Higher Education for 30+ years, at 5 Universities and is particularly interested in how constructively aligned and aesthetically enhanced learning environments can better transmit concepts to students, particularly those from diverse backgrounds and those who study at a distance.
Stephen Reynolds Biologis and Environmental scientist, Charles Darwin University,
Dr. Stephen Reynolds is a biologist and environmental scientist with a background in zoological research (mainly amphibians), biological assessment surveys, environmental education and natural resource management. Stephen has worked in the NT over the past 15 years with scientists, managers, consultants and Ranger groups. He is currently a Lecturer in STEM at Charles Darwin University.
Groundwater is an important resource across northern Australia and, with vast distances to contend with, not a lot is known about water quality within aquifer systems. But one innovative research project is set to overcome resource limitations with the help of citizen scientists.
Jenny Davis Professor - Freshwater Ecology Research Institute Environment & Livelihoods,
Professor Jenny Davis is a professor in the Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL) at CDU specialising in freshwater ecology. She has undertaken projects on freshwater biodiversity and wetland conservation across Australia. She worked with her son to produce Identifly, a free app that can be used to identify of the dragonflies and damselflies of the Top End, and a website for a recent citizen science outback water project
Groundwater is an important resource across northern Australia and, with vast distances to contend with, not a lot is known about water quality within aquifer systems. But one innovative research project is set to overcome resource limitations with the help of citizen scientists.
Erica Garcia Research Fellow-Research Institute for Environment & Livelihoods,
Dr. Erica Garcia is a research fellow in the Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL) at CDU specialising in aquatic ecology. She teaches units in Environmental Science and her recent work examines the resiliency of wet/dry tropical food webs and how they differ across a gradient of water permanency.
Trends towards data-driven, reproducible research are transforming many scientific disciplines. This workshop will introduce principles and methods of using Jupyter code notebooks along with API-based data access for research. Jupyter notebooks are useful for collaborative or solo research, and are especially beneficial in combining description of the research techniques along with code. In the session, a geocoding notebook developed by the Australian Text Analytics Platform (www.atap.edu.au) will be used to access data from the Language Data Commons of Australia (data.ldaca.edu.au). The workshop is suitable for people with no coding experience, as well as experienced coders.
Ben Foley Language Data Scientist,
Ben Foley is working with the ARDC Language Data Commons of Australia and Australian Text Analytics Platform projects to develop technologies for language data analysis for community and academic researchers. Ben designs and builds technologies in many aspects of language work and research, such as reducing the tedium of tasks such as transcribing, and enabling more of the world's languages to be used in digital spaces. Ben's previous experience with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language resource development has resulted in apps and websites galore, including the gambay.com.au First Languages map, documenting community-preferred locations for the hundreds of languages in Australia; and the iltyemiltyem.com sign language website.
Barbara White User Experience Specialist, Enterprise Project Services, Department of Corporate and Digital Development, NTG,
Barbara has been working in NTG for 4 years, providing advice across a range of digital software development projects about user experience and human centred design. Barbara has formal qualifications in Education beginning her professional life in North Queensland teaching in early childhood. Barbara found teaching young children prepared her well for practising interaction design, a key component of user experience which she began in the early 1990’s. She has worked in interaction design roles at James Cook University and Charles Darwin University. She began teaching human computer interaction in IT in 2003 as well as other web focused software development topics.
Chris Hosking Chief Executive, Department of Corporate and Digital Development, NTG,
Chris Hosking came to the Northern Territory as a young child and not long out of high school joined the NT Public Service in the mid-1980s.
His first job was that of a base grade pay clerk, calculating pays for Aboriginal employees in remote bush schools. No computerised payroll system, just a calculator, a biro and set of tax scales.
Chris moved on into a number of human resources related roles and later volunteered to be part of the new central corporate services agency when the original Department of Corporate and Information Services was formed in 1998. The chance to build a new department from the ground up being too good an opportunity to walk past.
Chris has been deeply engaged in every aspect of the NT Government’s corporate services operating model ever since.
Chris has a proven track record of leading a large agency in the delivery of complex, multi-disciplinary services at a whole-of-enterprise level. He has decades of experience leading complex ICT projects including the recovery of compromised projects.
Chris is currently the Chief Executive of the Department of Corporate and Digital Development, a role that he absolutely loves. He is passionate about leadership and achieving results through enabling people to flourish and reach their full potential. He has a particular interest in mentoring up and coming leaders to aim high and be all that they canbe.
In his spare time Chris has had a lifelong devotion to health and fitness and when he was younger was actively involved in competitive bodybuilding at the national level. He still maintains a strict training regime and gets out of bed in the early hours to exercise and start the day.
Chris lives in Darwin with his wife Margie of more than 30 years and two young adult children that show up occasionally. He is deeply committed the Northern Territory and our way of life here in this very special part of the world
Bronwyn Lo Program Director | Enterprise Project Services, Department of Corporate and Digital Development, NTG,
Bronwyn is a Darwin local. She completed her schooling and started her working career in the NT Government in the late 80s in an admin trainee role moving into a permanent personal assistant role not long after. Bronwyn showed an interest in IT (working on Macintosh computers at the time) and went on further to secure a permanent role as an IT trainer with desktop publishing on the side.
Subsequently Bronwyn studied a Bachelor of Business Degree (IS). Bronwyn has held several IT roles in various NTG agencies, reaching IT Director/CIO. Bronwyn has seen the transition of IT in NTG from text based computers to personal GUI computers, Y2K and generation of ICT outsourcing. Bronwyn has been a Program Director in the Enterprise Project Services division for the last 9 years, responsible for overseeing delivery of enterprise IT projects and programs.
Bronwyn was recently acknowledged for her 35 years in the NT public service. Bronwyn finds it amazing to see how far digital has grown in the NT, but believes we are only touching the surface with many more exciting things to come.
Letchimi Wright A/ Director of Marketing and Digital, Strategic Communications and Engagement, Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet, NT,
Initially employed as a communications officer Letchimi’s skills in problem solving, specifically in the areas of new software/online tools, social media and experience in web builds assisted her in winning the role of Digital Manager, managing NT Government digital channels.
She then moved to a Strategic Projects Lead role charged with the procurement and implementation of a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool for the agency. She is now in charge of both delivery streams as the Acting Director of Marketing and Digital.
Letchimi started her career in hospitality working her way up to nightclub manager at the age of 19, before moving on to manage restaurants and various bars.
She later returned to learning studying a Bachelor of Business with a strong marketing/management focus. Letchimi then took on the position of Marketing Manager for Casuarina Square on the completion of her degree and has since worked in various marketing and communications roles for Kerry’s Automotive Group, City of Palmerston, City of Darwin, Gateway Shopping Centre and TourismNT
In 2015 during a Litchfield by-election, she was elected to Councils North Ward, which she notes as her ‘accidental stint as a politician’ her aim to becoming elected centred around fixing the governance and budget issues the council was facing, it wasn’t until a friend welcomed her to politics that she considered the other implications. She did not re-elect at the request of children and by then the budget looked healthier with a number of governance procedures implemented
Publishing her first novel in 2019, a YA sci-fi/fantasy available on Apple Books, Amazon Books and good book retailers. Letchimi also runs a local agency Excel Model Management and continuously challenges herself to grow.
Matthew Russell Contractor | Jack adder International
Business Analyst, Enterprise Project Services, Department of Corporate and Digital Development, NTG,
Matt has worked with NTG for 3 years as a Business Analyst. This role focuses on bridging the gap between business needs and technology. Work involves optimising the transfer of workflows and data via the software system solution in collaboration with the software vendor and the software program team.
Matt has qualifications in Applied Science from RMIT, and Lean 6 Sigma methodology from UTS. He has professional certifications in Audit, Root Cause Analysis, Process Reengineering and Project Management, and a member of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) and Project Management Institute (PMI).
Starting on the farm, Matt moved from a poultry factory production line to studying Business and Human Resources. It was as an SME in chicken production that he found his real passion helping people through process and system improvement.
For 15 years since, Matt has worked around Australia and the UK in Manufacturing, Mining, Engineering Services, and for the last 6 years in Human Services Domain. It was growing domain knowledge in this area that lead to more IT centric BA work - and looking to a future of increasing automation and AI, the interface of humans and their systems is where the most exciting work will be.
Nicole Stevens Senior Consultant at SRA Information Technology,
Nicole Stevens, based in Darwin, brings 16 years of expertise to the realm of Information Technology. Having navigated through diverse roles, from Communications and Test Analysis to Training Coordination, she has left her mark across a spectrum of industries and IT projects. Her journey has led her through the intricate worlds of local government, healthcare, energy, education, and the arts.
Presently, Nicole is a Business Analyst, a position she has held over the last 8 years. Away from the screens and data, Nicole has a passion for stand-up comedy, gardening and caring for her 13-year-old dog named Sidney. Nicole’s journey is a blend of professional prowess and creative flair, grounded in authenticity and a love for connecting with people, both in the boardroom and on stage.
