East Bay Ruby on Rails Workshop for Women

Installfest (we're upgrading to Ruby 2.2 and Rails 5, so everyone should come!)

Fri 8/5/2016
Start time: 6:30 pm PDT
End time: 8:30 pm PDT

Workshop

Sat 8/6/2016
Start time: 9:30 am PDT
End time: 4:30 pm PDT

Course

This is a Ruby on Rails event. The focus will be on developing web apps and programming in Ruby. You can find all the curriculum materials at docs.railsbridge.org.

Click here for more information about class levels in this course!

Workshop Description

This workshop is intended to reach out to women who are interested in learning Ruby on Rails. Men are welcome to attend as guests of female attendees. RailsBridge is emphatically queer and trans friendly.
In this workshop, we'll take you through the process of building a complete web application using Ruby on Rails. By the end of the day, you'll have an application that connects to a database, reads and writes data, and renders HTML in a browser. Friday night, we get together for a couple hours to make sure everyone's dev environment is set up so we're ready to go first thing in the morning Saturday. Programmers of all skill levels are welcome and students will be delineated into different classes based on the experience level you choose when you sign up.

NOTE: We usually only ask first-time attendees to come to Installfest, but the curriculum was just upgraded to use Ruby 2.2 and Rails 5, so if you haven't done an Installfest in the last week or two, please come to this one so we can be sure everyone is on the same page. If you can't make it, don't fret. You can still come Saturday. Just email Scott ([email protected]) at your earliest convenience for instructions on how to proceed.

Sponsors

Transportation and Parking

There are several good options for getting to Aspera. They are as follows:
  • Driving

    From the north, take the Ashby exit to 7th. Turn right on 7th, and then an immediate right onto Folger. Folger curves to the left. After the curve, you're on Hollis. Stay on Hollis for about 1/2 a mile. Turn left onto 59th and then left into the parking lot. Park in any Aspera spot. Then walk back around to the 3rd door on Hollis north of 59th (north is the direction you came from on Hollis, FYI).

    From the south, follow signs for the Powell street exit. Turn right onto Powell. Stay on Powell for about half a mile then turn left onto Hollis. In 2 blocks, turn right onto 59th. The parking lot is on the left.

  • Lyft/Uber

    I find that if I put "5925 Hollis, Emeryville" as my pickup/dropoff address, it gets the driver in the right place. Assuming they drop you off on the right side of the street, you should be right in front of the right door. If you're coming from the city, BARTing to West Oakland and Lyfting the rest of the way is a good option. (See above.)
  • BART

    The most convenient BART stop is MacArthur. It's about 2.5 miles from Aspera. From the MacArthur stop, there is a free shuttle called the Emery-Go-Round that will take you to within 3 blocks of Aspera. Just walk out of the MacArthur station and go around the corner to the right to the bus stop area (there are benches and coverings). Hop on the Emery-Go-Round and get off at the Public Market/Amtrak station stop. Go up and over the Amtrak bridge and walk up 59th to Hollis Street. Cross Hollis and go left to the 3rd door. Emery-Go-Round is convenient, but not quick. Plan on it adding about 20-30 minutes to your travel time. (Note: there is a Hollis route that would drop you off right in front of Aspera, but it doesn't run on Saturdays; only the Powell/Shellmound route runs on weekends. But you can use the Hollis route for Installfest Friday evening. It stops at the corner of 59th and Hollis.)
  • Bike or BART + Bike

    If you're BART + biking from the city, West Oakland is the best stop. If you're coming from the south, use MacArthur. If from the north, Ashby. From any of those three, it's between 2.5 and 3 miles to Aspera. Once you get to Hollis and 59th, go north on Hollis to the 3rd door. There is a bike rack just inside.
  • BART + Lyft/Uber

    Another BART option is to get off near Aspera (West Oakland if coming from the city, Ashby if coming from the north, MacArthur if from the south) and get a Lyft/Uber the rest of the way. A Lyft Line from West Oakland or Ashby is usually between $6-$8 (or free if you use the promo code I put in the link there). Use "5925 Hollis" as your destination address and you'll get to the right spot.



Aspera area map

Food and Drinks

Food options are still being finalized, but to help you plan, you can expect something close to the following:
  • Some form of sustenance will be provided Friday night at Installfest, likely pizza or tacos.
  • Saturday morning there will be a light breakfast comprised of fruit, yogurt, pastries, juice, and/or coffee.
  • Saturday afternoon will either be a burrito bar or some sort of assortment of middle eastern mezze (think 'tapas') such as hummus, falafel, savory phyllo pastries, stuffed grape leaves, tabouleh, etc. Vegan/vegetarian/dairy-free/gluten-free dietary needs will be accounted for.

Workshop Schedule

Friday

6:30 - 8:30 pm: Installfest (all students must attend Installfest or contact Scott ASAP)

Saturday

9:30 - 10:00 am: Breakfast and mingling
10:00 - 10:15 am: Intro
10:15 - 12:30 pm: Morning session (with periodic breaks)
12:30 - 1:30 pm: Lunch, and a word from our sponsor
1:30 - 4:00 pm: Afternoon session (with more breaks)
4:00 - 4:30ish pm: Student and volunteer retrospectives (so we can get feedback on how the day went)
4:30ish: After party (see below)

Afterparty

The afterparty will be held at the nearby Branch Line Bar at 59th and Peladeau, literally one block away. We'll head over after the retrospectives (around 4:30ish). This is a great time for volunteers and students to get more acquainted in a less formal environment. All are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Organized By:

10 volunteers!

19 students!