Data @ Rice Workshop Series

This free workshop series sponsored by Fondren Library and the Center for Research Computing provides hands-on training on the basics of finding, managing, analyzing, visualizing, and sharing data as well as in using research computing resources.

To register, visit the Calendar of Events and Courses or follow the links below.

Don't see a workshop you'd like to attend? Let us know what you'd like to see offered!

Join our research data news mailing list for workshop announcements and data news.

Questions? Contact us at researchdata@rice.edu if you have any questions or want to cancel a class you registered for.

Fall 2025 Workshop Schedule

Data Visualization

• Fondren Data Visualization Short Course Showcase (in-person) - Thu, Sep 18, 10:30am - 12pm
• Introduction to Tableau Public (in-person) - Mon, Sep 29, 10am - 12pm
• Experience Builder - Develop Your Application by Connecting it with ArcGIS Online (in-person) - Thu, Oct 2, 1 - 3pm

Excel Training Series

• Basic Excel Training - Part 1: Working with Cells and Sheets (Zoom) - Tue, Sep 23, 12 - 1:30pm
• Basic Excel Training - Part 2: Functions and Formulas (Zoom) - Tue, Oct 7, 12 - 1:30pm
• Basic Excel Training - Part 3: Pivot table, Pivot chart, and Power query (Zoom) - Tue, Oct 21, 12 - 1:30pm
• Excel Pivot Tables - Asynchronous course available anytime on Canvas - Register here and click Enroll

GIS (Geographic Information Systems)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used for everything from simple map-making and data location to more complex cartography, engaging visualizations, spatial analysis, interactive dashboards, and modeling. The GIS/Data Center at Rice's Fondren Library offers free introductory and intermediate workshops on a variety of GIS topics, most using the popular ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS StoryMaps, and ArcGIS Online software. Find the full list of GIS courses here. 

Open Government Data for Research 

Please complete this survey to indicate your government data training interests. Responses will remain anonymous unless you choose to provide your contact information for follow-up purposes. 

Python Programming Series

• Python Fundamentals - Part 1: Introduction to Programming (in-person) - Wed, Sep 10, 10am - 12pm
• Python Fundamentals - Part 2: Loops and Conditions (in-person) - Wed, Oct 1, 10am - 12pm
• Data Analysis and Visualization with Pandas in Python (in-person) - Wed, Oct 15, 10:30am - 12pm

R Programming Series - Lunch HouR!

On Tuesdays throughout the semester, we invite you to learn the basics of R and dive into programming skills for improving your research reproducibility and workflow!

Each online workshop lasts 45 minutes, is scheduled during the lunch hour (12:05 - 12:50 pm) to accommodate your busy schedule, and focuses on a single topic.  Attend as many workshops as you like; register for individual sessions with the links below.

1. Basics of R and RStudio (Zoom) - Tue, Sep 23, 12:05 - 12:50pm
2. Importing and Indexing Data in R (Zoom) - Tue, Sep 30, 12:05 - 12:50pm
3. Cleaning Data in R - Part 1 (Zoom) - Tue, Oct 7, 12:05 - 12:50pm
4. Cleaning Data in R - Part 2 (Zoom) - Tue, Oct 14, 12:05 - 12:50pm
5. Cleaning Data in R - Part 3 (Zoom) - Tue, Oct 21, 12:05 - 12:50pm
6. Wrangling Data in R with dplyr - Part 1 (Zoom) - Tue, Oct 28, 12:05 - 12:50pm
7. Wrangling Data in R with dplyr - Part 2 (Zoom) - Tue, Nov 4, 12:05 - 12:50pm
8. Basic Statistics in R - Part 1 (Zoom) - Tue, Nov 11, 12:05 - 12:50pm
9. Basic Statistics in R - Part 2 (Zoom) - Tue, Nov 18, 12:05 - 12:50pm
10. Data Visualization in R - Part 1 (Zoom) - Tue, Dec 2, 12:05 - 12:50pm
11. Data Visualization in R - Part 2 (Zoom) - Tue, Dec 9, 12:05 - 12:50pm
12. Programming Basics in R (Zoom) - Tue, Dec 16, 12:05 - 12:50pm

Research Computing Series

• Introduction to the Center for Research Computing - Services and Resources (in-person) - Thu, Sep 4, 2 - 3pm
• The World is at your Command….line - Learn basic skills for working with Linux based systems (in-person) - Thu, Sep 18, 1 - 4pm
• Intro to High Performance Computing (HPC) with the Rice NOTS cluster (in-person) - Thu, Sep 25, 2 - 4pm
• Experience Builder - Develop Your Application by Connecting it with ArcGIS Online (in-person) - Thu, Oct 2, 1 - 3pm
• Introduction to Rice’s RAPID cluster for machine learning (in-person) - Thu, Oct 9, 2 - 4pm
• Using HPC Interactively from your Browser with Open OnDemand (in-person) - Thu, Oct 30, 1 - 2:30pm
• Introduction to Code Management with VS Code and GitHub (in-person) - Thu, Nov 6, 2 - 3:30pm
• Storing, managing, and moving research data at Rice (in-person) - Thu, Nov 20, 2 - 3:30pm

Research Data and Citation Management

• Introduction to Zotero: Collect, Organize, and Cite Research (in-person) - Thu, Sep 11, 11am - 12pm
• Advanced Zotero: Read, Annotate, Take Notes, and Draft/Outline Research (in-person) - Fri, Sep 19, 11am - 12pm
• Tropy for Research Photo Management (in-person) - Mon, Sep 8, 3 - 4pm
• Tropy for Research Photo Management (in-person) - Fri, Sep 19, 1 - 2pm
• How to Manage Your Research Data (Zoom) - Thu, Oct 16, 3 - 4pm
• Introduction to Code Management with VS Code and GitHub (in-person) - Thu, Nov 6, 2 - 3:30pm

Text Analysis

• Introduction to Text Analysis with Voyant (in-person) - Thu, Nov 6 2025, 10 - 11:30am
• Intermediate Text Analysis with Python (in-person) - Spring 2026

Working with Generative AI

• Ethical Generative AI Use for Researchers (in-person) - Tue, Oct 7, 1:30 - 2:30pm
• Literature Reviews with Generative AI (in-person) - Thu, Nov 13, 2 - 3:15pm [Link coming soon!]
• Introduction to Rice’s AI Tools - New in Spring 2026

Software Carpentry @ Rice

RDS offers two-day Software Carpentry workshops generally in early and late summer that teach foundational coding and data science skills to researchers based on the Carpentries curriculum. The goal is to train and foster an active, inclusive, diverse community that promotes and models the importance of software and data in research.

• Software Carpentry with R - May 2026 (tentative)
• Software Carpentry with Python - August 2026 (tentative)