SARMAC XIII Pre-conference Workshops and Panels
SARMAC XIII will host several workshops and panel discussions. Registration for these events is now closed.
Data Visualization Workshop
Practical Skills in RStudio for Cognition Research
This workshop is designed to get you started with the statistical programming language R for use in cognition research. We provide an overview of the R language along with the RStudio integrated development environment (IDE) interface. During the session, we use datasets built into RStudio to introduce importing data, performing descriptive statistics, comparing groups, creating linear models, saving data and making and sharing visualizations to get you familiar with working in RStudio. This consists of a one-hour lecture and a two-hour hands-on workshop. You will walk away with practical, research-ready skills for RStudio. This workshop is suitable for those who have not worked with R/RStudio before. No previous statistical experience is required for this session. Teaching assistants will be provided to address technical issues.
In this three hour workshop, you will learn the following skills:
Start working with data in RStudio (manipulate data, issue commands, save out code)
Performing power calculations
Comparing groups: ANOVA and Bayesian approaches
Creating models: Advanced linear models
Visualizing results: Regression residual plots
Sharing results: R and RMarkdown - sharing results with co-authors
kyle monahan
This workshop will be provided by Kyle Monahan. Kyle received a dual B.S. in Environmental Science and Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2012, an M.S. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Clarkson University in 2014, and most recently an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Tufts University in 2016. He is passionate about teaching, and has been a teaching fellow at the Harvard Extension School since 2015. He is also a certified Software Carpentry instructor. Kyle has been providing advanced statistical services at Tufts since 2017, and is currently a Data Science Specialist there, providing statistical consulting, data visualization and high-performance computing (HPC) support. You can learn more about his work at www.kylemonahan.info.
Date: Thursday June 6
Time: 9:30am-12:30pm
Cost: $35
Barriers in the Worldwide Scientific Community (Workshop)
SARMAC prides itself on being a friendly, inclusive society in which grad students, early-career academics, and senior scientists alike share our research, exchange ideas, and enjoy being in the company of each other. Yet as much as we are genuinely dedicated to the worldwide community of scholars, we nonetheless must consider the possibility that we unwittingly―but systematically―exclude many international scholars. For example, it is one thing to be competent in English, and it is a different thing entirely to acquire the tacit knowledge necessary to craft a manuscript. Moreover, many of us tell our students that much of the benefit of attending a conference comes from forging relationships at dinner, or the hotel bar—and yet, many of our members for whom English is not a first or second language struggle with the fast-paced banter. Sadly, more often than not, these members sometimes report feeling excluded from social activities. And finally, in many countries there is no such thing as a subject pool and no access to Mechanical Turk. Is it any wonder that people who are, on paper, part of the scientific community feel little sense of community? What we propose is not to get rid of our journal nor our late-nights at the hotel bar, etc. Instead, the Board wants to learn more from our members about the barriers that keep them from being part of our community. In this important Board-sponsored session, we will talk about what we learned when surveying members and would-be members. We invite wider discussion with everyone, and aim to identify specific barriers and develop specific strategies to address those barriers.
You can complete our survey here on barriers that you and other psychology researchers may face in professional endeavors.
As this event is scheduled over the lunch hour, lunch arrangements will be made.
Date: Saturday June 8
Time: 12-1:30pm
Cost: Free
WiCS Panel Discussion
Contemporary psychology has increasingly become team science, with a distribution of expertise across team members and with collaborations both domestically and internationally. Developing international collaborations early in a scientist’s career, in coordination with graduate or postdoctoral training, and extending beyond it, requires networking that can present challenges to junior scientists and particularly to junior female scientists and scientists from underrepresented minority groups. In this meeting organized by Women in Cognitive Science we focus on strategies for building international networks and for seeking global training across early career stages. Participants will include senior scientists who have successfully developed international collaborations and research networks, and junior scientists whose training has included international research and collaboration. We focus on the particular challenges that arise in negotiating different cultures within and outside the laboratory. A social hour with drinks and hors d'oeuvre will follow. We will end with the highly successful speed mentorship! If you are interested in being mentored, or serving as a mentor please complete this Google document.
Date: Thursday June 6
Time: 2-3:00pm panel discussion, 3:00-3:30pm WiCS social, 3:45 - 4:30 speed mentorship
Cost: Free