Office of Advanced Research Computing

Introduction to the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with ArcGIS Online
2024-01-16 12:00 - 13:15, 2024-01-26 12:00 - 13:15 (America/New_York)
A Geographic Information System (GIS) can be a very useful tool for your research by incorporating location when exploring questions.
In this short, interactive workshop, we will focus on ArcGIS Online basics, explore the interface, add and visualize data. We will explore the analysis tools, hosted feature services, collaboration and sharing. Previous knowledge of geographic information systems is not expected.
Make sure to register for an ArcGIS Online account before the start of the workshop.

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Intro to GIS with ArcGIS Pro
2024-01-19 12:00 - 13:15
A Geographic Information System (GIS) can be a very useful tool for your research by incorporating location when exploring questions.
In this short, interactive workshop, we will focus on ArcGIS Pro basics, explore the interface, add and visualize data, create a map layout which we can either export as a PDF or share as a web map. Previous knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) is not expected.
Make sure to register for an ArcGIS Online account before the start of the workshop.
Please also download the ArcGIS Pro application. This requires a Microsoft Windows operating system. Details and information for installing the application may be found at the Rutgers Software Portal. The application is also available through the Rutgers Virtual Computer Labs. An ArcGIS Online account is needed to log into ArcPro.

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Basics of Linux Command Line
2024-01-19 13:00 - 16:00
Register to attend this workshop at the bottom of this page. Zoom link will be emailed after filling out the registration form.
Workshop content: This workshop offers a brief introduction to using the Linux operating system, focusing on command-line operations. The primary objective is to provide beginner-level familiarity with using a Linux system for common research computing tasks. Linux systems (e.g., workstations, remote servers, computing clusters) can be thought of as the foundation of research computing.
Amarel account: Apply here as soon as possible. You must have an Amarel account set up before the workshop.
VPN setup: You have to be connected on Rutgers’ network or be on VPN to access Amarel resources.
SSH setup: Windows users must install an SSH client like PuTTY or MobaXterm. Alternatively, Windows 10 users can install the complete Windows Subsystem for Linux.
If you have questions or need help, please email Bala Desinghu.
Register to attend the workshop:
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Introduction to GIS with ArcGIS Pro
2024-01-23 12:00 - 13:15

Introduction to GIS with QGIS
2024-01-30 12:00 - 13:15
A Geographic Information System (GIS) can be a very useful tool for your research by incorporating location when exploring questions.
In this short, interactive workshop, we will focus on the open source geographic information system: QGIS3. We will explore the interface, add and visualize data, create a map layout, explore plugins and support. Previous knowledge of GIS is not expected.
Please make sure to download QGIS here:

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R for data analysis: a tidyverse approach
2024-01-30 15:00 - 16:30
This session introduces the R statistical software environment, basic methods of data analysis, and the “tidyverse.” While R is much more than the tidyverse, the development of the tidyverse packages, led by RStudio, has provided a powerful and connected toolkit to get started using R. Note that graphics and data manipulation are covered in subsequent sessions.

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Intro to Amarel HPC Cluster
2024-02-02 13:00 - 16:00
Register to attend this workshop at the bottom of this page. Zoom link will be emailed after filling out the registration form.
Workshop content: This short course helps everyone make those first few steps toward productively using a Linux cluster for research — all members of the Rutgers community have free access to the Amarel Cluster. The workshop covers the basics of HPC Cluster, Web access to the cluster, SLURM, File System and Storage, and Setting up environment for the Software Stacks.
Amarel account: Apply here as soon as possible. You must have an Amarel account set up before the workshop.
VPN setup: You have to be connected on Rutgers’ network or be on VPN to access Amarel resources.
SSH setup: Windows users must install an SSH client like PuTTY or MobaXterm. Alternatively, Windows 10 users can install the complete Windows Subsystem for Linux.
If you have questions or need help, please email Bala Desinghu.
Register to attend the workshop:
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Data Analysis 2 (statistical tests, sampling, bootstrap, and more + comparison with Python)
2024-02-06 15:00 - 16:30
Part of the Data Topics series of workshops., this workshop reviews statistical tests, regression, sampling and bootstrap methods, and more. The focus here is on implementing statistics using R, with a comparison to Python techniques for accomplishing similar tasks.
Supplemental materials are available.

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GIS Joins, Queries and Data Management Tools using ArcGIS Online
2024-02-07 12:00 - 13:15
A Geographic Information System (GIS) can be a very useful tool for your research by incorporating location when exploring questions. In this short, interactive workshop, we will work through various GIS data tools including data table join operations and spatial data management analyses.
Make sure to register for an ArcGIS Online account before the start of the workshop.

Learn more and register

GIS Joins, Queries and Data Management Tools using ArcGIS Pro
2024-02-08 12:00 - 13:15
A Geographic Information System (GIS) can be a very useful tool for your research by incorporating location when exploring questions. In this short, interactive workshop, we will work through various GIS data tools including data table join operations and spatial data management analyses.
Make sure to register for an ArcGIS Online account before the start of the workshop.
Please also download the ArcGIS Pro application. Details and information for installing the application may be found at the Rutgers Software Portal. This requires a Microsoft Windows operating system. The application is also available through the Rutgers Virtual Computer Labs. An ArcGIS Online account is needed to log in.

Learn more and register

Mastering data analysis: Pandas and NumPy essentials
2024-02-08 16:00 - 17:30
This workshop is designed to equip learners with powerful tools for data analysis in Python. Participants will delve into the world of NumPy, exploring its efficient arrays and array operations, which form the backbone of numerical computing in Python. The workshop then shifts to Pandas, where learners will get hands-on experience with its fundamental data structures—Series and DataFrame. This comprehensive session is ideal for anyone looking to enhance their data analysis skills, offering the tools needed to unlock insights from data with efficiency and precision.

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Love Data Week! Finding, Creating and Working with GIS Data
2024-02-12 12:00 - 13:15
Location can play an important part in your research. “Everything happens somewhere…”
In this short, interactive workshop, we’ll learn about spatial data, explore GIS (geographic information systems) data resources and search strategies, review critical data literacy and attribution information, and discuss building spatial datasets.

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Love Data Week! Unveiling Data Stories: Python for Visualization and Exploration
2024-02-15 16:00 - 17:30
This workshop is designed to guide participants through the process of revealing hidden stories in data using Python. It focuses on using Matplotlib and Seaborn, two prominent visualization tools, for effective exploratory data analysis (EDA). This workshop emphasizes the creation of engaging visual narratives, enabling participants to transform complex data insights into compelling and understandable visual formats.

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Mathematical foundations for data science
2024-02-29 16:00 - 17:30
This workshop offers a brief yet comprehensive overview of essential mathematics for data science. It covers foundational statistics and probability, crucial for model understanding, and basic hypothesis testing techniques. It also introduces linear algebra concepts like vectors and matrices, alongside fundamental calculus for derivatives and integrals.

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Intro to Python
2024-03-01 13:00 - 16:00
Register to attend this workshop at the bottom of this page. Zoom link will be emailed after filling out the registration form.
Python is a popular language in academia and industry for developing software and data science applications. Compared to the other generic programming languages like C, C++, or Java, learning Python is relatively easy. This is one of the reasons why Python is preferable as the language of choice to learn a computer program.
This workshop offers practical experience in learning Python, especially for the beginners. By the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to write simple scripts, understand Python modules, and manage packages.
Objectives

Explore command line executions vs Jupyter Notebooks
Understand how to use data structures – variables, lists, and dictionaries
Construct loops for repeated task executions
Create functions for reusing code blocks
Understand Python modules
Manage and Install Python packages

Amarel account: Apply here as soon as possible. You must have an Amarel account set up before the workshop.
VPN setup: You have to be connected on Rutgers’ network or be on VPN to access Amarel resources.
SSH setup: Windows users must install an SSH client like PuTTY or MobaXterm. Alternatively, Windows 10 users can install the complete Windows Subsystem for Linux.
If you have questions or need help, please email Bala Desinghu.
Register to attend the workshop:
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R for interactivity: an introduction to Shiny
2024-03-05 15:00 - 16:30
Shiny is an R package that enables the creation of interactive websites for data visualization. This session provides a brief overview of the Shiny framework and how to edit and publish Shiny sites in RStudio (with shinyapps.io). Familiarity with R/RStudio is assumed.

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Introduction to machine learning: supervised learning
2024-03-07 16:00 - 17:30
This workshop is tailored for beginners in machine learning. It focuses on supervised learning algorithms that are a cornerstone of machine learning, where the algorithm learns from labeled training data, helping to predict outcomes for unforeseen data. Classification and Regression will be introduced. Participants will learn about key algorithms like Linear Regression and Decision Trees, exploring how these methods enable machines to learn from and make predictions based on data.

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Data Publication 2 (publishing to data repositories and creating R packages)
2024-03-19 15:00 - 16:30
Sharing your data and code is the essential step in maximizing the impact and usefulness of your research.
This workshop first reviews repositories for data publication such as Dataverse, ICPSR, OSF, Zenodo, and more. Then we turn to a detailed discussion of building R packages.
R Packages are an excellent way to distribute collections of data and code. Following on the release of the 2nd edition of Hadley Wickham’s R Packages book, this workshop reviews the package creation process, covering prerequisites, the steps involved in creating a complete package, and following up on documentation and testing.

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Introduction to machine learning: unsupervised learning
2024-03-21 16:00 - 17:30
This workshop is designed to introduce the concepts of unsupervised learning, a branch of machine learning where algorithms infer patterns from unlabelled data. The course covers clustering methods like K-means and DBSCAN, used to identify inherent groupings in data. It also explores dimensionality reduction techniques such as PCA, which simplify complex data sets while preserving their key features. Additionally, the session introduces association rules, a method for finding interesting relationships within data sets. This workshop is ideal for those interested in learning how to extract insights from data without predetermined labels or categories.

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Introduction to deep learning
2024-03-28 16:00 - 17:30
This workshop offers an introduction to the fundamentals of deep learning, a highly influential branch of artificial intelligence. This session focuses on the core concepts of neural networks, including feedforward neural networks, the simplest type of artificial neural network architecture. The course also covers convolutional neural networks (CNNs), essential for image and video recognition, and recurrent neural networks (RNNs), which are crucial for handling sequential data like text and speech.

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Deep dive into natural language processing
2024-04-04 16:00 - 17:30
Are you eager to learn how to communicate with computer systems using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, or to make machines understand human sentiments? Do you aspire to build intelligent applications like Siri, Alexa, or chatbots, even if you’re starting from scratch? This workshop introduces Natural Language Processing (NLP), teaching you to preprocess text, analyze sentiments, model topics, and use language generation models. It’s perfect for anyone eager to build applications that interact naturally with human language.

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Large language models and ChatGPT
2024-04-11 16:00 - 17:30
This workshop offers a thorough exploration of cutting-edge language models, with a spotlight on ChatGPT. Attendees will delve into the design, training techniques, and practical uses of these models. Discussions on ethical usage and best practices will be a key part of the learning experience. By the workshop’s end, participants will gain a deep understanding of large language models and how to effectively apply ChatGPT and similar technologies.

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Machine Learning with Python and Scikit
2024-05-03 13:00 - 16:00
Register to attend this workshop at the bottom of this page. Zoom link will be emailed after filling out the registration form.
Machine learning (ML) methods are widely adopted by the academia and industry for applications in science, engineering, healthcare, and humanities. One of the greatest advantages of ML is that they are pretty general and applicable for predictive analytics in many fields. For example, if someone learned how to apply ML methods to classify animal images, they can apply the same set of protocols in classifying birds or cars or motorboats. To apply ML for a specific problem, the practitioners don’t have to go through all the complex mathematics or a lot of statistics but they need to learn the best practices to train and validate the models.
In this workshop, after a brief overview, we will focus on doing hands-on training in applying ML models on various data types including image, text, and time series. We will work through the use cases of classification and regression problems and discuss where to apply supervised or unsupervised methods.
Objective of the workshop

Understand supervised and unsupervised methods
Define metrics for classification vs regression
Find out which features are important in a given dataset
Learn to apply ML models such as Decision Trees, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machines
Perform clustering and dimensionality reductions (PCA, t-sne, K-means, etc.)
Search the parameter space – hyperparameter optimization

Amarel account: Apply here as soon as possible. You must have an Amarel account set up before the workshop.
VPN setup: You have to be connected on Rutgers’ network or be on VPN to access Amarel resources.
SSH setup: Windows users must install an SSH client like PuTTY or MobaXterm. Alternatively, Windows 10 users can install the complete Windows Subsystem for Linux.
If you have questions or need help, please email Bala Desinghu.
Register to attend the workshop:

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Amarel monthly maintenance
2024-05-21 08:00 - 2024-05-22 23:59, 2025-01-14 08:00 - 2025-01-15 23:59
Maintenance is usually scheduled for weekdays because it often involves coordination with university facilities teams or external vendors. There may also be times when Amarel must be unavailable due to externally-scheduled data center facilities, power, or telecommunications maintenance. When this happens, we will do our best to avoid adding to a month’s downtime with our own maintenance work (e.g., by working in parallel or postponing some tasks).

Visit Amarel system status for more information

AI Tools for your Research with Google Cloud Platform
2024-06-10 10:00 - 13:00
The Rutgers Office of Advanced Research Computing (OARC) invites you to an interactive workshop with Google Cloud to learn more about how to integrate AI tools into your research platform. Join us for presentations, demos, and hands-on labs facilitated by the Google Cloud team.
Note: Due to overwhelming demand for participation, registration for this workshop is now closed. We are considering hosting a second workshop in the near future.
Date: Monday, June 10, 2024
Location: Rutgers Busch Campus — Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering building, Room 206
Parking:Visitors: Register your vehicle for special event parking permission in Lots 54, 51B and 51.Rutgers staff, faculty, and students: You may park in the designated lots that your parking permit allows.
Workshop Agenda
10:00–10:10 a.m.
Welcome and introductions

Welcome remarks from Google Cloud and Rutgers representatives
Introduction to the workshop and objectives

10:10–10:25 a.m.
GenAI use cases for higher ed/researchers presentation

Demo: Generative AI (GenAI) for research grants — Use Google-like search to sift through thousands of available grants online and use GenAI to draft a personalized application response.

10:25–11:10 a.m.
Gemini multi-modal capabilities

Hands-on lab: Qwiklabs — Gain hands-on experience with Gemini’s multimodal capabilities, including detecting objects in photos, understanding drawings, charts and abstractions and reasoning across them.

11:10 a.m.–noon
Introduction to Gemini and multi-modal capabilities

Demo: Use Gemini to solve and reason through complex math and physics problems; understand nuance to detect errors even with handwritten problems.
Demo: Watch Google’s latest Gemini model, which has a 1 million token context window, ingest and analyze a large video.

Vertex AI search and conversation

Hands-on lab: Qwiklabs — Build Vertex AI Search app. Ingest your internal docs/website and combine it with Google’s search and GenAI capabilities to provide relevant, contextual answers grounded in factuality.

Noon–1:00 p.m.
Lunch, Q&A, and wrap-up

Open forum for participants to ask questions and discuss their specific needs and challenges

Workshop details and prerequisites

Workshop format: Presentation and hands-on lab sessions
Target audience: Faculty, researchers, staff and students looking to learn more about AI tools to improve their work.
Knowledge prerequisites: None
Hardware/software prerequisites: Participants should bring a laptop with an up-to-date web browser.
Learning objectives: Participants will learn how to use AI tools on Google Cloud Platform.
Please note: Both in-person and virtual attendees should have a laptop. Attendees will receive an email from Google a couple of days before the event to download a free trial version of Qwiklabs, which is used during the workshop.

If you have questions or need help, please email the Office of Advanced Research Computing at business@oarc.rutgers.edu.

Basics of Linux Command Line
2024-09-06 13:00 - 16:00
Register to attend this workshop at the bottom of this page. Zoom link will be emailed after filling out the registration form.
Workshop content: This workshop offers a brief introduction to using the Linux operating system, focusing on command-line operations. The primary objective is to provide beginner-level familiarity with using a Linux system for common research computing tasks. Linux systems (e.g., workstations, remote servers, computing clusters) can be thought of as the foundation of research computing.
Amarel account: Apply here as soon as possible. You must have an Amarel account set up before the workshop.
VPN setup: You have to be connected on Rutgers’ network or be on VPN to access Amarel resources.
SSH setup: Windows users must install an SSH client like PuTTY or MobaXterm. Alternatively, Windows 10 users can install the complete Windows Subsystem for Linux.
If you have questions or need help, please email Udi Zelzion.
Register to attend the workshop:
Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.

AI Tools for your Research with Google Cloud Platform
2024-10-01 10:00 - 13:30
The Rutgers Office of Advanced Research Computing (OARC) invites you to an interactive workshop with Google Cloud to learn more about how to integrate AI tools into your research platform. Join us for presentations, demos, and hands-on labs facilitated by the Google Cloud team.
Note: Registration for this workshop has reached capacity and is now closed.
Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Location (in-person only): Rutgers Newark Campus
Paul Robeson Campus Center
Bergen Room
350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Newark, NJ 07102
Parking: A special event parking link will be sent to non-Rutgers visitors in order to register your vehicle, for a fee of $5.00 per registered vehicle. For Rutgers staff, faculty, and students, you may park in the designated lots that your parking permit allows.

Workshop Agenda
10:00–10:30 a.m.
Welcome and introductions

Welcome remarks from Google Cloud and Rutgers representatives
Introduction to the workshop and objectives

10:30–11:00 a.m.
GenAI use cases for higher ed/researchers presentation

Demo: Generative AI (GenAI) for research grants — Use Google-like search to sift through thousands of available grants online and use GenAI to draft a personalized application response.

11:00–11:45 a.m.
Gemini multi-modal capabilities

Hands-on lab: Qwiklabs — Gain hands-on experience with Gemini’s multimodal capabilities, including detecting objects in photos, understanding drawings, charts and abstractions and reasoning across them.

11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Introduction to Gemini and multi-modal capabilities

Demo: Use Gemini to solve and reason through complex math and physics problems; understand nuance to detect errors even with handwritten problems.
Demo: Watch Google’s latest Gemini model, which has a 1 million token context window, ingest and analyze a large video.

Vertex AI search and conversation

Hands-on lab: Qwiklabs — Build Vertex AI Search app. Ingest your internal docs/website and combine it with Google’s search and GenAI capabilities to provide relevant, contextual answers grounded in factuality.

12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
Lunch, Q&A, and wrap-up

Open forum for participants to ask questions and discuss their specific needs and challenges

Workshop details and prerequisites

Workshop format: Presentation and hands-on lab sessions
Target audience: Faculty, researchers, staff and students looking to learn more about AI tools to improve their work.
Knowledge prerequisites: None
Hardware/software prerequisites: Participants should bring a laptop with an up-to-date web browser.
Learning objectives: Participants will learn how to use AI tools on Google Cloud Platform.
Please note: Attendees should have a laptop at this in-person event. Attendees will receive an email from Google a couple of days before the event to download a free trial version of Qwiklabs, which is used during the workshop.

If you have questions or need help, please email the Office of Advanced Research Computing at business@oarc.rutgers.edu.

Intro to Amarel HPC Cluster
2024-10-04 13:00 - 16:00
Register to attend this workshop at the bottom of this page. Zoom link will be emailed after filling out the registration form.
Workshop content: This short course helps everyone make those first few steps toward productively using a Linux cluster for research — all members of the Rutgers community have free access to the Amarel Cluster. The workshop covers the basics of HPC Cluster, Web access to the cluster, SLURM, File System and Storage, and Setting up environment for the Software Stacks.
Amarel account: Apply here as soon as possible. You must have an Amarel account set up before the workshop.
VPN setup: You have to be connected on Rutgers’ network or be on VPN to access Amarel resources.
SSH setup: Windows users must install an SSH client like PuTTY or MobaXterm. Alternatively, Windows 10 users can install the complete Windows Subsystem for Linux.
If you have questions or need help, please email Udi Zelzion.
Register to attend the workshop:

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