Program Description
Code/Astro is a week-long astronomy software development workshop motivated by the growing usage of open-source software in astronomical research. The goal of this program is to teach participants fundamental software engineering skills and best practices for building sustainable open-source packages for astronomy applications. During the workshop, participants will obtain hands-on experience with software engineering by developing a small software package from scratch. The workshop will also serve as a networking and career development opportunity. The workshop is free and open to folks at all career levels. Code/Astro was started with support by the Heising-Simons Foundation.
Code/Astro will be hybrid and offer both in-person and virtual synchronous participation. The in-person component will be held at UCSC in Santa Cruz, California. Some travel funding is available to support workshop attendees who need financial assistance. Please note that if you are just looking for access to the course materials and do not want to participate synchronously during the workshop, you don’t need to apply: the course material are on Github with corresponding lectures posted on Youtube.
Dates
June 22, 2026 - June 26, 2026
Instructors
- Sarah Blunt (UCSC)
- Jason Wang (Northwestern)
- Matt Hosek (UCLA)
Head Teaching Assistants
- TBA
Teaching Assistants
- TBA
Industry Panelists
- TBA
Local Organizing Committee
- TBA
Schedule
The workshop will held at UCSC in 2026. Structured activities will occur from 9am-noon (PDT) each day. The rest of the time is unstructured and participants can work on their packages for their group projects at their own pace. In the afternoons, we are also offering optional special topics, but these are not required. Topics covered each day are as follows:
| Mon. Day 1 | Tue. Day 2 | Wed. Day 3 | Thu. Day 4 | Fri. Day 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development Environments | Git Mechanics | Releasing Code | Software Testing | Industry Panel Discussion |
| Programming Paradigms | Debugging | Code Documentation | Anti-Discriminatory Practices | Project Presentations |
| Git/Github Basics | Parallel Programming | Code Profiling | ||
| Python Package Tutorials | jax |
Logisitcal Details
A more detailed agenda and in-person logistical details for the workshop will be posted in the future.
Before the workshop starts, we ask all participants to setup their development environment based on these installation instructions and provide us the secret code at the end.
How to Apply
We require participants to be familiar with Python or another high-level programming language (e.g., Java, Matlab). Participants are expected to develop on their own computers and have set up their development environment there. Attendence to the workshop can either be in-person or virtual, but participants are expected to particpate synchronously. For those that are interested in the materials but cannot particpate in real time, the code is already on Github with corresponding lectures from previous years posted on Youtube, so please apply only if you intend to participate synchronously. For those that require financial assistance in any way to participate (the workshop itself is free), we have some funding support available for in-person and remote attendence, and we will poll about that after accepting applicants. Anyone related to astronomy is eligible. If you have questions about the application, contact Jason Wang (jason.wang@northwestern.edu).
Applications for the summer 2026 workshop are now open at this link. Applications are due Feb 1, 2026.
In addition to some basic questions, the application form has some questions about your programming background and goals for taking this workshop. In the event we receive too many applications, we will use these responses to help us make decisions on admission to the workshop. Part of the application also consists of taking a diagnostic assignment. There is no need to know everything on this assignment. We are using it to get a sense of the Python expertise of the participants and to help get everyone on the same page in programming jargon. Feel free to use other resources to help complete this assignment! The demographic questions at the end are optional and are used by us to identify biases in our advertising or admissions strategy for the workshop.
TA Applications
People who have participated in previous years of Code/Astro are welcome to apply as Teaching Assistants for the 2026 workshop. TAs are responsible for helping participants with computer set up prior to the workshop, answering questions during lessons, and mentoring project groups. TAs can assist in person or virtually. In addition, we will also be looking for a couple “Local Liaison” TAs who work with a small group of remote participants at their home institution to bring them a more inclusive experience.
TA applications for the summer 2026 workshop are now open at this link. Applications are due Feb 1, 2026