Makerspace Orientations: Laser Cutting and Engraving
2025-09-16 00:00 - 23:59 (America/Halifax) | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: September 16 2025

Presenter: Jacob Turola

Get started with the makerspace laser cutter. We’ll demonstrate how it works and how you can use the cutter to make amazing designs with wood and acrylic!

Build Your Own Chatbot: Local Applications in Generative AI on your Laptop
2025-09-17 00:00 - 23:59 | McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
Date: September 17 2025

Most people know cloud-based generative AI tools like ChatGPT, but did you know that the powerful technology behind them, transformer-based Large Language Models (LLMs), can also run directly on a modern laptop?

In this hands-on, in-person workshop, you’ll explore how these AI systems work and learn how to set up and run a basic chatbot locally on your own computer. Gain a foundational understanding of transformer-based LLMs and discover how to harness their power without relying on the cloud.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Understand the core principles behind transformer-based large language models

Set up and run a basic chatbot AI on a personal laptop

Explore practical applications and limitations of locally hosted generative AI

This session is perfect for anyone curious about AI who wants to experiment with running models independently!

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This workshop will not be recorded.

Facilitator Bio:

John Fink is the Digital Scholarship Librarian in the Sherman Centre.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

Makerspace Orientations: 3D Printing
2025-09-18 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
September 18 2025

Presenter: Jacob Turola

Join us for this introduction to a staple in makerspace technology! Attendees will get started with 3D printing in the makerspace. The session will cover how to find a file, process it for printing and run the machine. All are welcome, and everyone gets to keep what they make.

Makerspace workshop: Sew your own (data-fied) laptop or book sleeve
2025-09-23 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: September 23 2025

Presenter: Alexandra Wong

Learn how to sew your own data-fied laptop or book sleeve in the Markham Makerspace! Using the provided sewing machines and fabric, you will be guided through the process of sewing a padded sleeve to protect your belongings. The workshop will be co-led by Data Visualization and Analytics Librarian Alexandra Wong and you will learn how to sew on an additional front pocket to customize your sleeve with a (physicalized) data visualization based on your own screen or reading time data.

No prior sewing experience is necessary, and all materials will be provided, though participants are welcome to bring their own fabric if desired. Participants will take home their finished project.

Introduction of VR for Wellness and World Exploration
2025-09-24 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
September 24 2025

Presenter: Jack Leong

Participants will learn the basics of virtual reality technology, and get hands-on experience with Quest headsets in this gentle introduction. Using a Quest headset, participants will immerse into sample content for education, wellness, world travel, and entertainment, and learn how to borrow VR equipment from the Library’s Media Creation Lab. Participants will also be introduced to our standalone VR Rooms, where more advanced content can be experienced using HTC Vive Pro headsets on high-powered computers.

Research + Lab Notebooks: Research Data Management Community of Practice
2025-09-25 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Date: September 25 2025

Are you curious about organizing your research better? Join us for our first roundtable of the season September 25 from 11 AM – 12 PM on Research and Lab Notebooks.

Notebooks are important records of decision-making, results, and processes during research. Although many researchers still use paper notebooks, electronic tools protect against data loss, enhance searching, and validate findings through permissions and signatures. While McMaster University does not offer dedicated software, we’ll hear from researchers across disciplines about how they’re making it work with available tools. We’ll talk configuring workflows, setting up version control, which tools you avoid, onboarding students and new researchers, and other practical details.

Around the table this month:

Dr. Sara Andres (Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences) introduces how she’s configured OneNote

Dr. Andrew McArthur (Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences) shares his GitLab setup

Akacia Propst (The/La Collaborative – Philosophy) discusses a Research Documentation template

Dr. Andy Roddick (Anthropology) outlines using Obsidian to build connections in a mass of information

Here is the meeting link. Learn more and join the RDM community!

Débogue tes humanités: L’informatique à échelle humaine, c’est possible ?
2025-09-25 00:00 - 23:59 | Université de Montréal, 3150 Rue Jean Brillant, Montreal, Québec, H3T 1N7, Canada
Est-ce que ça prend un doctorat en informatique pour avoir le contrôle de nos vies numériques ? Les ordinateurs devraient d’abord répondre à nos besoins, et non l’inverse. Comprendre les grandes lignes de l’informatique est une façon de retrouver un peu de liberté dans un monde où les entreprises cherchent à prendre nos vies en charge.

→ Bibliothèque des lettres et sciences humaines (15:30)

→ Louis-Olivier Brassard

Pour plus de détails, veuillez consulter https://debogue.ecrituresnumeriques.ca/

Introduction to Computational Thinking
2025-09-25 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
COURSE DESCRIPTION

Date: September 25 2025

Computational thinking is an essential skill for anyone wanting to learn to program computers and write code. This Library Carpentries workshop will take you through the steps involved in computational thinking – learning how to break down complex problems into smaller parts, identify patterns, and design logical solutions that a computer can execute. Through hands-on activities, you will practice techniques such as problem decomposition, abstraction, and algorithmic thinking. By the end of the session, you will have a stronger foundation for approaching programming tasks with confidence, setting the stage for future coding and data-driven learning.

The Learning Objectives for this session are:

Generalize the steps to make the algorithm re-usable (abstraction)

Identify the steps in computational thinking

Break problems into manageable parts

Develop a clear sequence of steps (an algorithm) to solve a problem

Instructor: TBD

Create your first 3D model with Tinkercad
2025-09-25 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
September 25 2025

Presenter: Ted Belke, Jacob Turola & Jiaqi Yuan

Learn to create your own 3D models for printing using the free web app, Tinkercad. An overview of the software and step-by-step instruction will provide a gentle introduction to 3D design concepts and techniques, so no previous experience is required. Laptops will be available to those who need them, but it is recommended you bring your own laptop and mouse if possible.

Data visualization in gaming
2025-09-30 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: September 30 2025

Presenter: Alexandra Wong

Drop-in and discover how different video games use data and data visualization to aid game play and tell stories. Participants will explore various types of data visualizations, from mini-maps to energy bars, and aspects of data design like colour choices and size, to better understand how these small features impact the overall functionality and aesthetics of games.

This workshop will showcase the combined abilities of the newly opened Markham Library’s Visualization Studio and Gaming Lab. Attendees are welcome to drop-in anytime and stay for as long as desired during the workshop’s hours to play, watch, and discuss how games visualize data.

Best Practices for Managing Data in your Research
2025-10-01 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
October 1 2025

TIFU (Today I F’ed Up) by losing a ton of data for my research – Have you ever seen a description like this on Reddit? Are your desktop and downloads folders a jumble of files named Data-finalFINAL-USETHISONE? Is all of your lab’s data stored on a single drive located conveniently under a sprinkler system? Join research data management services and learn how investing a small amount of time in organizing your data now can save you a lot of time and prevent future headaches. In this introductory workshop, learn about research data management best practices. We will go over best practices for data planning, storage, organization, preservation, and sharing.

By the end of the session, participants will be empowered to:

Produce a plan for their data

Organize and document their data consistently

Store and back-up their data securely

Select an appropriate data repository for archival and sharing

No prior experience with data management is required! This session is perfect for anyone who wants to feel more confident organizing, storing, and sharing their data in clear and practical ways.

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This virtual workshop will be recorded. The recording will be posted to the Sherman Centre’s Online Learning Catalogue.

Facilitator Bio:

Isaac Pratt (he/him) is a research scientist by training and has a PhD in Anatomy & Cell Biology. He leverages nearly a decade of interdisciplinary research experience to help support students, staff, and faculty. His expertise lies in questions surrounding data storage, security, planning, archival, and sharing. Isaac also provides support and curation services for McMaster Dataverse. His other interests include reproducible research methods, open science, and data science.

Danica Evering holds expansive experience with research support, education, project management, advocacy, and knowledge translation; with fluency in social practice art, healthcare, community research, data, and systems development. Danica supports students, postdocs, faculty, and staff with RDM through the data lifecycle—Data Management Plans, storage and backup, data security, data sharing. With an MA in Media Studies from Concordia, they are interested in fostering RDM within curious scholars and disciplines.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

Introduction to Git and GitHub: Part 1
2025-10-01 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Date: October 1 2025

Instructor: Kendra Oudyk

Learn the basics of using Git and GitHub for version control and collaboration. Git is widely used version control software that tracks changes to a group of files, referred to as a repository. GitHub is a popular website for hosting and sharing Git repositories, making it easier to collaborate and share your work. Together, Git and GitHub provide a platform that is increasingly used for collaboration in research and academic environments. In this beginner workshop participants will learn key concepts, create their own Git repository, and publish to GitHub. No previous experience with Git is required. Familiarity with the command line interface will be helpful but is not necessary. This is part 1 of a two-part introductory workshop.

Pre-workshop setup

Please complete the pre-workshop setup to install the Bash shell and Git. If you don’t already have one, create a free GitHub account before the workshop.

This workshop is part of the Core Skills series.

Data Bites - Optimize Directory Structures for Research Data
2025-10-01 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Date: October 1 2025

Instructors: Eugene Barsky, Vanessa Choy

Workshop: Optimize Directory Structures for Research Data

This practical workshop, delivered by the UBC Library Research Data Management team, focuses on strategies for organizing research data using clear and logical directory structures. Designed for graduate students, researchers, and staff, the session helps participants manage files more effectively to support collaboration, reproducibility, and long-term data stewardship.

Participants will learn how to:

Apply best practices to maintain consistency and clarity throughout the research lifecycle

Design directory structures that reflect research workflows and support project organization

Implement naming and hierarchy conventions for easy navigation and version control

Managing your References with Zotero
2025-10-02 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Citations and referencing giving you headaches?

Zotero will help you save and organize your references while you’re searching and will format citations and reference lists in hundreds of different citation styles. In this workshop we will show you how to set up your free account and get started with Zotero.

This workshop will be held online via Blackboard Collaborate. Students will receive a link to access the online classroom upon registration.

Led by Samantha Read

Makerspace Orientations: Game Pieces and Figurines
2025-10-03 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: October 3 2025

Presenter: Jacob Turola

Participants work on techniques that make their expensive games more affordable and create unique twists on classics like Catan, Chess, Monopoly, Warhammer, Battletech and many more. You’ll see demonstrations of designing and creating custom game pieces, followed by post-processing and painting techniques to achieve high-quality finishes. These methods enhance both the appearance and durability of game components.

Introduction aux humanités numériques
2025-10-06 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Les humanités numériques réfèrent à l’utilisation d’outils et de pratiques numériques dans les sphères des sciences humaines et sociales et des arts et lettres. Le numérique peut intervenir à différents moments d’une recherche en sciences humaines et sociales et en arts et lettres, et ce, peu importe la nature et la portée du projet.

Cette présentation se veut une introduction aux méthodes et outils en humanités numériques ainsi qu’un tour d’horizon des ressources et services offerts au Service des bibliothèques de l’UQAM en lien avec les humanités numériques.

Guides liés: Humanités numériques by Simon Côté-Lapointe

Visions of Generative AI: Historical and ethical dimensions of visual media literacy in the era of AI
2025-10-08 00:00 - 23:59 | McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
Date: October 8 2025

Whether you regularly engage with visual generative AI or are just dipping your toe into these waters, this workshop focuses on recognizing sources of image biases and its impacts and implications as artificial images become increasingly sophisticated and ubiquitous. Applying a combined historical and ethics lens, workshop participants will have the opportunity to generate and analyze artificial images as a means of unpacking continuity and changes in visual practices and norms. The workshop supports the development of critical reflection skills and tools for creating and ‘reading’ images that avoid potential pitfalls of (re)producing harmful clichés and to support identification of mis/disinformation. The workshop has relevance for academic integrity along with navigating our daily visual landscape, which in turn has implications for democracy, civic engagement, and human relationships. At a time when visual evidence/truth, dis/misinformation and academic integrity are at stake, there is no time like the present to gain a solid foundation on visual literacy.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify opportunities, pitfalls and potential harms of visual generative AI to make informed decisions on its use in educational and every-day life settings by exploring recent examples.

Unpack the role of audience engagement with visual images in the era of AI to critically analyse the impacts of and to support responsible use of this new technology.

Trace biases and ethically problematic visual stereotypes present in AI-generated images through comparison and critical reflection of historical cases

This workshop is great for students, educators, researchers, and professionals interested in developing critical visual literacy skills to responsibly engage with AI-generated images in academic, creative, or everyday contexts!

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This virtual workshop will be recorded and shared on the same page, and discoverable via the Sherman Centre’s Online Learning Catalogue.

Facilitator Bio:

Dr. Sonya de Laat is the Academic Program Advisor and Curriculum Coordinator in the School of Global Health and Social Medicine, and a Research Associate with the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University. With degrees in Anthropology and Media Studies, Dr. de Laat’s work has focused on historical and ethical dimensions of humanitarian visual culture and action. Currently, her focus is on challenging the promises/hopes of photorealistic generative AI and sharing diverse visual histories as a corrective intervention. Her postdoctoral work focused on moral and practical dimensions of palliative care in refugee camps drawing attention to small interventions having big impacts, and the importance of co-design and partnered research. Dr. de Laat is an active member of the Humanitarian Health Ethics research group, and the Canadian Network on Humanitarian History. Representative publications include, “Assembling a global health image: Ethical and pragmatic tensions through the lenses of photographers” (PLOS Glob Public Health 2024), “A case analysis of partnered research on palliative care for refugees in Jordan and Rwanda” (Confl Health 2021), and “The Camera and the Red Cross: ‘Lamentable pictures’ and Conflict Photography Bring into Focus an International Movement, 1855-1865” (IRRC 2021).

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

Indigenous Research - tending to a garden of information.
2025-10-08 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: October 8 2025

Presenter: Cora Coady

Researching Indigenous topics is undeniably complex. Indigenous knowledges are deeply rooted in community but identifying authentic Indigenous voices in academia among numerous colonial narratives can be a daunting task. Processing this material can take an emotional toll. By learning how to navigate these resources thoughtfully, you can respectfully and ethically incorporate Indigenous knowledge into your assignments and research.

Visualizing and dashboarding in PowerBI [Online]
2025-10-08 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
October 8 2025

Presenter: Alexandra Wong

This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to the basics of Microsoft PowerBI, a widely used data analytics and visualization tool. Participants will learn the fundamentals of PowerBI, including how to import and transform data. By the end of the workshop, participants will have created their own interactive dashboards, which can be used for further analysis, making data-driven decisions, and communicating with others. No prior experience is required.

Introduction to Git and GitHub: Part 2
2025-10-08 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Date: October 8 2025

Instructor: Kendra Oudyk

Learn the basics of using Git and GitHub for version control and collaboration. Git is widely used version control software that tracks changes to a group of files, referred to as a repository. GitHub is a popular website for hosting and sharing Git repositories, making it easier to collaborate and share your work. Together, Git and GitHub provide a platform that is increasingly used for collaboration in research and academic environments. In this beginner workshop participants will learn key concepts, create their own Git repository, and publish to GitHub. No previous experience with Git is required. Familiarity with the command line interface will be helpful but is not necessary. This is part 2 of a two-part introductory workshop.

Pre-workshop setup

Please complete the pre-workshop setup to install the Bash shell and Git. If you don’t already have one, create a free GitHub account before the workshop.

This workshop is part of the Core Skills series.

Débogue tes humanités: IA et la correction textuelle automatique : quels outils et quelles limites ?
2025-10-09 00:00 - 23:59 | Université de Montréal, 3150 Rue Jean Brillant, Montreal, Québec, H3T 1N7, Canada
On vous a sûrement déjà dit que pour limiter les erreurs des IA génératives et pour s’assurer qu’une machine rende les bonnes informations, il fallait passer par un RAG. Mais qu’est-ce qu’un RAG et comment est-ce que ça fontionne exactement ? Dans cet atelier vous apprendrez à disséquer un outil de recherche d’information associé à un outil de synthèse de texte.

→ Bibliothèque des lettres et sciences humaines (15:30)

→ Alexia Schneider, Clara Grometto

Pour plus de détails, veuillez consulter https://debogue.ecrituresnumeriques.ca/

Indigenous Research - tending to a garden of information
2025-10-14 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: October 14 2025

Researching Indigenous topics is undeniably complex. Indigenous knowledges are deeply rooted in community but identifying authentic Indigenous voices in academia among numerous colonial narratives can be a daunting task. Processing this material can take an emotional toll. By learning how to navigate these resources thoughtfully, you can respectfully and ethically incorporate Indigenous knowledge into your assignments and research.

Pixel Party: Collaging at Scale
2025-10-14 00:00 - 23:59 | University of Ottawa, 50 University Private, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
Date: October 14 2025

Have you ever gathered hundreds, thousands, or even millions of images from social media or the web, only to feel overwhelmed? In this workshop, you’ll learn strategies to create juxtas, a form of digital collage, that help you visually explore, reflect on, and gain a macroscopic perspective on your collection. [virtual option available]

Nick Ruest is a Senior Librarian in the Digital Scholarship Infrastructure Department at York University. At York University, he oversees the library’s preservation initiatives, along with creating and implementing systems that support the capture, description, delivery, and preservation of digital objects having significant content of enduring value.

Makerspace Orientations: Basic electronics and circuitry
2025-10-15 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: October 15 2025

Presenter: Jacob Turola

Participants will get to make their own circuits and code by trying out Arduino control boards for the first time! Sensors and boards will be provided, alongside wires and other peripherals. This is an entry level orientation to get you started and show you what is available! No experience is required.

Les éditathons Wikipédia comme mode de création de communauté with Pascale Dangoisse (University of Ottawa and Wikipedia)
2025-10-15 00:00 - 23:59 | University of Ottawa, 50 University Private, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
Date: October 15 2026

Cette séance d’introduction pratique explore comment les marathons d’édition Wikipédia peuvent devenir des leviers puissants pour créer des communautés et promouvoir l’équité des savoirs. La séance démystifiera le processus de contribution à Wikipédia tout en soulignant son importance — notamment pour mieux représenter les groupes marginalisés. Nous aborderons la valeur du savoir libre et ouvert, les biais systémiques dans le contenu existant, ainsi que la manière dont l’édition collective peut devenir à la fois une stratégie pédagogique et une forme d’activisme. Que vous soyez néophyte ou intéressé·e à intégrer Wikipédia à votre enseignement ou votre recherche, cette séance vous outillera pour participer activement à la construction d’un bien commun numérique plus inclusif. [option virtuelle disponible]

Les recherches doctorales de Pascale Dangoisse (Wikipédia et Université d’Ottawa) se sont intéressées à la compréhension de la persistance de la discrimination systémique dans des environnements politiques libéraux ou progressistes. Elle a obtenu une bourse de recherche postdoctoral au Laboratoire en humanités numériques de l’Université d’Ottawa, où elle a travaillé sur le projet Lesbian and Gay Liberation Canada, dirigé par Constance Crompton. Dans le cadre de ses fonctions comme chargée de programmes pour Wikimédia Canada, elle soutient les Wikimédiennes et Wikimédiens au Canada en planifiant et en mettant en œuvre divers programmes et projets qui soutiennent la construction d’un bien commun numérique plus inclusif.

Introduction to the Unix Shell
2025-10-15 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Date: October 15 2025

Instructor: Kendra Oudyk

This workshop will introduce the Unix shell, a powerful way to communicate with your computer more directly through a command line interface. There are many ways to interact with a computer. Most of the time we click on things and select options with a cursor through a graphical user interface (GUI). A command line is exactly what it sounds like, a way of writing commands to your computer line by line and is incredibly powerful. In this workshop we will show you how to navigate through different parts of your system and introduce some of the most useful commands to be aware of.

No previous experience with the command line is required. This workshop is for beginners.

Pre-workshop setup

Please have a laptop ready for this workshop. We will be using the Unix shell for most of the workshop. If you have a Mac or a Linux laptop you don’t need to install or enable anything. If you are using a Windows10 PC you will need to turn on the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” setting as per these instructions.

This workshop is part of the Core Skills series.

Data Bites - Creating a Data Dictionary for Research Projects
2025-10-15 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Date: October 15 2025

Instructors: Eugene Barsky, Vanessa Choy

Workshop: Creating a Data Dictionary for Research Projects

This practical workshop, delivered by the UBC Library Research Data Management team, introduces the purpose and structure of a data dictionary to support clear, consistent, and reusable research data. Designed for graduate students, researchers, and staff, the session emphasizes how data dictionaries enhance data documentation, sharing, and reuse.

Participants will learn how to:

Use templates and tools to build data dictionaries that promote transparency and reproducibility across research projects

Identify key components of a data dictionary, including variable names, definitions, formats, and units

Create and maintain a data dictionary that aligns with best practices and supports FAIR principles

Whisper it Out: Audio-to-Text Decoded
2025-10-16 00:00 - 23:59 | University of Ottawa, 50 University Private, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
Date: October 16 2025

Do you have a lot of oral histories, interviews, podcast episodes, or other audio or video material you need to transcribe? Have you heard of Whisper and not sure how or what it is? In this workshop you will get an overview and walkthrough of generating transcripts with Whisper. [virtual option available]

Nick Ruest is a Senior Librarian in the Digital Scholarship Infrastructure Department at York University. At York University, he oversees the library’s preservation initiatives, along with creating and implementing systems that support the capture, description, delivery, and preservation of digital objects having significant content of enduring value.

Establishing and Maintaining Researcher Profiles
2025-10-21 00:00 - 23:59 | Nova Scotia
Date: October 21 2025

The ability to effectively track and express your research impact is an essential skill for today’s researchers. Profile tools like ORCID, Google Scholar, and McMaster Experts provide a valuable space to showcase your research outputs (from publications to datasets to creative works) and enable efficient workflows for demonstrating your impact. This workshop will guide researchers through the process of creating and maintaining researcher profiles — from initial setup to streamlined upkeep and generating basic impact reports.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Select the most appropriate research profile(s) for their needs.

Automate the initial population and maintenance of their research profile(s).

Generate basic research impact reports using profile data.

This session is ideal for researchers and graduate students interested in establishing an online presence and tracking the impact of their work.

Details: Any preparatory work for the session can be found on its information page. This virtual workshop will be recorded and shared on the same page, and discoverable via the Sherman Centre’s Online Learning Catalogue.

Facilitator Bio:

Jack Young (he/him) is McMaster’s Research Impact Librarian, supporting the use of bibliometric data to enhance the reporting and strategic planning practices of the University’s academic departments, institutes, and researchers.

Sabrina Kirby (she/her) is the Research Technology Analyst for the McMaster Experts service, providing support to researchers and research administrations working with their Experts profiles and the varous systems and integrations that comprise McMaster Experts.

Certificate Eligibility: This workshop is eligible for the Sherman Centre’s certificate program. For more information, visit scds.ca/certificate-program. It is also eligible for the Canadian Certificate for Digital Humanities. To learn more, visit ccdhhn.ca or contact scds@mcmaster.ca.

Credit Eligibility: This workshop counts toward credit for students in the Faculty of Science who are enrolled in SCIENCE 2SF1: Digital Skills Workshop. For any questions, please contact oursci@mcmaster.ca.

Using AI Tools for Research Part I: Introduction to Generative AI Tools
2025-10-21 00:00 - 23:59 | York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
Date: October 21 2025

Presenter: Sophie Bury, Ted Belke

Are you exploring and building your knowledge of generative AI tools? Are you interested in using them for research purposes? Do you find it confusing to determine when AI-based tools are useful and appropriate for conducting research for assignments and projects for courses? In this workshop, designed to introduce effective use of mainstream AI tools like ChatGPT, we will address these questions with demonstrations and hands-on practice. We will explain what generative AI is and how it works, focusing on free tools available to all York community members. The workshop will cover designing effective prompts, then move on to potential applications for student research, such as idea generation, information discovery, focusing a research topic or developing a search strategy . Finally, we will discuss the strengths and limitations of these tools for research, include some pointers on ethical and academic integrity considerations that apply at York University and provide strategies that can assist with verifying the quality and reliability of outputs generated. For a workshop that delves deeper into how to cite AI tools, and the ethical and academic integrity considerations associated with them, check out our sister workshop titled “Navigating Academic Integrity: Citing and Ethnical Considerations in the Age of ChatGPT”.
