Merge pull request #5 from CU-ESIIL/codex/update-readme.md-for-minimal-template

Rewrite README as minimal template and website setup guide

Author: ttuff

README.md

@@ -1,13 +1,50 @@
-# basic_OASIS
+# Research Project Template
 
-This repository has been reduced to the essentials:
+This repository is a **minimal template for research and data science projects** that combine code, documentation, and a project website.
 
-- A README.
-- A minimal MkDocs website in `docs/`.
+It includes:
 
-## Local preview
+* a clean project structure (`src`, `data`, `docs`, `tests`, etc.)
+* a documentation website built with **MkDocs + Material**
+* automatic deployment to **GitHub Pages** using GitHub Actions
+* development history files (changelog, roadmap, dev log)
+* an `AGENTS.md` file with guidance for AI coding agents
 
-```bash
+The website is built from the `docs/` folder and automatically deployed when changes are pushed.
+
+---
+
+# Enable the Website
+
+After creating a repository from this template you must enable GitHub Pages once.
+
+1. Go to **Settings → Pages**
+2. Under **Build and deployment**, choose
+   **Source: GitHub Actions**
+
+The site will then deploy automatically on push.
+
+Your site will appear at:
+
+```
+https://<your-username>.github.io/<repository-name>/
+```
+
+---
+
+# Preview Locally
+
+```
 pip install mkdocs mkdocs-material
 mkdocs serve
 ```
+
+Then open:
+
+```
+http://127.0.0.1:8000
+```
+
+---
+
+Use **"Use this template"** on GitHub to start a new project.