Session

DescriptionComputer software, or code, is often seen as a means to an end; which is to say that we create and use code to accomplish an objective — whether the objective is for computational science, music, performance art, or any number of other applications. That said, Code is an expression of human creativity and ingenuity —and by definition a means in which we communicate, and share experiences. In this mini symposium, we are interested in how scientific code fosters scientific communities to form, evolve, and/or express themselves in predictable and unpredictable ways. We will address the following questions: What are the challenges with integrating code and teams across distinct communities? What are the challenges associated with growth by community adoption of code? What are enduring characteristics of code that survive the test of time in large communities? When do software developers formally identify as a formal community service as in the case of research science engineers? How does code communicate? The talks in this session intend to be thought provoking and the goal is to encourage developers to have a holistic perspective of communities in mind when developing their codes.