EDUCAUSE | Research and Reporting

CNI Podcast: nanoHUB.org: Future Cyberinfrastructure - An Interview with George B. Adams III

gbayne — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:57:26 -0500

This podcast features an interview with George B. Adams III, Associate Director for Programs, Network for Computational Nanotechnology at Purdue University. Our interview was recorded at the CNI 2008 Spring Task Force Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

nanoHUB provides users with “fingertip access” to over 70 simulation tools for research and education. Users not only launch jobs that are executed on the state-of-the-art computational facilities of Open Science Grid and TeraGrid, but also interactively visualize and analyze the results--all via an ordinary Web browser. nanoHUB middleware hides the complexity of Grid computing, handling authentication, authorization, file transfer, and visualization, and letting the researcher focus on research. This approach also helps educators bring these tools to the classroom, letting them bypass the difficulties of Grid computing and focus instead on learning science and engineering.

This interview is provided courtesy of CNI and was recorded at their 2008 Fall Task Force Meeting. The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is an organization dedicated to supporting the transformative promise of networked information technology for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual productivity. You can learn more about CNI at their web site, http://www.cni.org

Show Them the Data: How Publishing Course Usage Stats Can Change Faculty Support

drupal — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:00:51 -0600

UMBC has published online reports showing by discipline and by instructor which Blackboard courses are most active. Initial feedback suggests that regularly publishing these simple but effective reports could create a "tipping point" of one-on-one and departmental pedagogical discussions that change the form and content of institutional faculty support.

Agenda for Developing E-Science in Research Libraries

ckeller — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:42:58 -0600

This is the Final Report and Recommendations to the Scholarly Communication Steering Committee, the
Public Policies Affecting Research Libraries Steering Committee, and the Research, Teaching, and Learning Steering Committee.

E-science has the potential to be transformational within research libraries by impacting their operations, functions, and possibly even their mission. Recognizing this potential, the ARL Steering Committees for Scholarly Communication and for Research, Teaching, and Learning jointly appointed a task force in 2006 to address the emergent domain of e-science. The Joint Task Force on Library Support for E-Science focused its attention on the implications of trends in e-science for research libraries, exploring the dimensions that impact collections, services, research infrastructure, and professional development. Priorities of government funding agencies further shaped the task force's work.

The task force recommends that ARL establish dedicated capacity within the Association to develop a program agenda over time and to build a shared understanding among the membership of the component issues and challenges for library engagement. In addition to the recently appointed program officers (one permanent and another temporary part-time), the report proposes a working group with an initial charge to develop principles that will inform program development. Anticipated programmatic efforts would emphasize: education of the research library community about scientific trends, the emergent role of data curation, characteristics of virtual organizations, relevant policy for data and research dissemination, and tools and infrastructure systems. While the task force focused on e-science, it was mindful of the broader eresearch trends that are shaping research and scholarship in all disciplines.

The task force believes that ARL's engagement in the issues of e-science is best focused on educational and policy roles, while partnering with other relevant organizations to contribute in strategic areas of technology development and new genres of publication. These types of strategic collaborations will also provide opportunities to re-envision the research library's role and contribution as 21st-century science takes shape.

FBI-.edu security partnership trying to overcome decades of mistrust

ckeller — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:41:35 -0600

"Two weeks ago, we described a report from the National Research Council on the challenges of balancing an open academic research environment with the risks that the fruits of the research could be adopted by terrorists. One of the report's recommendations was the formation of a standing committee comprised of academics and members of the national security agencies. It turns out that the FBI had already heeded similar advice—back in 2005."

EDUCAUSE Core Data Service 2006 Results

drupal — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:39:01 -0600

This session will summarize the highlights from the 2006 EDUCAUSE Core Data Service survey data. These analyses will identify key findings, important trends, and similarities and differences across different types of institutions. This year more than 940 institutions participated in this collaborative effort. A discussion period will conclude this session to understand concerns and issues from the audience, as well as discussion of future directions.

Ending the Intellectual Property Frenzy

ckeller — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:05:03 -0600

New president of Rochester Institute of Technology proposes alternate way for academe to support business and the economy — and it involves admitting that your institution won’t have a big windfall.

Taking “From Scratch” Out of Problem Solving

ckeller — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:32:57 -0600

Four tools of the trade facilitate solving IT problems in higher ed by removing the need to develop solutions “from scratch” every time a problem arises.

Publishing Undergraduate Research Electronically

drupal — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:42:37 -0500

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania has as a goal expanding opportunities for undergraduates to conduct significant research and promoting the products of this research. CUREJ, the College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal, was developed in collaboration with the Penn Libraries to achieve this goal.

Open Data for Global Science

ckeller — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:17:43 -0500

This is a special issue of the CODATA Data Science Journal which focuses on open access for science data research that has been supported by public funds.

Momentum for Open Access

ckeller — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:21:41 -0500

"Last year, a proposal in Congress to require all federally supported research to be placed online, freely available, attracted considerable attention and debate — and ultimately stalled.

This year, a measure that is narrower — it would apply only to research supported by the National Institutes of Health — appears within reach of passage. "