Software Training in High Energy Physics

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development and implementation of a collective, experiment-agnostic software training program in high energy physics, aimed at enhancing physicists' software skills for sustainable research and career development.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive, open, and accessible software training curriculum and activities led by HSF and IRIS-HEP, tailored for HEP community needs.

Findings

Development of modular training materials for HEP software skills

Implementation of an introductory training event for new entrants

Promotion of transferable skills for diverse career paths

Abstract

Among the upgrades in current high energy physics (HEP) experiments and the new facilities coming online, solving software challenges has become integral for the success of the collaborations, The demand for human resources highly-skilled in both HEP and software domains is increasing. With a highly distributed environment in human resources, the sustainability of the HEP ecosystem requires a continuous effort in the equipment of physicists with the required abilities in software development. In this paper, the collective software training program in HEP and its activities led by the HEP Software Foundation (HSF) and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Software in HEP (IRIS-HEP) are presented. Experiment-agnostic, open, and accessible modules for training have been developed, focusing on common software material with ranges from core software skills needed by everyone to advanced training required to produce high-quality sustainable software. A basic software curriculum was built, and an introductory software training event has been prepared to serve HEP entrants. This program serves individuals with transferable skills that are becoming increasingly important to careers in the realm of software and computing, whether inside or outside HEP.