Conference Schedule

This is the latest schedule for the CAR Conference in Indianapolis New and updated panels, hands-on classes and speaker names will be added soon. Please check this site frequently for updates. The early registration deadline is 5 p.m. Mar. 6.
Preliminary schedule
View events for a specific day of the conference:


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Thursday, Mar. 19
8:30 am to 8:50 am
Best use of the conference and introduction to CAR
  • Jaimi Dowdell, IRE and NICAR
  • Doug Haddix, IRE and NICAR
Meridian Ballroom East

9:00 am to 9:50 am
Bridging the gap: From data analysis to programming
  • John Perry, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • Derek Willis, The New York Times
Meridian Ballroom Center

Overview of the year in CAR
  • Doug Haddix, IRE and NICAR
  • Mark Horvit, IRE and NICAR
Meridian Ballroom East

Think Outside the Search Box: Building deeper, richer data-driven interactives
  • Aron Pilhofer, The New York Times
Meridian Ballroom West

Caspio Hands-on Boot Camp for existing Caspio Bridge clients (vendor session, sign up to attend)
Hands-on panel
  • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
Panorama B

10:00 am to 10:50 am
Creative ways to cover natural and man-made disasters
  • Danielle Cervantes, The San Diego Union-Tribune
  • David Herzog, IRE and NICAR
  • Zack Kucharski, The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette
Meridian Ballroom Center

Internet Tips and Tricks
  • David Donald, Center for Public Integrity
  • Carolyn Edds, St. Petersburg Times
Meridian Ballroom East

Advanced Google Maps and the latest in mapping
  • Michael Corey, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
  • Tim Henderson, The Journal News (White Plains, N.Y.)
Meridian Ballroom West

Caspio Hands-on Boot Camp for existing Caspio Bridge clients (vendor session, sign up to attend)
Hands-on panel
  • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
Panorama B

11:00 am to 11:50 am
Dissecting a Web site
  • Jacob Fenton, The (Allentown, Pa.) Morning Call
  • Aron Pilhofer, The New York Times
Meridian Ballroom Center

Interactive journalism
  • David Heath, The Seattle Times
  • Brad Heath, USA Today
Meridian Ballroom East

The latest in text and database mining
  • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
  • Brant Houston, University of Illinois
Meridian Ballroom West

Caspio Hands-on Boot Camp for existing Caspio Bridge clients (vendor session, sign up to attend)
Hands-on panel
  • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
Panorama B

2:00 pm to 2:50 pm
Web development at newsroom speed
  • Daniel Lathrop
Meridian Ballroom Center

Essential data for every newsroom
  • Ben Poston, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  • Anne Saul, Gannett Co. Inc.
Meridian Ballroom East

Stats for stories
  • David Donald, Center for Public Integrity
  • Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
Meridian Ballroom West

Caspio Hands-on Boot Camp for existing Caspio Bridge clients (vendor session, sign up to attend)
Hands-on panel
  • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
Panorama B

3:00 pm to 3:50 pm
Social science methods
  • David Donald, Center for Public Integrity
  • Stan Ketterer, Oklahoma State University
Meridian Ballroom Center

Programming basics
  • Daniel Lathrop
  • Jeremy Milarsky, IRE and NICAR
Meridian Ballroom East

New directions in GPS and GIS
  • Josh Overton, 39 Degrees North
  • Matthew Waite, St. Petersburg Times
Meridian Ballroom West

Caspio Hands-on Boot Camp for existing Caspio Bridge clients (vendor session, sign up to attend)
Hands-on panel
  • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
Panorama B

4:00 pm to 4:50 pm
Web scraping
  • Jeremy Milarsky, IRE and NICAR
  • John Perry, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Meridian Ballroom Center

Social Network Analysis
  • Tommy Kaas, Kaas & Mulvad
  • Aaron Kessler, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Meridian Ballroom East

Pushing the envelope
  • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
  • Matthew Waite, St. Petersburg Times
Meridian Ballroom West

Caspio Hands-on Boot Camp for existing Caspio Bridge clients (vendor session, sign up to attend)
Hands-on panel
  • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
Panorama B

Friday, Mar. 20
8:30 am to 8:50 am
Best use of the conference and introduction to CAR
  • Jaimi Dowdell, IRE and NICAR
  • Doug Haddix, IRE and NICAR
Meridian Ballroom East

9:00 am to 9:50 am
Introduction to MySQL
Hands-on panel
  • Darnell Little, Chicago Tribune
Illinois

Downloading and analysis with ACS data
Hands-on panel
  • Paul Overberg, USA Today
Library

Creating your own dynamic databases
  • Mark Nichols, The Indianapolis Star
  • Bob Segall, WTHR-Indianapolis
Meridian Ballroom Center

Forensic CAR for covering crime
  • Brad Branan, The Fresno (Calif.) Bee
  • Daniel Lathrop
Meridian Ballroom East

Mashups and Web mapping on the fly
  • Tommy Kaas, Kaas & Mulvad
  • Charlie Szymanski, NationalJournal.com
Meridian Ballroom West

The Elaboration Model
  • Stan Ketterer, Oklahoma State University
Monument Suite (Demo Room)

Web scraping 1
Hands-on panel
  • John Perry, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ohio

Excel 1
Hands-on panel
  • Kevin Crowe, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Panorama A

Mapping 1
Hands-on panel
  • Justin Mayo, The Seattle Times
Panorama B

10:00 am to 10:50 am
Searching the deep Web
Hands-on panel
  • Carolyn Edds, St. Petersburg Times
Illinois

PDF to Excel
Hands-on panel
  • Alex Richards, Las Vegas Sun
Library

Using CAR to cover the financial crisis
  • Wendell Cochran, American University
  • Maurice Tamman, The Wall Street Journal
Meridian Ballroom Center

Bulletproofing your data-based stories
  • Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
  • Ken McCall, Dayton (Ohio) Daily News
Meridian Ballroom East

Exploratory visualization
  • Sarah Cohen, The Washington Post
  • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
Meridian Ballroom West

Expanding Excel and Access capabilities with programming
  • Phil Harbord, CBC
Monument Suite (Demo Room)

Web scraping 2
Hands-on panel
  • Daniel Lathrop
Ohio

Excel 2
Hands-on panel
  • Griff Palmer, The New York Times
Panorama A

Mapping 2
Hands-on panel
  • Brad Branan, The Fresno (Calif.) Bee
Panorama B

11:00 am to 11:50 am
Excel as a statistics package
Hands-on panel
  • Steve Doig, Arizona State University
Illinois

Backgrounding people and business
Hands-on panel
  • Cheryl Phillips, The Seattle Times
Library

Geodata tsunami
  • Clem Henriksen, ESRI
  • David Herzog, IRE and NICAR
Meridian Ballroom Center

Using CAR in broadcast stories
  • Mark Greenblatt, KHOU-Houston
  • Lawan Williams, E.W. Scripps
Meridian Ballroom East

Open source alternatives
  • Derek Willis, The New York Times
Meridian Ballroom West

The nuts and bolts of social network analysis
  • Jaimi Dowdell, IRE and NICAR
Monument Suite (Demo Room)

Google maps
Hands-on panel
  • Jeremy Milarsky, IRE and NICAR
Ohio

Excel 3
Hands-on panel
  • Ken McCall, Dayton (Ohio) Daily News
Panorama A

Mapping 3
Hands-on panel
  • Brad Heath, USA Today
Panorama B

12:00 pm to 1:50 pm
Online Demographic Data – Brown Bag Sponsored by ESRI
  • Clem Henriksen, ESRI
Meridian Ballroom Center

Brown Bag with Media Lawyers, Sponsored by Ice Miller LLP and IRE
  • David Smallman
  • Mike Wilkins, Ice Miller LLP
Meridian Ballroom West

2:00 pm to 2:50 pm
Intro to Django and frameworks (Web Frameworks boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
  • Matthew Waite, St. Petersburg Times
Illinois

Excel 1 (mini-boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • Mark Greenblatt, KHOU-Houston
Library

What's next in housing? CAR for real estate
  • Jason Grotto, Chicago Tribune
  • Aaron Kessler, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Meridian Ballroom Center

Open door for data? Changes in FOI policy and how they affect you
  • David Smallman
  • Mike Wilkins, Ice Miller LLP
Meridian Ballroom East

From database to story: A step-by-step guide
  • Phil Harbord, CBC
  • David McKie, CBC
Meridian Ballroom West

Open mapping discussion with ESRI
  • Clem Henriksen, ESRI
Monument Suite (Demo Room)

Advanced Google maps
Hands-on panel
  • Michael Corey, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
Ohio

Excel 1 (mini-boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • Dan Stockman, The Journal Gazette
Panorama A

Mapping 4
Hands-on panel
  • David Herzog, IRE and NICAR
Panorama B

3:00 pm to 3:50 pm
Objects, Models and the ORM (Web Frameworks boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
  • Matthew Waite, St. Petersburg Times
Illinois

Excel 2 (mini-boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • Darnell Little, Chicago Tribune
Library

Higher education: Measuring performance from the classroom to the locker room (Sponsored by Lumina Foundation for Education)
  • Holly Hacker, The Dallas Morning News
  • Jodi Upton, USA Today
Meridian Ballroom Center

Mining Census data and preparing for 2010
  • Steve Doig, Arizona State University
  • Paul Overberg, USA Today
Meridian Ballroom East

Harvesting farm subsidy data
  • Sarah Cohen, The Washington Post
  • Dan Stockman, The Journal Gazette
Meridian Ballroom West

From database to story II
  • Phil Harbord, CBC
  • David McKie, CBC
Monument Suite (Demo Room)

String functions - Access
Hands-on panel
  • David Knox, Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal
Ohio

Excel 2 (mini-boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • Ryan McNeill, The Dallas Morning News
Panorama A

Mapping 5
Hands-on panel
  • Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
Panorama B

4:00 pm to 4:50 pm
Prepping your data (Web Frameworks boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
  • Matthew Waite, St. Petersburg Times
Illinois

Importing data into Excel (mini-boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • David Heath, The Seattle Times
Library

Deconstructing test scores
  • Jack Gillum, USA Today
  • Darnell Little, Chicago Tribune
Meridian Ballroom Center

Pesticides and Pollution
  • Brad Heath, USA Today
  • Michael Pell, Center for Public Integrity
Meridian Ballroom East

Hyperlocal data
  • Adrian Holovaty, Everyblock
  • Mark Nichols, The Indianapolis Star
Meridian Ballroom West

BTS data to track air carriers
  • Alex Richards, Las Vegas Sun
Monument Suite (Demo Room)

Access functions and other tools
Hands-on panel
  • David Milliron, Caspio, Inc.
Ohio

Importing data into Excel (mini-boot camp)
Hands-on panel
  • Ben Poston, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panorama A

Social Network Analysis
Hands-on panel
  • Jaimi Dowdell, IRE and NICAR
Panorama B

5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Philip Meyer Awards Reception
    Panaroma Ballroom

    Saturday, Mar. 21
    9:00 am to 9:50 am
    PDF to Excel
    Hands-on panel
    • Gregory Korte, The Cincinnati Enquirer
    Library

    CAR on campus (Sponsored by Lumina Foundation for Education)
    • Jim Brown, IU School of Journalism
    • Wendell Cochran, American University
    • Suzanne McBride, Columbia College (Chicago)
    • Fred Vallance-Jones, University of King's College
    Meridian Ballroom Center

    Digging deep to find data on the Web
    • Carolyn Edds, St. Petersburg Times
    • Nora Paul, Institute for Media Studies
    Meridian Ballroom East

    Spycraft: Keeping your sources and your secrets safe from prying eyes
    • Steve Doig, Arizona State University
    Meridian Ballroom West

    How to Use the BLS Web Site Like a Pro
    • Paul M. LaPorte, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
    Monument Suite (Demo Room)

    SPSS 1
    Hands-on panel
    • Ken McCall, Dayton (Ohio) Daily News
    Ohio

    Access 1
    Hands-on panel
    • Jack Gillum, USA Today
    Panorama A

    Finding and downloading data online
    Hands-on panel
    • Paul Overberg, USA Today
    Panorama B

    10:00 am to 10:50 am
    String functions - Access
    Hands-on panel
    • Andy Lehren, The New York Times
    Library

    Dissecting the recession for local impact
    • David Knox, Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal
    • Ted Mellnik, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
    Meridian Ballroom Center

    Writing and editing the CAR story
    • Andy Hall, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
    • Cheryl Phillips, The Seattle Times
    Meridian Ballroom East

    Following the Money: From Grade School Through College (Sponsored by Lumina Foundation for Education)
    • Jeff Brainard, The Chronicle of Higher Education
    • Jeff Kelly Lowenstein, Chicago Reporter
    Meridian Ballroom West

    Cool tools from the NCSA
    • Brant Houston, University of Illinois
    • Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
    Monument Suite (Demo Room)

    SPSS 2
    Hands-on panel
    • Stan Ketterer, Oklahoma State University
    Ohio

    Access 2
    Hands-on panel
    • Sarah Okeson, Charlotte (N.C.) Business Journal
    Panorama A

    Cleaning data found online
    Hands-on panel
    • Alex Richards, Las Vegas Sun
    Panorama B

    11:00 am to 11:50 am
    Access functions and other tools
    Hands-on panel
    • David Milliron, Caspio, Inc.
    Library

    Beyond agate: Real sports stats
    • Jodi Upton, USA Today
    • Wayne Winston, Indiana University
    Meridian Ballroom Center

    Quick Hit CAR: Impress your editor or producer in a week or less
    • Jaimi Dowdell, IRE and NICAR
    • Justin Mayo, The Seattle Times
    Meridian Ballroom East

    Mining Facebook, MySpace and other social sites
    • Kelly Guckian, San Antonio (Texas) Express-News
    • James Pilcher, The Cincinnati Enquirer
    Meridian Ballroom West

    Getting the most from your IRE Membership
    • John Green, IRE and NICAR
    • Mark Horvit, IRE and NICAR
    Monument Suite (Demo Room)

    SPSS 3
    Hands-on panel
    • David Donald, Center for Public Integrity
    Ohio

    Access 3
    Hands-on panel
    • Fred Vallance-Jones, University of King's College
    Panorama A

    Backgrounding people and businesses
    Hands-on panel
    • Nora Paul, Institute for Media Studies
    Panorama B

    2:00 pm to 2:50 pm
    Using the ORM to get data (Web Frameworks boot camp)
    Hands-on panel
    • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
    • Matthew Waite, St. Petersburg Times
    Illinois

    Moving into Access (mini-boot camp)
    Hands-on panel
    • David McKie, CBC
    Library

    Meds and mortality: CAR on the health beat
    • Thomas Hargrove, Scripps Howard News Service
    • Alex Richards, Las Vegas Sun
    Meridian Ballroom Center

    Negotiating for data/FOI
    • Jaimi Dowdell, IRE and NICAR
    • Dan O'Neil, Everyblock
    Meridian Ballroom East

    Computational journalism and new opportunities
    • Jay Hamilton, Duke University
    • Brant Houston, University of Illinois
    Meridian Ballroom West

    OpenKapow: Scraping the Web
    • Nils Mulvad, Kaas & Mulvad
    Monument Suite (Demo Room)

    SPSS 4
    Hands-on panel
    • Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
    Ohio

    Moving into Access (mini-boot camp)
    Hands-on panel
    • David Knox, Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal
    Panorama A

    Advanced Excel functions
    Hands-on panel
    • Wayne Winston, Indiana University
    Panorama B

    3:00 pm to 3:50 pm
    Design by URL (Web Frameworks boot camp)
    Hands-on panel
    • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
    • Matthew Waite, St. Petersburg Times
    Illinois

    Access 2 (mini-boot camp)
    Hands-on panel
    • Aaron Kessler, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
    Library

    Watchdogging government spending
    • Andy Lehren, The New York Times
    • Ryan McNeill, The Dallas Morning News
    Meridian Ballroom Center

    The data you need from Europe
    • Helena Bengtsson, Sveriges Television
    • Nils Mulvad, Kaas & Mulvad
    Meridian Ballroom East

    Covering TARP, stimulus and federal appropriations
      Meridian Ballroom West

      Mapping 1
      Hands-on panel
      • Ben Poston, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
      Ohio

      Access 2 (mini-boot camp)
      Hands-on panel
      • David Heath, The Seattle Times
      Panorama A

      Google Maps
      Hands-on panel
      • Michael Corey, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
      Panorama B

      4:00 pm to 4:50 pm
      Views (Web Frameworks boot camp)
      Hands-on panel
      • Chase Davis, The Des Moines (Iowa) Register
      • Matthew Waite, St. Petersburg Times
      Illinois

      Access 3 (mini-boot camp)
      Hands-on panel
      • Ted Mellnik, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
      Library

      Ethics of putting data online
      • Steve Doig, Arizona State University
      • Adrian Holovaty, Everyblock
      • David Milliron, Caspio, Inc.
      • Nora Paul, Institute for Media Studies
      Meridian Ballroom Center

      Toxic CAR
      • Michael Grabell, ProPublica
      • Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune
      Meridian Ballroom East

      Creative uses of election data
      • Griff Palmer, The New York Times
      Meridian Ballroom West

      Delving into death
      • Thomas Hargrove, Scripps Howard News Service
      Monument Suite (Demo Room)

      Mapping 2
      Hands-on panel
      • Andy Lehren, The New York Times
      Ohio

      Access 3 (mini-boot camp)
      Hands-on panel
      • David Donald, Center for Public Integrity
      Panorama A

      Web scraping 1
      Hands-on panel
      • Daniel Lathrop
      Panorama B

      5:00 pm to 5:50 pm
      The past and future in CAR: A look at where we have been and what's next
      • Jim Brown, IU School of Journalism
      • Steve Doig, Arizona State University
      • Brant Houston, University of Illinois
      Meridian Ballroom Center

      Sunday, Mar. 22
      9:00 am to 9:50 am
      Templates (Web Frameworks boot camp)
      Hands-on panel
        Illinois

        Building your own database (mini-boot camp)
        Hands-on panel
        • Jeremy Milarsky, IRE and NICAR
        Library

        CAR in the classroom
        • Dan Close, Wichita State University
        • Brant Houston, University of Illinois
        • Gerry Lanosga, Indiana University
        • Suzanne McBride, Columbia College (Chicago)
        Meridian Ballroom Center

        Storyboarding your ideas: Open discussion
        • Doug Haddix, IRE and NICAR
        Meridian Ballroom East

        Building your own database (mini-boot camp)
        Hands-on panel
        • David Donald, Center for Public Integrity
        Panorama A

        Caspio Hands-on Mini-Boot Camp - Fast Track for Educators (Vendor session, sign up to attend)
        Hands-on panel
        • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
        Panorama B

        10:00 am to 10:50 am
        Wrap up, show off (Web Frameworks boot camp)
        Hands-on panel
          Illinois

          Final Q&A (mini-boot camp)
          Hands-on panel
          • Jeremy Milarsky, IRE and NICAR
          Library

          Internet tips and tricks
          • Jaimi Dowdell, IRE and NICAR
          Meridian Ballroom Center

          Making your personal battle plan
          • Doug Haddix, IRE and NICAR
          Meridian Ballroom East

          Final Q&A (mini-boot camp)
          Hands-on panel
          • David Donald, Center for Public Integrity
          Panorama A

          Caspio Hands-on Mini-Boot Camp - Fast Track for Educators (Vendor session, sign up to attend)
          Hands-on panel
          • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
          Panorama B

          11:00 am to 11:50 am
          Caspio Hands-on Mini-Boot Camp - Fast Track for Educators (Vendor session, sign up to attend)
          Hands-on panel
          • Edward Garcia, Caspio, Inc.
          Panorama B