Fellows Newsletter: January 2024 | Software Sustainability Institute

Welcome to this month's SSI Fellows Newsletter which shares activities and opportunities taking place within the SSI Fellows' community. Read on for:

Fellows' Spotlight: Jannetta Steyn, Magesh Chandramouli, Ugur Yilmaz
January 2024 Community Call recap
Fellows' and related activities
Upcoming events and calls

Fellows’ Spotlight

Jannetta Steyn, Senior Research Software Engineer, Newcastle University

Updates from call - The original aim for CarpentriesOffline was to develop an SD card image with an operating system (OS) for the Raspberry Pi single board computer that would turn it into an access point and web server. This would allow a Carpentries instructor to run a workshop without any access to the Internet. We now have an image available for downloading in our GitHub repository. However, suggestions from the community have also led us to start work on a FlashDrive version of the OS that would turn any PC or laptop that can boot from USB into a server with the same functionality. We also have been working on a miniHPC (High Performance Computer) that would enable any instructor to set up a cluster using Raspberry Pis to teach the HPC intro lesson in the Carpentries Incubator. See more on https://carpentriesoffline.org
My non-work highlight - I find it difficult to separate my fun from my work, but I think I mostly manage when I start 3D printing things. So for the first time in many years, I actually managed to get some Christmas presents done, in time for Christmas 2023, which included personalised keyrings, flower pots, cookie jars, bobble heads etc. I also managed to print some CarpentriesOffline swag and Raspberry Pi cases.
My recommendations - If you would like to start 3D printing stuff, have a look at the Bambu A1 Mini (or a bigger model if you want to spend more). I have the Bambu P1S but it is my fourth 3D printer.

Magesh Chandramouli, Professor - Computer Graphics Technology, Purdue University Northwest (USA)

Updates from call - Several interesting activities were conducted after becoming an SSI International Fellow. For dissemination and ease of access, all the results are being presented through a dedicated website (https://www.xreal-xperienz.org/). With the support from the SSI fellowship, I have been conducting international panel meetings with two panel groups involving academia and industry professionals in extended reality (XR). The discussions with the panellists and eminent international faculty and administrators have provided new insights and enhanced understanding of the UI/HCI aspects of XR and how these can be improved for sustainable applications. I delivered an invited lecture at the Technological Institute of the Philippines, Manila, on Virtual Reality (VR) applications that covered multiple modes of XR including VR, Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). With support from the SSI fellowship, I have recently delivered invited lectures at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, and Shiv Nadar University, Chennai, on Virtual Reality Applications.
My non-work highlight - I have received my Black Belt in Karate. This especially is memorable to me as my two teenage kids and I obtained our first degree Black Belt together. I love martial arts as they are not just about physical strength but also about building mental strength and perseverance.
My recommendations - The Secret Teachings of The Vedas (Kindle Edition) by Stephen Knapp

Ugur Yilmaz, DevOps Engineer, SKA Observatory

Updates from call - Continuous Integration (CI) is vital for Research Software, ensuring reproducibility, version control, enhanced quality, security, and easier contributions, all contributing to long-term sustainability so I am planning two workshops titled “How can you package your software using CI/CD pipelines to make it more accessible and reusable using containers?” and “From first commit to a software release in under 15 minutes!” to highlight the importance of using Continuous Integration practices and to increase knowledge with hands-on experience. The idea is that having templates that just work and learning how to integrate them in 15 minutes would help us keep our software sustainable. The workshops will be in SKA Observatory Headquarters located in Jodrell Bank, Macclesfield, UK. It will be a 1.5-day event starting in the afternoon and finishing the next day - dates to be confirmed soon.
My non-work highlight - I started tinkering with 3D printers, printing and designing various things. I am hoping to bring some SSI-themed prints to this year’s CW24. Overall, it’s been an eye opener into another field of engineering.
My recommendations - The Dawn of Everything, by Graeber and Wengrow: a book that changes the perception you would get from Sapiens book (by Harari) and challenges the conventional wisdom of human history. I recommend this to anyone who liked Sapiens and wants a more science-backed book on the topic.

Community Call Recap

During the January SSI Fellows Community Call, we heard Fellows’ updates from Jannetta Steyn, Magesh Chandramouli and Ugur Yilmaz. After the updates, we moved into breakout rooms, with one speaker in each room, which gave the other attendees a chance to ask more questions and continue the discussion. You can watch the recordings here:

Fellows’ and related activities

Publication plan - looking for inspiration from Fellows (from Kim Martin) - “I’m working on putting together a ‘publication plan’ to try to secure funding for 2024 - anyone want to chat to give me inspiration (including suggesting potential co-publications)? Feel free to connect on LinkedIn.
Software development meetings (via Oscar Seip) - Should you have any software development meetings you’d like to invite other fellows to or bring to their attention, please don’t hesitate to share the details on the “running software project” channel on Slack.

Upcoming events and calls

Software in Polar Science 2024 (via James Byrne, 2022 Fellow). This event is intended to highlight the role software plays in polar and environmental research, championing sustainability in its use and helping attendees to gain visibility and training in digital infrastructure. We're running a software carpentry and the SSI's own Shoaib Sufi has kindly stepped up to be the keynote speaker and on a panel also including SSI fellow Sadie Bartholemew!
- Date: 6-7 February 2024
- Location: British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge - and online.
- Link: https://software-in-polar-science.github.io/
Job vacancies: 6 x Research Software Engineers (via Michael Tso, 2023 Fellow). Michael’s group at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology is hiring six research software engineers (4 Research Software Engineers and 2 Senior Research Software Engineers). They will be based in Michael’s group but also embedded in groups and projects tackling specific environmental challenges. They are also hiring a data steward. Please help to publicise the vacancies.
- Further details: https://ceh.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/CEH_Careers