Overview

In this workshop, participants will learn about the process of sharing their research with the broader public through interactive web applications. This workshop will cover the basics of how the web works, what participants need to know about container technology to deploy their app on any cloud or server. We will also cover various options available for sharing research, from full-featured applications built with streamlit, to API endpoints with flask or gunicorn, to simple static web pages hosted for free on cloud providers like GitHub Pages.

Furthermore, for a hands-on component, we will demonstrate how to build a full-stack web application for conducting A/B testing on experimental results. Using a combination of streamlit for the front-end and mlflow for tracking and logging results, attendees will learn how to build and leverage a web app for answering their own research questions.

Motivations

Academics are often focused on conducting thorough and rigorous research, but may overlook the importance of sharing their findings with a wider audience. Sharing research results through interactive web applications not only makes it easier for the general public to access and understand the research, but can also improve the research process itself.

For example, an interactive web application can be used to present research results in an engaging and accessible manner, making the work more impactful and potentially reaching a larger audience. On the other hand, academics can also use these applications to orchestrate experiments and visualize results in a user-friendly interface, making it easier to analyze and interpret the data.

Sharing research results with the broader public is an important aspect of the scientific process. By making research results accessible and interactive, researchers can help people understand complex concepts, engage with the research community, and receive feedback and criticism that can help improve their work.

Learning Outcomes

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

  • Explain the basics of how the web works
  • Choose a suitable container technology to deploy their app on any cloud or server
  • Evaluate the various options for sharing research, including full-featured applications, API endpoints, and static web pages
  • Share their research with the broader public using one of the options covered in the workshop

Lesson Outline

  1. Introduction to the basics of how the web works, what you need to know to share your work
  2. Understanding container technology for deploying web applications
  3. Overview of the options for sharing research, including streamlit, API endpoints with flask and gunicorn, and static web pages hosted on cloud providers
  4. Hands-on demonstration of deploying a research app using one of the options covered in the workshop

Workshop Format

  1. Presentation: The workshop will consist of a 45-minute presentation that covers the basics of how the web works and the various options for sharing research.
  2. Practice: An optional multi-hour workshop where participants will have the opportunity to work with a demonstration of deploying a research app using one of the options covered in the workshop.

See the workshop structure page for more information about general workshop format.