iDigBio is proposing to run a Data and Software Carpentry instructor training workshop during two days before the 2018 SPNHC/TDWG meeting in Dunedin, NZ. Attendees at this workshop can become certified Carpentry instructors and go on to teach workshops at their home institutions. The Carpentries is an international organization of thousands of instructors dedicated supportive and inclusive teaching of technical subjects to scientists.

Our vision: We would like to set up an incubator community of biodiversity institutions to develop their own in-house trained instructors and offer future workshops collaboratively developed in the Carpentries pattern. As an example in the USA, we'd like to create a community like this in the ADBC program, in effect creating a network of trained instructors by region that could share the benefits and tasks associated with capacity building and community building for biodiversity informatics skills in the natural science collections community. It is our goal to help our collections community to become a Sponsor of the Carpentries initially by sharing in a gold membership and later by individual institutions having their own Carpentries memberships.

Please complete this form if you are interested in attending this workshop yourself or supporting someone from your institution in attending. We will contact you to follow up. (NOTE: this is not a Data or Software Carpentry workshop about programming, rather this is a 2 day workshop focusing on best practices for teaching. This workshop is required to become a Carpentries instructor).