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UMass Lowell Cloud Computing Club: Fall 2023

Welcome to the UMass Lowell Cloud Computing Club! Our mission is to explore cloud computing and its applications using Amazon Web Services (AWS) and related technologies. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, join us as we learn together, build projects, and connect with industry professionals.

Announcements 📢

• [10/13] The UML Cloud Computing Club continues to make an impact: https://umasslowellclubs.campuslabs.com/engage/news/288850
• [9/15] 🎉 We are excited to announce that our College Degree Program Scheduler project has been officially named UniPath.io! Check out the GitHub Repository.

Project: UniPath.io

This semester, we are diving deep into a comprehensive cloud computing project named UniPath.io. We aim to develop a full-stack web application that allows users to create, plan, and share their class schedules for their entire degree program. This project will serve as a hands-on learning experience, covering various cloud computing and web development topics.

• Learning Material: This repository will serve as a centralized location to organize and publish the learning materials we use each week. It will include presentations, demos, tutorials, and other resources to aid our learning journey.

• Project Repository: The actual development of UniPath.io will take place in a separate repository. Our goal is to encourage members to actively contribute and commit to that repository. By doing so, members can demonstrate their skills, knowledge, and contributions to future employers. We believe that hands-on experience, reflected through genuine GitHub activity, is invaluable for showcasing one's capabilities.

Link to the project repository: https://github.com/UMLCloudComputing/UniPath.io

By the end of the semester, our aim is to have a fully functional web app deployed on AWS, showcasing the skills and knowledge we've gained.

Meeting Schedule

Meeting Time: Every meeting will be from 6:30pm-9:30pm.

• Presentation Section (6:30pm-8:00pm): This portion is reserved for presentations, demos, and sometimes special guest speakers. It is more structured and follows the weekly topics closely.

• Hands-On Section (8:00pm-9:30pm): This time is allocated for working on the semester project. It is more interactive, free-flowing, and unplanned, allowing for hands-on experience and collaboration.

Date	Week and Topic	Speaker	Description
✅ Sept 7th	Week 1: Kickoff Meeting and Cloud Computing Intro	Club Leaders	Presentation Section: - Introduction to the club and members - What is Cloud Computing? - Introduction to AWS services - AWS & GitHub account registration/setup Hands-On Section: - Initial brainstorming for the semester project.
✅ Sept 14th	Week 2: Project Planning, SWE Practices, & DevOps	Dr. Johannes Weis	Presentation Section: - Introduction to SWE & Agile methodologies - What is DevOps? - Introduction to CI/CD pipelines - Task: Brainstorm Project Requirement Hands-On Section: - Creating a simple Next.js app and pushing it to GitHub - Setting up a basic CI/CD pipeline using AWS Amplify.
✅ Sept 21st	Week 3: Frontend Development with Next.js	Martin	Presentation Section: - Introduction to Git and version control - Introduction to Frontend Web Design - Basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - Introduction to React JS and Next JS Hands-On Section: - Building a basic UI for the app.
✅ Sept 28th	Week 4: Frontend Development with Next.js (Continuation)	Club Leaders	Presentation Section: - Continuation of Frontend Development with Next.js Hands-On Section: - Further building and designing the UI for the app.
✅ Oct 5th	Week 5: Guest Speaker - Andrew	Andrew A	Presentation Section: - Introduction to AWS Roles - Introduction to AWS S3 Storage Hands-On Section: - Exploration of AWS Roles and their use cases - Working with AWS S3: Uploading, downloading, and managing data
✅ Oct 12th	Week 6: Database Management with AWS DynamoDB	Dr. Johannes Weis	Presentation Section: - Introduction to Databases. SQL vs Non-SQL Databases. - Introduction to AWS DynamoDB Hands-On Section: - Creating tables, inserting, and querying data - Data modeling for the app.
✅ Oct 19th	Week 7: Guest Speaker - Prof. Idith Tal-Kohen	Prof. Idith Tal-Kohen, IBM Cloud, Project Manager	Presentation Section: - Discussion around IBM Cloud and the significance of requirement management. - Q&A and general discussion. Hands-On Section: - Work on UniPath.io
✅ Oct 26th	Week 8: Docker and Containerization	Matthew Harper	Presentation Section: - What is Docker? - Benefits of containerization Hands-On Section: - Dockerizing the Next.js app.
✅ Nov 2nd	Week 9: Guest Speaker - Brennan Macaig	Brennan Macaig, SRE, DraftKings	Presentation Section: - Topic: Introduction to IaC with Terraform Hands-On Section: - Writing IaC scripts to provision AWS resources.
✅ Nov 9th	Week 10: Work on UniPath.io	Club Leaders	Full meeting time will be devoted to the Hands-On section for work on the UniPath.io project.
✅ Nov 16th	Week 11: Work on UniPath.io	Club Leaders	Full meeting time will be devoted to the Hands-On section for work on the UniPath.io project.
❌ Nov 23rd	Week 12: Thanksgiving Break	N/A	Thanksgiving break, no meeting.
✅ Nov 30th	Week 13: Work on UniPath.io	Club Leaders	Full meeting time will be devoted to the Hands-On section for work on the UniPath.io project.
✅ Dec 7th	Week 14: Present UniPath.io	Club Leaders	Presentation Section: - We will be presenting UniPath.io to our club Faculty Advisor, and discuss our technology stack and current progress. Hands-On Section: - Continue work on the UniPath.io project.

(Note: The schedule is tentative and expected to change. The topics and descriptions for subsequent meetings will be updated as we progress through the semester.)

Getting Involved

If you're interested in getting involved with our club, the best way to start is by attending our regular club meetings. All organizational tasks, discussions, and work will be coordinated through our Discord server.

Feel free to reach out to our club leaders for more information. We look forward to seeing you!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General

Q: Who can join the UMass Lowell Cloud Computing Club?

A: The club is open to all UMass Lowell students, faculty, and staff, regardless of their experience level with cloud computing.

Q: How do I join the club?

A: The best way to join is to attend our regular meetings. You can also join our Discord server for updates and discussions.

Meetings

Q: When and where are the meetings held?

A: The meeting schedule is outlined in the README. The location will be announced prior to each meeting.

Q: Can I attend meetings virtually?

A: Yes, you can! All our meetings are also accessible virtually via our Discord server.

Q: What if I miss a meeting?

A: Don't worry! Meeting materials and summaries will be uploaded to the respective week's folder in our GitHub repository.

Project

Q: Do I need prior experience to contribute to the project?

A: No, you don't need prior experience. We aim to make the project inclusive for members at all skill levels.

Q: How can I contribute to the project?

A: Contributions can be made through our project repository on GitHub. More details can be found in the "Project Repository" section of this README.

Technologies

Q: Do I need to know all the technologies listed to participate?

A: No, you don't need to be proficient in all the technologies. The club serves as a learning platform, and we'll cover various technologies throughout the semester.

Q: What if I'm interested in a technology not listed?

A: We're open to exploring new technologies! Feel free to bring it up during meetings or on our Discord server.

Contact

Q: How can I contact the club leaders?

A: You can reach out to us via our Discord server or by sending an email to [email protected].

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If you have a question that's not listed here, feel free to ask on our Discord server or reach out to the club leaders.