Dr. Kathy Cooksey
Assistant Professor of Astronomy
Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of Hawai`i at Hilo
Course Description
Introduction to computer science: starting with how computers work and
ending with applications of programming to scientific research, this
course is intended to teach the basics skills useful for a modern
researching scientist. These skills include building a solid
foundation with a UNIX-based operating system, the Emacs
text editor, and scientific programming, focusing on the Python language. By
focusing on research skills, the participants practice coding well for
a purpose and learn useful data analysis techniques, which are both
highly transferable skills. The emphasis is on hands-on course.
Required software Note:
UNIX-based systems often have package managers that facilitate
installation, organization, and updating of various software
(including dependencies). Most common is yum for Linux and
MacPorts for
Mac OSX. It is strongly advised to install various software with a
package manager if at all possible. thus starting with installing a
package manager and what it needs is the best first step. (Other Mac
OSX package managers include Fink and Homebrew.)
UNIX-based operating system (UNIX, Linux, or Mac OSX) and the following essential packages:
PyEphem (useful for astronomical ephemeris
calculations)
*IDL stands for "interactive data
language," which is a common programming language used by modern
astronomers. However, since it is proprietary software (i.e., one has
to purchase a license to use it), it is falling out of favor. Python is
becoming more popular. However, astronomers have to work with a lot of
"legacy" software, which means the need to work with IDL
will never truly vanish. However, once a person knows how to code,
plunging into a new language and hacking up some software is no big
deal.