Merge branch 'master' of github.com:USRSE/rse-stories

README.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Research Software Engineer Stories
 
 What is a research software engineer? How can we compare
-applies and organges, when one person might be heavily involved in open source 
+apples and oranges, when one person might be heavily involved in open source
 software engineering, and another actively publishing, and a third with managerial duties,
 and a fourth doing administration for HPC? This small podcast series attempts to
 identify just that.

_posts/2019-11-21-ross-blair.md

@@ -75,18 +75,23 @@ The job I got was the only RSE position I applied for, but there were a few othe
 I recently became remote full time so I am much less involved in the day to day operations at the lab by virtue of not being there. I still find myself in about 2 to 3 hours of meetings a week with people in the lab which goes a long ways towards not feeling completely in the wilderness. The lab currently has two other full time RSEs that are remote, which is a testament to the housing and cost issues of the Bay Area.
 
 > What is the hardest part about being an RSE?
+
 Keeping up to date on the newest libraries or tooling. I find I don't spend very much time on learning new things unless they are necessary for the problem at hand. I can imagine if I ever try and find another job in a few years I'll have a bit of catching up to do.
 
 > What is the best part about being an RSE?
+
 The freedom and lack of pressure. I'm trusted to do what's expected of me and most of the time there is not an immediate deadline causing rushed work. I mentioned compensation earlier, and freedom in work and from stress are worth more to me than a larger pay check.
 
 > What is something that you do in your role that most folks wouldn't expect?
+
 I wish there was something exciting I could say here but its really just a lot of fixing bugs. Our lab is good about acknowledging people who make their work possible so my name has ended up on a few papers which I find very flattering. Also got to get an MRI scan prototyping an experiment once which was is not something I had ever done before.
 
 > Do you work with a team, or primarily on your own?
+
 For solving individual problems I'm usually working on my own, but every project we have has people around it that make it possible so in that sense my work is always in support of a team.
 
 > How do you set your goals, both personal and work related?
+
 I don't! I really thrive in a role where people other people are coming up with the goals and telling me what they'd like to see done. As for personal goals, I'm sure I have them but I don't actively see them as such. I don't like to compare myself against benchmarks or put pressure on myself to be something I'm not, so my personal development seems to be optimized towards producing as little stress for myself as possible.
 
 > What kind of resources (training, software, compute, or other) or community
@@ -100,6 +105,7 @@ I lived in Palo Alto for about 6 years and I never got used to it. Everyone had
 
 > The answer is machine learning - what's the question? (This one is supposed to be fun/
 > creative, take it anywhere you like lol)
+
 What is overrated for $200. The advances in the past 5 years have been amazing, and the tooling around them is continually improving but I think the investors of the world have oversold the number of problems it will solve and how well they will solve them in terms of day to day living for normal people.
 
 

_posts/2021-01-28-alys-brett.md

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "We are here for a purpose"
+author: "@pweschmidt"
+rse: "Alys Brett"
+excerpt: "As former president of the Society of Research Software Engineering Alys Brett has a unique insight into the RSE movement and where it's heading."
+date: 2021-01-28 8:30:00
+external_media: https://us-rse.org/rse-stories-episodes-1/2021/rse-stories-alys-brett-episode-50.mp3
+length: 14089530
+duration: "00:29:22"
+explicit: "no"
+resources:
+  - name: Alys Brett's github
+    url: https://github.com/alysbrett 
+  - name: Alys Brett's Twitter
+    url: https://twitter.com/alysbrett
+  - name: UK Atomic Energy Authority
+    url: https://twitter.com/ukaeaofficial 
+  - name: UKAEA official website
+    url: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority
+--- 
+
+In late 2020 [Alys Brett](https://github.com/alysbrett) stepped down as president of the [Society of Research Software Engineering](https://society-rse.org) in the UK. Coming from a physics background she moved into the world of research software engineering. That transition wasn't always easy. But Alys helped to build and shape the RSE movement right from the start. In our conversation we look back over her part in the RSE movement and also talk about what lies ahead. Alys is now leading a team of research software engineers at the 
+[UK Atomic Energy Authority](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority) working on nuclear fusion experiments.