2025-08-21 –, Room 1.38 (Ground Floor)
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Opening Invocation (5 min)
- Set the scene: "A lone notebook awakens..."
- Introduce the metaphorical framework: blending myth and method
- Emphasize the power of a single line of code: import numpy as np -
Gathering the Companions (8 min)
- pandas: data transformation and alchemy
- matplotlib: visual storytelling as insight
- scikit-learn: predictive modeling and machine learning magic
- Celebrate Python’s ecosystem as a creative collective -
Trials and Tribulations (7 min)
- Dependency hell and version conflicts
- Irreproducibility: the ghost haunting modern science
- Real-world anecdotes of scientific setbacks and rebirth -
Scaling the Quest (8 min)
- Transition from local to global scale: desktops to clusters
- Use cases in genomics, quantum simulations, climate models
- GPUs, terabytes of data, and the limits of traditional workflows -
The Fellowship Forged (7 min)
- Role of Anaconda and the packaging commons
- Containerized environments: Docker, Conda, and reproducibility
- Accelerators, solvers, and the modern scientific toolkit -
The Transformation (3 min)
- From humble notebook to catalyst of discovery
- How Python enables breakthroughs across disciplines
- Celebrate the rise of computational explorers -
Call to Action & Closing (2 min)
- Reframe: Every scientific revolution starts with a spark of code
- Invite the audience to write their own epic
- Leave with a sense of wonder and creative empowerment
In the vast realm of scientific discovery, a lone notebook awakens with its first incantation: import numpy as np. What begins modestly—a few calculations, some basic plots—soon evolves into an epic quest for knowledge. Our protagonist gathers companions along the way: pandas for data alchemy, matplotlib for visual storytelling, scikit-learn for predictive magic. But the path to enlightenment is treacherous, filled with the ancient curses of dependency hell, the shape-shifting demons of version conflicts, and the dreaded specter of irreproducible results that haunts laboratories worldwide.
Transformed from humble beginnings into a catalyst for breakthrough science—decoding cosmic mysteries, healing human diseases, predicting planetary futures—our hero joins millions of computational explorers pushing the boundaries of human understanding. Every scientific revolution starts with a single spark of code. What epic will you write?
In this keynote we'll take a narrative approach to the evolution of scientific experimentation, the daunting challenges that await and how we as the protagonists can find refuge with each other in the Python ecosystem.
none
Expected audience expertise: Python:some
Your relationship with the presented work/project:Original author or co-author
Dawn Wages is a community-centered technologist, open source advocate, and software engineer whose work bridges scientific computing, ethical technology, and inclusive community building. She currently serves as Lead of Community & Developer Relations at Anaconda, where she supports the Python ecosystem through education, outreach, and infrastructure advocacy.