Python from Zero to Data ScienceOnline Event

3 Nov 2025, 10:00 → 12 Nov 2025, 17:00 Europe/Berlin

Gather.town

Daniel Walther (DKFZ Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum), Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf), Sikha Ray (KIT), Thorsten Auth (Forschungszentrum Jülich)

Powered by HIFIS, IHRS BioSoft, HIDSS4Health and BIF-IGS offer an online basic course on Python. 
The English-language course with an emphasis on live coding addresses novices to programming.The course will introduce basic concepts of Python. Emphasis will be put on live coding (i.e. learners write their code along with the instructors) and overcoming the initial learning hurdles together. Hands-on exercises provide opportunities to test the newly acquired knowledge.

Previous Knowledge
Neither prior knowledge nor experience in programming is needed.

Content
This workshop is conceptualized as a 2x3-days event.

It covers:

• Introduction to the Python programming language
  • Basic language and concepts
  • Fundamental knowledge as a jumping-off point for self-guided learning
• Introduction to Pandas
  • Loading, inspecting, and manipulating tabular data with the popular Python-Framework
  • Time series and Data frames
• Introduction to Matplotlib
  • Visualizing tabular data
  • Fine-tuning the presentation

Additionally, guided exercises will be offered to facilitate self-paced learning.

Goal
Enable the participants to write their own scripts in Python to automatically evaluate data and solve recurring or laborious tasks by automation.

Technical Requirements
Participants are asked to bring their own computer on which they have the necessary rights to install software.

Here is a list of tools you will need in the workshop:

• A python installation (make sure it is version 3)
• The python package manager pip
• The python libraries numpy and matplotlib

Please install thonny, which is a complete bundle. If you need help, please ask your local IT support first; they know your system and center policies best.

All interested Ph.D. students can register. In case the course is overbooked, priority will be given to the members (fellows) of the three organizing schools. 
In order to register, you will have to log in to the booking system on the top right.
If you do not have access to Helmholtz AAI via a Helmholtz centre, you can alternatively use your ORCID ID that you can create here: https://orcid.org. A quick guide to Helmholtz AAI is available at https://go.fzj.de/HelmholtzAAI.

 

Code of Conduct
We adhere to the Software Carpentries' Code of Conduct.
You can report violations to

• The Instructors and Helpers
• The HIFIS helpdesk
• The Software Carpentries

Python25Poster.pdf

Monday 3 November

10:00 → 17:00 Introduction to Python

10:00 Introduction to Python I

You will have the first contact with your Python programming tool, and together with your instructors, you will write your very first programs. This covers learning about variables and data types, and importing code from other files or libraries.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

11:30 Lunch

12:30 Introduction to Python II

Loops are a good choice when it comes to repeating actions. In this section, the "while"-loop will be introduced. Furthermore, it is often necessary to check conditions and act accordingly, for example, to check the validity of user input. You will learn about conditions and how to control and react to them.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

14:00 Coffee

14:30 Supervised practice I

In the self-paced exercise, you can apply your new knowledge to some exercise problems. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

Tuesday 4 November

10:00 → 17:00 Introduction to Python

10:00 Introduction to Python III

You will learn about "for"-loops, as well as writing and executing functions and modules.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

11:30 Lunch

12:30 Supervised Practice II

You can apply your new knowledge to more complex problems designed to lead you toward creating somewhat larger and more complex programs. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

14:00 Coffee

14:30 Supervised Practice III

You can apply your new knowledge to more complex problems designed to lead you toward creating somewhat larger and more complex programs. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

Wednesday 5 November

10:00 → 17:00 Introduction to Python

10:00 First Steps in Python IV

You will learn about collection data types, such as tuples and lists, and finalize an example project.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

11:30 Lunch

12:30 Supervised Practice IV

You have a selection of exercises available to work on that range from repetition of the content taught on the first days to complex tasks. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

14:00 Coffee

14:30 Supervised Practice V

You have a selection of exercises available to work on that range from repetition of the content taught on the first days to complex tasks. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

Monday 10 November

10:00 → 17:00 Pandas and Matplotlib

10:00 Introduction to Pandas I

Get to know the popular data processing framework. You will be introduced to the Series data type and pandas, including the underlying data structures.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

11:30 Lunch

12:30 Introduction to Pandas II

Learn how to shape and process tabular data in a Series and a DataFrame.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

14:00 Coffee

14:30 Supervised Practice I

You will generate and process a data set using pandas. In addition, you will also learn about the important concept of (pseudo-)random numbers. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

Tuesday 11 November

10:00 → 17:00 Pandas and Matplotlib

10:00 Introduction to Matplotlib I

Pyplot is a collection of shortcuts for common tasks. Learn how to use it to create basic plots.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

11:30 Lunch

12:30 Introduction to Matplotlib II

Learn about the object-oriented style of Matplotlib, an alternative approach to setting up plots. You will also be introduced to combining pandas and Matplotlib for quick plotting.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

14:00 Coffee

14:30 Supervised Practice II

Get your hands on a real-live weather data set, "clean" the data, and visualize it. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

Wednesday 12 November

10:00 → 17:00 Pandas and Matplotlib

10:00 Introduction to Matplotlib III

You will learn about filtering data, advanced plotting, and how to combine several plots in one figure.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

11:30 Lunch

12:30 Supervised Practice III

Using the weather data set, you will apply your knowledge to work on multi-step analysis and plotting tasks. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

14:00 Coffee

14:30 Supervised Practice IV

Using the weather data set, you will apply your knowledge to work on multi-step analysis and plotting tasks. The instructors are available to help you in case you have questions or want feedback.

Speaker: Fredo Erxleben (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)