Job title: Student Programmer
Company: University of Kansas
Job description: Department
Biodiversity Institute
Primary Campus
University of Kansas Lawrence Campus
Job Description
- Develop expertise with Specify software and how natural history museums manage data, to attain an understanding of the principles and methods of modern science data management.
- Create and track software issues using a variety of channels including GitHub and Slack.
- Assist with software engineering with training and tutoring from experienced programmers.
- Write technical documentation on different aspects on the use and implementation of the software.
- Participate in weekly staff meetings, surfacing issues as they arise for discussion.
- Examine software issues reported by researchers and attempt to clarify or resolve them.
Disclaimer
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university’s programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Director of the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX, [email protected], Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).
Work Schedule
flexible hours working 14-20 hrs/wk during the school year, up to 40 hrs/wk during breaks
Contact Information to Applicants
Theresa Miller, [email protected]
Required Qualifications
- Have experience, or be motivated to learn, the setup and use of relational data management tools, SQL scripts, and programming languages with database systems.
- Be enthused about open-source software development with web apps using Linux, macOS, or Windows workstations.
- Have some exposure to software development with 1 or 2 languages.
- Be focused, perceptive, and attentive to detail.
- Be motivated to solve problems and debug code.
- Be able to communicate work issues clearly and freely.
- Enjoy learning new things.
- Be available to work a steady, personalized schedule on campus in Dyche Hall (Natural History Museum) between the hours of 8-5 M-F, with flexibility for rescheduling and accommodating issues outside of work when they arise. During academic semesters we are looking for a 14-20 hour/week commitment, up to 40 hours/week during breaks and summer. Planned vacations and other breaks are fine.
**During the semester term of the appointment, the student hourly must be enrolled in no fewer than 6 credit hours. For summer periods the student hourly must: 1) have been enrolled in no less than 6 hours in the past spring semester or 2) be pre-enrolled in upcoming fall semester in no less than 6 hours or 3) be enrolled in summer session or 4) be admitted to study in the upcoming fall semester. Student Hourlies may be undergraduate or graduate students.
Advertised Salary Range
$16.00/hr
FTE
.025
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with research computing in any science or technology field.
- Junior developer level competency with 2 or more software languages, ideally including Python or TypeScript
- Familiarity with software engineering tools and methods
- Previous work with relational databases, data management, or data analysis
Position Overview
Jump in with the Biodiversity Institute Specify Software team ( ) to take on various programming projects as part of an engaged, supportive, and friendly workgroup of professional software engineers, students, and museum scientists. We are a software engineering and support group within the KU Natural History Museum with the mission to provide database application software for the world’s biological museums to document the world’s plant and animal species.
Software projects will be varied and designed to first take advantage of existing skills and experience. They will definitely build career-valuable expertise. You will learn modern, practical, data science methods and software engineering techniques in this position by creating code that has a real-world, environmental research impact. Tasks might include converting data from older databases to newer database schemas, designing new features, or coding associated with web application user interface design, security, descriptive database statistics, or for API-based integrations. No previous biological research or museum experience is needed. We will bring you up to speed with biodiversity informatics as a data community. You will receive personalized training from experienced programmers, and have opportunities to work on user-facing features and capabilities. Our student team members have consistently raved about their experience working with us, and we believe that if you are a smart, creative, and detail-oriented individual with a drive to succeed, you will find this to be fulfilling and enjoyable. Working with us will definitely lead to professional growth with new marketable software engineering skills and upgrading your resume.
Reg/Temp
Temporary
Application Review Begins
26-Jul-2023
Anticipated Start Date
21-Aug-2023
Additional Candidate Instruction
A complete application consists of the online application, cover letter, and resume. Only complete applications will be considered.
Expected salary: $16 per hour
Location: Kansas
