practical applications of e-science
DESCRIPTION
A. Sallans. "Practical Applications of e-Science." Presented at the 2011 eScience Bootcamp at the University of Virginia's Claude Moore Health Sciences Library. 4 March 2011TRANSCRIPT
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
OF E-SCIENCE
Andrew Sallans
Head of Strategic Data Initiatives
University of Virginia Library
E-Science Bootcamp
Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia
4 March 2011
ROUND 2:
SCIENTIFIC DATA CONSULTING GROUP
December/January 2010: rethinking the
model
Budgetary pressures
Changes in organizational priorities
Emerging demand in research community
Spring 2010: decision to focus on data
May 2010: close of RCL, start of SciDaC
2
WHAT’S HOT IN 2010?
Open data: growing governmental interest in
making publicly-funded research more
transparent and more available (NIH, NSF)
Broader critical review: greater interest
evaluating original research data (Nature)
Technological advances: sharing of research
results easier and faster (Repositories, Web 2.0)
Reuse/preservation of research data:
increased consideration of the cost and value of
research data and need to ensure its longevity
3
“SCIENTISTS SEEKING NSF FUNDING WILL SOON BE
REQUIRED TO SUBMIT DATA MANAGEMENT PLANS”Press Release 10-077, May 5, 2010
4
Current Policy:
o “To advance science by encouraging data sharing among researchers”
o Data obtained with federal funds be accessible to the general public
o Grantees must develop and submit specific plans to share materials collected with NSF support, except where this is inappropriate or impossible
On or around October 2010:
o All new NSF proposals will be required to include a data management plan in the form of a 2 pg supplementary document (peer reviewed)
o New policy is meant to be a 1st step toward a more comprehensive approach to data management
o Exact requirements vague
THE CHALLENGE FOR INSTITUTIONS
Data is expensive
Time, instrumentation, inability to reproduce
Increasing regulation
Granting agencies and journals require
submission
Inadequate training
No formal data management curriculum
Preservation is not a priority
For most researchers, preservation takes time
away from the work that is rewarded
(publication, teaching) 5
SO…WHO’S GOING TO TAKE THIS ON?
Researchers?
VPR?
CIO?
OSP?
UL?
6
WHY THE LIBRARY?
Neutral: works across the entire institution
Strong in relationship building: has
experience fostering discussion and relationships,
and cultivates an existing support network
Intellectual Property experts: has dealt with
copyright, can translate to data
Service-oriented: uniquely positioned as an
intellectual service unit within the institution
7
GETTING STARTED…
Take what we learned in the RCL experience and
apply it to the focused demands around data
Steps:
Conduct a stakeholder analysis
Make a short term plan (12 months)
Develop clear priorities
Refine and standardize consulting methods
Communicate heavily
8
STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS (ABBREVIATED)
Internal
Researchers
Graduate Students
Grant Administrators
Deans
VP/CIO
VPR
OSP
UL
External
Funding agencies
Broader research
community
“The Public”
9
SHORT TERM PLAN
Survey OSP to match grant holders with
regulations
Educate/engage subject librarians
Build political awareness/support
Build partnerships with
local/national/international groups
Resource requests:
Staffing commitment
Travel/partnership support
Promotion of initiative to institution10
CLEAR PRIORITIES
1. Data interviews/assessments
2. Response to NSF Data Management Plan
(DMP) Mandate
3. Leadership on data for the Institutional
Repository (IR)
11
CONSULTING METHODS
Interviews/assessments
DMP templates
LOTS of documentation
Constant and continuous refinement of process
Adherence to core principle of helping the
researcher improve process (not approaching it
theoretically)
12
COMMUNICATE HEAVILY
Internal
Inform staff of processes, priorities, and progress
Keep stakeholders engaged
Reach the consumers from many angles
External
Discuss and share experiences with colleagues at other
institutions
Create partnerships to share, build upon resources and
experiences, collaborate on tools
Networking (Twitter, LinkedIn, listserves, conference calls,
conference presentations)
Bottom line: this is a big culture shift, and you do have to
say the same thing many times in different ways13
HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK…
Librarians as partners
o Consult with and advise researchers
o Provide leadership to the institution
o Work with existing data organizations
In order to succeed, librarians need to:
• Build and develop specific expertise
• Facilitate communication
14
TIME OUT: NSF DMP UPDATE
Now effective January 18, 2011
Some earlier proposals also require DMPs (even
some in early December)
Broad guidelines, but directorates may have
specific guidelines for their community
Uploaded as 2-page supplemental document in
FastLane (with specific format requirements)
Formally peer-reviewed, and will require status
updates in all progress reports
15
UVA SCIDAC NSF DMP RESPONSE
UVa Library’s Original Request
Develop boilerplate for researchers to use in proposals
SciDaC Group’s Response
No boilerplate, successful proposals need customized plans
Our approach involves:
Knowledge across many communities (“translational” opportunities)
Leadership on policy/infrastructure development
Development of a template that simplifies writing the plan
Principles
Must be easy for researcher
Must be supportable by available UVA resources/infrastructure
Must be able to be followed-through on if grant is awarded16
ONGOING ISSUES
Training: how do you train librarians to meet
these new needs?
Buy-in: how do you get effective buy-in from
people around the institution?
Scalability: how do you scale this to support all
of the researchers who need support?
17
TRAINING LIBRARIANS
UVa Library Staff Model
Scientific Data Consultants
Subject Librarians
Current Training Model
Brown Bag Data CurationDiscussions
Data Interviews
Goals and Objectives
Build Data Literacy
Create Collaborative Opportunities
Establish the Library for Data Preservation
18
BUY-IN BY THE INSTITUTION
Regulations are helpful
Partnerships between key stakeholders:
University libraries (UL)
Central IT (CIO)
Research Office (VP for Research)
Sponsored Programs/Research
Strategic investment: take ownership, allocate
resources, and demonstrate capability
19
SCALING UP TO MEET DEMAND
Time: NSF research support alone is going to be very time consuming (UVA had about 140 proposals over the past year, 44 in November alone)
Funding: work with leaders to find money
Redirection/reallocation of grant overhead dollars
Write-in of library staff on grants
Strategy: decide how to invest
How might units be reorganized?
How could staff resources and expertise be refocused?
What external partnerships would add value?20
WRAP-UP
Libraries are well-positioned to play a vital role
in research data support
Open Data initiatives are a call to action
21