fix: final touches to blog post

Author: lwasser

_includes/social-share.html

@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
     <h4 class="page__share-title">{{ site.data.ui-text[site.locale].share_on_label | default: "Share on" }}</h4>
   {% endif %}
 
-  <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?{% if site.twitter.username %}via={{ site.twitter.username | url_encode }}&{% endif %}text={{ page.title | url_encode }}%20{{ page.url | absolute_url | url_encode }}" class="btn btn--twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href, 'window', 'left=20,top=20,width=500,height=500,toolbar=1,resizable=0'); return false;" title="{{ site.data.ui-text[site.locale].share_on_label | default: 'Share on' }} Twitter"><i class="fab fa-fw fa-twitter" aria-hidden="true"></i><span> Twitter</span></a>
-
   <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u={{ page.url | absolute_url | url_encode }}" class="btn btn--facebook" onclick="window.open(this.href, 'window', 'left=20,top=20,width=500,height=500,toolbar=1,resizable=0'); return false;" title="{{ site.data.ui-text[site.locale].share_on_label | default: 'Share on' }} Facebook"><i class="fab fa-fw fa-facebook" aria-hidden="true"></i><span> Facebook</span></a>
 
   <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url={{ page.url | absolute_url | url_encode }}" class="btn btn--linkedin" onclick="window.open(this.href, 'window', 'left=20,top=20,width=500,height=500,toolbar=1,resizable=0'); return false;" title="{{ site.data.ui-text[site.locale].share_on_label | default: 'Share on' }} LinkedIn"><i class="fab fa-fw fa-linkedin" aria-hidden="true"></i><span> LinkedIn</span></a>

_posts/2024-11-22-pyOpenSci-first-open-science-festival.md renamed to _posts/2024-12-29-pyOpenSci-first-open-science-festival.md

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ categories:
 classes: wide
 toc: true
 comments: true
-last_modified: 2024-11-22
+last_modified: 2025-01-06
 ---
 
 ## Our inaugural fall festival was a great success!
@@ -28,56 +28,53 @@ Three years ago, I envisioned an online event where our community could come tog
 </figure>
 
 
-The week was packed with inspiring keynotes, hands-on workshops, and informal office hours, where participants connected and reflected on their learning. It was an incredible celebration of the amazing work happening across our community!
+The week was packed with inspiring keynotes, hands-on workshops, and informal office hours, where participants connected and reflected on their learning.
 
 ******
 
 What did you enjoy most about the fall festival:
 > Getting to know about pyOpenSci as an organization and resource. Also, [being provided with] practical, professional tools that I can use right away.
 {: .highlight-quote .purple }
 
-
-
 *****
 
-## Acknowledging our amazing team
+## Acknowledging our amazing pyOpenSci team
 
+Events like the Fall Festival don’t happen without an incredible team working behind the scenes to support every step of the process.
 I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the instructors, helpers, and keynote speakers who contributed their time and expertise to make this event truly special. Your dedication, energy, and enthusiasm ensured an engaging and impactful experience for everyone involved!
 
 <figure>
-    <a href="/images/events/fall-festival-thank-you.png">
-    <img src="/images/events/fall-festival-thank-you.png" alt="Fall Festival Team">
-    </a>
+    <picture>
+    <source srcset="/images/events/fall-festival-thank-you.webp" type="image/webp">
+    <img src="/images/events/fall-festival-thank-you.png" alt="Thank You graphic for pyOpenSci Fall Festival, featuring photos of community supporters. The circular portraits include Rich Iannone, Steven Sylvester, Jonny Saunders, Tracy Teal, Carol Willing, Felipe Moreno, Tetsuo Koyama, Isabel Zimmerman, and Jeremiah Paige, all placed against a purple background with the text: Thank You - Fall Festival - pyOpenSci Community Supporters">
+    </picture>
 </figure>
 
-A special shout-out to Carol Willing, Jeremiah Paige, and Jonny Saunders, who supported multiple workshops and co-developed and reviewed many of the lessons now published online. We’re so lucky to have such an incredible community. 🫶
-
-## What Made This Event Special
 
+A special shout-out to Carol Willing, Jeremiah Paige, and Jonny Saunders, who supported multiple workshops and co-developed and reviewed many of the lessons now published online. We’re so lucky to have such an incredible community. 🫶
 
-We kicked the event off on Monday, October 28, with a morning of KeyNote talks headlined by **Eric Ma, Melissa Mendonça, and Rowan Cockett**. The Monday talks aligned perfectly with the training events held Tuesday through Friday. The talks set the stage for a truly engaging week of learning together.]
+## What made this event special
 
+The vibe made this event special. The energy of participants who wanted to learn together was supported by the vibrant and knowledgeable pyOpenSci community. While many mentioned me directly, the vibe was more than just me. Our community came together to help scientists learn hard technical skills--together and without judgment.
 
 > I love the engagement…how people were attended to individually despite being in a group setting. I enjoyed that learning could happen in a personal and group setting.
 {: .highlight-quote }
 >
 
-What made this event special was the vibe. The energy of participants who wanted to learn together was supported by the vibrant and knowledgeable pyOpenSci community. While many mentioned me directly, the vibe was more than just me. It was our community coming together to help scientists learn hard technical skills -- together and without judgement.
-
 We met learners where they were at!
 
-
 > The enthusiasm of Leah and her friends, Spatial chat and all new Python things I didn't used before like Packaging, Great Tables, Quarto, Clean Code and Programming in [GitHub] CodeSpaces
 {: .highlight-quote }
 
-Using the interactive platform SpatialChat helped to create that vibe. More on that below.
+Using the interactive platform SpatialChat rather than a traditional online platform like Zoom helped to create that vibe. More on that below.
 
 ## Keynote talks
 
+We kicked the event off on Monday, October 28, with a morning of KeyNote talks headlined by **Eric Ma, Melissa Mendonça, and Rowan Cockett**. The Monday talks aligned perfectly with the training events held Tuesday through Friday. The talks set the stage for a truly engaging week of learning together.
+
 <figure class="align-center">
-    <a href="/images/events/fall-festival-blog-keynote-speakers.png">
+    <source srcset="/images/events/fall-festival-blog-keynote-speakers.webp" type="image/webp">
     <img src="/images/events/fall-festival-blog-keynote-speakers.png" alt="">
-    </a>
 </figure>
 
 
@@ -89,23 +86,21 @@ A standout moment? The "Roast Your Repo" exercise! Eric invited attendees to cri
 
 ### Melissa Mendonça: From academia to open source
 
-Melissa shared her inspiring journey from academia to a career rooted in open-source software development. She reflected on the bravery it takes to step into the unknown—something I deeply resonate with—and celebrated the power of the scientific Python ecosystem. She explained that libraries like NumPy and SciPy are the building blocks that enable countless domain-specific projects.
+Melissa shared her journey from academia to open source software development, reflecting on the courage it takes to step into the unknown. She celebrated the scientific Python ecosystem, emphasizing how libraries like NumPy and SciPy enable countless domain-specific projects.
 
-Melissa also explored the challenges of working in volunteer-driven communities, stressing the importance of clear governance and transparent engagement with users. Her emphasis on open science principles—transparency, reproducibility, and accessibility—left a lasting impression.
+Melissa also highlighted the challenges of volunteer-driven communities, stressing the need for clear governance and transparent user engagement. Her focus on open science principles—transparency, reproducibility, and accessibility—was inspiring and reinforced the importance of collaborative, inclusive practices.
 
 ### Rowan Cockett: Rethinking scientific publishing
 
-Rowan challenged us to imagine a world where scientific publications are as dynamic as the research they describe. He introduced [Myst Markdown](https://mystmd.org/) tools that integrate code, data, and narrative seamlessly. He also talked about the company that he co-founded, [CurveNote](https://curvenote.com/), which is poised to revolutionize how scientific papers are published. Goodbye static papers, hello interactive papers that tell stories while allowing readers to interact with graphics and data directly.
+Rowan invited us to imagine a future where scientific publications are as dynamic as the research they describe. He introduced [Myst Markdown](https://mystmd.org/) tools that blend code, data, and narrative and discussed his company, [CurveNote](https://curvenote.com/), which aims to revolutionize scientific publishing.
 
-Yes, data!
-
-His vision of collaborative, automated, and iterative publishing—drawing from open-source software principles—was truly inspiring. By shifting away from traditional, static publishing methods, Rowan reminded us that we have the tools to make science more accessible, reproducible, and impactful. Talk about a game-changer!
+His vision of collaborative, interactive, and automated publishing draws from open source principles and challenges the static nature of traditional papers. By rethinking how we share research, Rowan reminded us that we already have the tools to make science more immediately accessible and impactful.
 
 ## Let the (open science & open source) learning begin!
 
 <figure class="align-center">
     <a href="/images/events/people-table-working.svg">
-    <img src="/images/events/people-table-working.svg" alt="">
+    <img src="/images/events/people-table-working.svg" alt="An illustration of a diverse group of people sitting around a round table in a collaborative meeting setting. Some are using laptops, others are holding notebooks or phones, with modern lighting and decorative plants in the background, creating a warm and productive atmosphere.">
     </a>
 </figure>
 
@@ -160,7 +155,7 @@ On Day 4, we empowered participants to share their work more broadly. Many learn
 
 <figure class="align-center">
     <a href="/images/events/people-table-working-2.svg">
-    <img src="/images/events/people-table-working-2.svg" alt="">
+    <img src="/images/events/people-table-working-2.svg" alt="An illustration of a diverse team gathered around a large, round table in a collaborative work meeting. Several people are using laptops, while others are holding notebooks or tablets. A small plant decorates the center of the table, and modern pendant lights hang overhead, contributing to a comfortable and productive workspace.">
     </a>
 </figure>
 
@@ -170,7 +165,7 @@ We wrapped up with an introduction to [Quarto](https://quarto.org/), a powerful
 
 We also showcased [Quarto Live](https://quarto.org/docs/live/), which lets users dynamically interact with code in the browser. For educators, this opens exciting opportunities to create lessons where students can learn directly in a live coding environment. How cool is that?
 
-Fun fact: GreatTables is currently [under review by pyOpenSci](https://github.com/pyOpenSci/software-submission/issues/202) with the plan to be fast tracked through the Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS) after the pyOpenSci review through [our JOSS partnership](https://www.pyopensci.org/software-peer-review/partners/joss.html).
+Fun fact: GreatTables has been [accepted by pyOpenSci](https://github.com/pyOpenSci/software-submission/issues/202) with the plan to be fast-tracked through the Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS) after the pyOpenSci review through [our JOSS partnership](https://www.pyopensci.org/software-peer-review/partners/joss.html).
 
 
 ## Reflections on the 2024 pyOpenSci Fall Festival
@@ -180,29 +175,20 @@ The 2024 Fall Festival was an incredible learning experience for pyOpenSci! One
 > I liked the use of software like spatialchat, where you could break out into groups to work on things. This makes everything a lot more casual and fosters networking.
 {: .highlight-quote }
 
-We were thrilled to offer 16 scholarships for this event, making the festival accessible to diverse attendees. While not all scholarship recipients could attend or verbally participate—likely due to work or other responsibilities—their presence enriched the event in many ways. This highlighted the need for a thoughtful addition of "quiet" tables or spaces for future events, ensuring all participants can engage at their comfort level.
-
-Another valuable insight we gained is that late October can be a busy time for students due to classes and other daytime commitments. This feedback will guide us to explore timing options for future events, potentially outside of traditional school sessions, to better accommodate all participants.
-
-By reflecting on these lessons, we’re excited to continue improving our events to maximize engagement and accessibility for all community members. We look forward to building on this success for future festivals!
+We were also thrilled to offer 16 scholarships for this event, making the festival accessible to diverse attendees.
+We’re excited to continue improving our events to maximize engagement and accessibility for all community members. We look forward to building on this success for future festivals!
 
 ## <i class="fa-solid fa-rocket"></i> What's next for pyOpenSci
 
 Most of the resources used to teach are published on our [pyOpenSci lessons website](https://www.pyopensci.org/lessons). We’re actively working on updates to incorporate additional content still housed in Google Docs, ensuring it’s accessible to all.
 
-Looking ahead, we’re excited to connect these events more deeply with pyOpenSci’s broader mission of supporting the open-source software scientists need to make their work open. We are also working on:
-
-* A new set of lessons that support using GitHub collaboratively and empower contributors to make their first open-source contributions.
-* Running online beginner-friendly sprints that further engage the community in making contributors to open source, no matter how big or small, we want to ease pain points!
-* We are looking forward to next spring and summer, when we'll be at PyCon 2025 and SciPy 2025, holding sprints, giving talks, and connecting with you!
-
-Check our blog and events page for upcoming events, new initiatives, and even more opportunities to engage with the vibrant pyOpenSci community. <i class="fa-solid fa-hand-sparkles"></i>
+Looking ahead, we’re excited to run more events like this to support pyOpenSci’s broader mission of supporting the open source software scientists need to make their work open. We are planning to:
 
+* Develop a new set of lessons that support using GitHub collaboratively and empower contributors to make their first open source contributions.
+* Run online beginner-friendly sprints that further engage the community in making contributors to open source, no matter how big or small, we want to ease pain points!
+* Attend and run events at PyCon 2025 and SciPy 2025, holding events and connecting with you!
 
-## <i class="fa-solid fa-hands"></i> Wrap up
-Thank you to everyone who participated, supported, and helped make the 2024 Fall Festival a success! Your enthusiasm and feedback inspire us to continue creating events that bring value and inclusivity to the open science community.
-
-We’d love to hear from you—what topics or skills would you like to see covered in our next training? Share your ideas, and help us shape the future of pyOpenSci events!
+Check our blog and events page for upcoming events and opportunities to engage with the vibrant pyOpenSci community. <i class="fa-solid fa-hand-sparkles"></i>
 
 
 <div class="notice" markdown="1">
@@ -229,22 +215,3 @@ Follow us on social platforms:
 If you are on LinkedIn, check out and [subscribe to our newsletter, too](https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7179551305344933888/?displayConfirmation=true).
 
 </div>
-
-
-******
-
-## Quotes to add
-
-What did you enjoy most:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-What topics were most valuable
-
-This quote really made my week. My motivation for building pyOpenSci is about community and making open source and data science more accessible to learners from all kinds of backgrounds.
-
-> Thank you so much Leah for your amazing teaching! You are so kind, patient and nice with the students, you make this community inclusive and safe for new learners.
-{: .highlight-quote .magenta }