Research Futures… A Changing Tide
(THE RISE OF THE DIGITALLY NATIVE RESEARCHER)
“In five years time, researchers will no longer spend the majority of their time in word-processing and ‘office’ tools; the researcher’s day will be spent using discipline specific apps, digital toolchains and datasets which will be shared with research partners worldwide…”
[Bio21 Institute connect their digital research equipment to a series of digital workflow tools which enable secure collaboration across the research team]
How can researcher focused departments in Universities be ready for supporting the new tide of data driven research, and digital native, digital research tools and data sets?
- Across the precinct, data will flow from instruments to storage to compute capabilities to tools and to international collaborators. This will require an unprecedented approach to developing a holistic digital technology architecture that can support data driven research within the precinct and beyond.
- Internationally, there is an ever increasing focus on digital tools, data, digital experimentation methods, equipment and skills, especially in biomedical research.
- Instruments such as the humble microscope are increasingly tied into a digital fabric of networks, data storage and archiving, data processing, analysis and sharing tools, and ultimately publication of the data.
- Q. What does a microscope underpinned by the entire world wide web look like?
- Q. How can we lift the digital literacy of the Melbourne research community?
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“In five years time, all research students and early career researchers will have natively used dozens of social media tools which will facilitate their face-to-face interactions, enhancing trusted new partnerships with fellow digital research natives worldwide…”
[Digitally native researchers enhance their face-to-face community relationships with social platforms they’ve used their entire lives]
How can we be ready for the tide-change of researchers who natively collaborate through new social platforms (digital and face-to-face)?
- At the core of research is collaboration, and digital technology has profoundly changed how that happens and the scale at which it happens. Within the next decade collaboration will again look fundamentally different as the majority of the workforce will be working in this way.
- Relationships and research endeavours are ultimately built on ‘real world’ interpersonal relationships and collaborations. However finding people, datasets and tools to work with needs to become easier, particularly in a precinct as tight knit as Parkville. How can precinct researchers ensure they find the right people with the right skills and interests?
- Q. How will social engagement and their real world counterparts change the way research collaboration happens?
- Q. How can we design and combine digital and physical spaces?
Let’s begin to unravel the answer to these questions together! Join our ‘online’ community through Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr & YouTube.
But more importantly, let’s chat 'offline’! Come to HackyHour (on every Thursday at Tsubu), one of our events, or especially our ResBaz Conference in Feb 2015!
It’s through these conversations, connections and collaborations that we can change and better the face of research.
