R Project Sprint 2023
August 30 - September 1, 2023
University of Warwick, UK
Collaborate on contributions to base R!
We are pleased to announce an R Project Sprint, to be hosted at the University of Warwick, UK, from Wednesday August 30 to Friday September 1. Novice and experienced contributors are encouraged to apply for a place at the residential event, with funding available for travel (deadline Friday 10 March). Read on for more! #RSprint2023
Breakout space in the Faculty of Arts Building, University of Warwick ©Hufton+Crow
About the sprint
R is a popular and widely used software for data science. Like any large open source software project, it takes a lot of work to maintain and develop. Much of the work is done by a small number of volunteers and there is a need to grow the contributor community.
This sprint will bring together novice and experienced contributors, to work alongside members of the R Core Team. Participants will work collaboratively on contributions to base R. The tasks will be prepared in the run-up to the event, but may include:
Reviewing, analysing and fixing bugs reported on R’s Bugzilla.
Contributing to message translations via Weblate.
Work on new developments such as this short project proposed by core developer Paul Murrell: Adding Alpha Masks to the Quartz Graphics Device.
Who can take part?
The sprint will involve a mixture of invited and self-nominated participants, so that we have contributors at all experience levels.
The main criteria for participation is a good knowledge of R programming and a keen interest in contributing, as we hope participants continue to contribute after the event. The table below shows the type of knowledge/skills we expect participants to have
| Skills most will have | Skills some will have |
|---|---|
| Writing R functions | Programming in C |
| Debugging R functions | Knowledge of S3/S4 classes and methods |
| Writing R help files | Expertise in statistical methods in stats, splines |
| Using git/Subversion | Able to build R from source |
Other specialist skills e.g. expertise in building Windows/MacOS GUIs or fluency in language with a low percentage of translated messages on Weblate, would of course be welcome!
It will help if you have some experience in contributing to base R, but novice contributors will be mentored in the run-up to the event, so they are prepared.
We are also keen to foster a diverse community of contributors. If you are a member of the R-Ladies, MiR, RainbowR, AfricaR, ArabR, AsiaR, or LatinR communities, or otherwise identify as part of an underrepresented group among R contributors, then we especially encourage you to self-nominate! To ensure a welcoming environment, we have a code of conduct in place.
Apply for a place
Anyone one interested to attend the sprint is encouraged to self-nominate via the application form by Friday 10 March. You will be asked about your experience, skills and background to help us balance participation overall.
Thanks to our sponsors, all workshop participants will be accommodated free of charge during the sprint, in on-campus housing at the University of Warwick, with meals provided.
Funding is also available for travel expenses, however if participants are able to get travel funding from other sources this will allow more people to attend - companies or other funding bodies providing such support to participants will be acknowledged as sponsors.
Practicalities
The sprint will be held in the recently completed Faculty of Arts Building at the University of Warwick, which alongside regular seminar rooms has many breakout spaces, some of which we have reserved for our use. We think this will be a great environment for collaborative work.
The University of Warwick is in Coventry, in the middle of England. It is reachable by train from nearby European countries, or by plane to Birmingham or other UK airports. See the travel information and visa information for international visitors.
What’s on nearby
Participants may be interested to know of these events happening close to the sprint:
22-25 August, COMPSTAT 2023, London
4-8 September, RSECon23, Swansea
4-7 September, RSS International Conference, Harrogate
28 August is a bank holiday in the UK, there are typically many festivals, fairs and other events over the long weekend at the end of the school summer holidays.
Local organizing team
This event is being organized by members of the Statistics department at the University of Warwick.
Heather Turner
RSE Fellow
Associate Professor
Ella Kaye
Research Software Engineer
Martyn Plummer
Professor
R Core Developer
We are coordinating with the R Contribution Working Group and the R Core Team.
Contact
For queries about this event, please contact r-project-sprint@livewarwickac.onmicrosoft.com.
Sponsors
Core funding
Providing sponsorship for general participant travel, accommodation and subsistence, plus general running costs.
Platinum sponsors
Providing sponsorship for R Core travel.
Gold sponsors
Providing sponsorship for evening events and specific participants.
Silver sponsors
Providing sponsorship for specific participants.
Further sponsors welcome to support participant travel, accommodation and/or social events. Sponsors will be acknowledged on this website, on the R Contributors Twitter and Mastodon accounts, and in reports of the sprint. Please contact r-project-sprint@livewarwickac.onmicrosoft.com to discuss!