Lamprou Lab Blog

Have you ever run experiments only to receive gigabytes of data that is hard to navigate, visualise or manipulate; and impossible to use with traditional programs like Excel?  Some simple programming could be the solution you’re looking for! My experience with programming began relatively recently when I found myself needing to process large numbers of atomic force microscopy (AFM) force curves yet unwilling to part with money for a program that seemed reasonably simple. After a week spent learning the basics of several common languages (e.g. Ruby , Javascript , Python and jQuery ) at Codecademy , I settled on Python to develop further. It seemed most appropriate since it made sense to me and had some statistical and graphical packages (pre-written functions) available. Codecademy is great for learning the basic concepts and, importantly, is free to use. However, the websites I looked at tended to overlook how to write and run the programs on your own computer.

This week marks the beginning of the ‘Engage with Strathclyde’ programme which consists of over 50 different events being held between the 5th and 8th of May. The events aim to highlight the innovative and collaborative approach maintained by the University of Strathclyde while also showcasing the fantastic research being carried out across all disciplines. Although the primary goal is to build and enhance relationships with organisations and industry, many events are also open for the public to enjoy as well. Last year’s events attracted over 2300 people to the university and its success was acknowledged upon achievement of the 2014 Times Higher Education Leadership and Management award for knowledge exchange / transfer initiative ( http://www.strath.ac.uk/press/newsreleases/headline_832840_en.html) . The fantastic rteception received last year only adds to the buzz and excitement surrounding this year’s activities.