Logistics information
Any of the co-organisers should be able to help. Feel free to find them in person or send them an email or a message on Slack. In random order, the names are: Lauren Anderson, Ellianna Abrahams, Brigitta Sipocz, Andrei Igoshev, Will Handley. And for most logistics information you can also go directly to Steven Brereton (office K12 in the IoA building where Astro Hack Week is taking place). He is on Slack too and you will probably also see him on Monday when you arrive.
https://www.kicc.cam.ac.uk/aboutus/directions-and-contact Google maps will also work well for transportation within Cambridge and from/to airports. Bear in mind that Monday is a national holiday in the UK, so transportation may be affected. Hopefully you will be in Cambridge and staying near the venue so no travel would be needed.
You should have sorted your accommodation (reminder: we have negotiated preferential rates with the nearby Møller Centre, where many of you have booked rooms already). Arrival on Monday morning Make your way to the Institute of Astronomy (IoA), where the Kavli institute is located. Look for the main Sackler amphitheatre and the Hoyle building main reception (see map at the end of this document), where we will be welcoming you.
Tea and coffee with biscuits will be available daily, and we will provide lunch at the Møller Centre every day. Daily lunch menus are available here
There will also be a Wine & Cheese reception on Monday evening (obviously non alcoholic beverages will be available, not just wine!), and a conference dinner on Wednesday evening. We have collected your dietary restrictions at registration, but please let us know if anything has changed. You are responsible for the rest of your meals during the week. A list of restaurants can be found here.
If you’re local (or just know Cambridge well), please add your ideas for evening outings. On the evening before Astro Hack Week (Sunday, Aug 25), we will organize an informal gathering in the Maypole pub (20A Portugal Pl, Cambridge CB5 8AF). Please also feel free to use the Slack channel to organise gatherings!
We will be using Slack as the main channel of communication during the workshop. Please join our channel with this link. Important information will be relayed on Slack, so please do accept the invitation and customize your notifications as you prefer!
For communicating with the outside world, feel free to use Twitter with the hashtag #AstroHackWeek. You can also follow our account @AstroHackWeek.
For those of you who we support financially and who will need to be reimbursed: please complete the appropriate University of Cambridge expense form available here. https://www.finance.admin.cam.ac.uk/finance-staff/accounts-payable/expense-claims/expense-forms (FD1A for non-University staff) together with a 'visitor reimbursement form' available here. Claims are receipt based so please remember to keep these. Please provide originals were possible. However, digital copies will be accepted if appropriate (unable to provide whilst on site) and provided they are legible. Claims capped to the level agreed by the LOC. Steve Brereton wil be on hand during the week to help with any queries.
See our detailed programme. Mornings: tutorials and lessons, taking place in the Sackler lecture theatre. We expect those to be fairly hands-on, with exercises and crowd participation. Afternoons: hacks! Those are very informal: we will take over the Ryle room and foyer. You will be welcome to move around and work with others in any way you like. Other smaller rooms will also be available for individuals or groups who need some quiet time. Each afternoon will start with “pitches”: everyone will be invited to stand up and say what they want to work on and if they need help on anything. Each day will end with a “wrap-up”: everyone is invited again to stand up and say or even show what they have achieved during the day. Have a look at the Hack Ideas Document; add your ideas, and give feedback and comments to other hack ideas. In the wiki, you will find a few resources to get you started thinking about hacks, such as a guide on how to hack and Hacking Central. If you have anything you want to share or learn that isn't being covered in the morning tutorials, please add it to the Breakouts page. Breakouts are short 30-45 minute tutorials or discussions that can be about anything - whether it is a very specialized topic, or something more general or off topic from the morning lessons. Ideas in that list will be presented to the group during the week, and for the most voted we will hopefully find teachers to lead them. On Thursday afternoon, we will specifically focus our hacking efforts on making the astronomy community better. Think about and reflect on a community hack idea and share your ideas on the Community Hack Ideas document. If there’s something that has always annoyed you, or you have an idea for that twitter bot the world needs, or you always wanted to write a collaborative blog post (or poem, or song) about how to collaborate across three continents, this is your chance!
(updated 21 Aug 19) In line with our attempts to reduce paper and plastic waste we will shortly be emailing WiFi tickets directly to participants. If you do require a hard copy though, please let us know and we will gladly provide this. Eduroam is also available if you have an account.
We are being hosted for this at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) / AI for climate risks group on the West Cambridge Site. This venue is a short walk from the IoA site.
If you can manage it, we would like you to be present at Astro Hack Week for the entire week. Part of the purpose of this meeting is building community, and it is disruptive if a number of people are in and out during the week. We are aware, of course, that you may have personal and travel constraints, but please make an effort to be present as much as you can!
We have a Code of Conduct on the website that we expect everyone to read and adhere to. By attending Astro Hack Week, you agree to abide by the Code of Conduct. We strive to provide an enjoyable experience and a welcoming community for all participants, and we rely on you to help us achieve that goal.
As in previous years, Astro Hack Week is once again quite heavily oversubscribed. Therefore we will make an effort to tape the tutorials for those who are interested but cannot attend. If you have concerns about appearing on video, please reply and let us know.
Astro Hack Week has a wiki on GitHub, check it out! If you don't have a GitHub account, make one. If you don't know anything about Git, try going through one of the GitHub lab tutorials or skimming through this simple guide.
If you need an office for a private meeting or telecon during the week, just let the organisers know.
Please add your name to the participant list: https://github.com/AstroHackWeek/AstroHackWeek2019/wiki/Participants
Monday (26th of August) is bank holiday in the UK. There is engineering work scheduled on the main train line between London and Cambridge over the long weekend, plan your journey accordingly. https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/222715.aspx
