diff --git a/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/ConectaR2019.png b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/ConectaR2019.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..2f316850 Binary files /dev/null and b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/ConectaR2019.png differ diff --git a/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/ConectaR2024.png b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/ConectaR2024.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..c8634642 Binary files /dev/null and b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/ConectaR2024.png differ diff --git a/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/Datathon2019.png b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/Datathon2019.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e03f81b7 Binary files /dev/null and b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/Datathon2019.png differ diff --git a/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/FransvanDunne.png b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/FransvanDunne.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..0bfe9dda Binary files /dev/null and b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/FransvanDunne.png differ diff --git a/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/SanCarlosRUGsmeeting.png b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/SanCarlosRUGsmeeting.png new file mode 100644 index 00000000..d1837a0d Binary files /dev/null and b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/SanCarlosRUGsmeeting.png differ diff --git a/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/index.qmd b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/index.qmd new file mode 100644 index 00000000..66edafef --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/conectaR-podcasts-and-datathons-san-carlos-r-user-group-in-costa-rica/index.qmd @@ -0,0 +1,136 @@ +--- +title: "ConectaR, Podcasts, and Datathons: How the San Carlos R User Group in Costa Rica is Connecting +Latin America’s Data Lovers" +description: "Frans van Dunné, the organizer of the San Carlos R User Group, recently discussed with +the R Consortium the development of the R community in Costa Rica and the broader Latin American (LATAM) region." +author: "R Consortium" +image: "![FransvanDunne](FransvanDunne.png)" +date: "10/23/2024" +--- + +[Frans van Dunné](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fransvandunne/), the organizer of the [San Carlos R +User Group](https://www.meetup.com/san-carlos-r-user-group/), recently discussed with the R Consortium +the development of the R community in Costa Rica and the broader Latin American (LATAM) region. He +also talked about the growth of events such as the ConectaR conference and the success of the +[Data Latam podcast](https://www.datalatam.com/), which he co-hosts to delve into data science in +Latin America. Additionally, Frans highlighted the challenges of building a data-driven community +in a rural area and the creative methods they've employed to connect people through R. + + +![](FransvanDunne.png) + + +**Please share your background and involvement with the RUGS group.** + +I have a background in biology, and during my PhD in tropical ecology, I encountered some +statistical questions that I needed to solve through programming. That's when I started learning +to program, initially with Perl. Eventually, I discovered that I enjoyed solving data-related +problems through programming, and that led me to R. It was around 2001 when I first started +programming in R. + +Eventually, I married and emigrated to Costa Rica (my wife is Tica). Knowing no one in the area, +I started an R User Group to connect with people and navigate the area. + +Very soon after arriving in Costa Rica, I established my town's San Carlos R user group. Initially, +we held our meetings in-person, but I soon discovered that some attendees traveled for hours by bus +to reach San Carlos. Realizing the impracticality, I decided to move our meetings online, and to my +surprise, it worked out well. This change occurred even before the pandemic, and we began to see +people from Peru and other distant locations joining our group. San Carlos is a small rural area +with a population of around 50,000, so having individuals from different parts of Latin America +join us was truly amazing. + +![](SanCarlosRUGsmeeting.png) +_One of the first San Carlos R User Group meetings - February 2016, Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica_ + +We had to stop our online meetings because Meetup informed us that, according to their policy +before the pandemic, we wouldn't be able to use their platform if we didn't hold physical meetings. +The world is different now, but that was the situation back then. + +**Can you share what the local R community is like in San Carlos? ** + + +![](ConectaR2019.png) +_Participants of ConectaR 2019 - January 2019, San José Costa Rica_ + +We collaborated with the University of Costa Rica to organize an event that brought together +industry, academia, and citizen science professionals for a conference focused on R. The event +is called [Conecta R](https://journal.r-project.org/news/RJ-2019-2-conectaR/). We started in +2019 and held the latest edition this year, [Conecta R 2024](https://www.meetup.com/san-carlos-r-user-group/events/299265414/?eventOrigin=group_events_list). +When we started, we wanted to understand R's current status and usage in the LATAM region. It +only confirmed that R is widely used in academia. Most statistics courses have transitioned +from licensed software to R. R is also used widely in industry. + + +![](ConectaR2024.png) +_Participants of the Tidymodels workshop during ConectaR 2024, March 2024, San José, Costa Rica_ + +At [ixpantia](https://www.ixpantia.com/en/), the company I co-founded, we work with clients in +various industries, such as consumer packaged goods, retail, oil and gas, and energy production. +Additionally, a significant number of clients utilize our financial services. + +**Would you like to tell us about your recent events?** + +We've resumed our monthly online meetings for the San Carlos R user group. The meetings now take +place on the first Saturday of the month in the morning, and anyone is welcome to join through Meetup.com. +Our last meeting was held recently, and it was great to see familiar faces returning. + +Additionally, we have a podcast called [Data Latam](https://www.datalatam.com/), which covers topics +related to data science, not just R. We aim to release a new episode every month. We run this podcast +in parallel with meetings, serving a similar purpose. It's about providing examples and even role models +of professionals working with data to show that you don't need to be an IT professional or a programmer +to work with data. + +**Please share more about the Data Latam podcast. How did you come up with the idea of starting it? +Would you like to highlight a few of your favorite podcasts from this series?** + +The story behind the Data Latam podcast is funny. The co-host, [Diego May](https://www.linkedin.com/in/diegohmay/), +and I met through an R Package I wrote to access data from an open-data platform he had developed. +We shared an interest in using data and data science to help the development of LATAM and agreed to +start a podcast to get to know each other better. Within two months, we had the first opportunity +to start a project, and that is when we founded ixpantia, which brings best practices in data +science, data engineering, and data strategy to LATAM. + +We have done 110 podcasts to date! It seems like a lot, but we learn so much from every conversation +that it hardly feels like an effort. Some of my personal favorites that are related to R include +Episode 109 with [Noam Ross](https://www.linkedin.com/in/noamross/), where we talked about +[rOpenSci](https://ropensci.org/), episode 98 with [Sherly Tarazona](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherlytarazonatocto/?originalSubdomain=pe) +about her work and [R-Ladies Lima](https://www.meetup.com/es/rladies-lima/), episode 85 with +[Tareef Kawaf](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tareefk/) from Posit and episode 75 with +[Jorge Ahumada](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaahumada/) about the work they do at +[Wildlife Insights](https://www.wildlifeinsights.org/). I could go on, but pointing to the +complete list at [www.datalatam.com](http://www.datalatam.com) makes more sense. I’m sure there +is something for everyone interested in data there. + +**Do you recommend any techniques for planning for or during the event? (Github, Zoom, other.) +Can these techniques be used to make your group more inclusive to people who cannot attend physical +events in the future? ** + +Online events are great. I live in a rural area, and attending a physical event, even here in Costa +Rica, requires a long three-hour drive to the capital. We have done that and will do it again, but +having the option to go online is much more practical and has a broader reach. + +When we started our first online meetings, we used Google Hangouts, which would fry my laptop +after one hour. These tools have improved so much over the last few years, largely pushed by the +boom in remote work during the pandemic. We still like [Zoom](https://www.zoom.com/) and its +functionality for setting up and executing events, including registration. + + +![](ConectaR2024.png) +_Participants of the Datathon 2019 in San Carlos, August 2019, Santa Clara, Costa Rica_ + +We have organized two datathons (similar to a hackathon but focused on data) that were incredibly +enjoyable and well-attended. The key to their success was our partnerships. One datathon was +organized in collaboration with the Costa Rican government, and the other involved two local +universities: The University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (TEC). +I still meet people who attended these events and have fond memories of them. + + +## How do I Join? + +R Consortium’s R User Group and Small Conference Support Program (RUGS) provides grants to +help R groups organize, share information, and support each other worldwide. We have given +grants over the past four years, encompassing over 75,492 members in 39 countries. We would +like to include you! Cash grants and meetup.com accounts are awarded based on the intended +use of the funds and the amount of money available to distribute. + +[https://r-consortium.org/all-projects/rugsprogram.html](https://r-consortium.org/all-projects/rugsprogram.html)