WORKSHOP: iConference 2014 Doctoral Research Colloquium

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

This is funding to support travel for a diverse group of U.S. PhD students and distinguished faculty mentors to participate in a doctoral colloquium (workshop) on research on information science that will be co-located with the 2014 iConference to be held March 4-7 in Berlin, Germany, and jointly hosted by the Berlin School of Library and Information Science at Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin and the Royal School of Library and Information Science at the University of Copenhagen. The iConferences, the annual meetings of the iSchool community (cf. http://ischools.org/ for more information) are a leading forum that brings together faculty, students, research staff, and industry practitoners with a common interest in supporting and augmenting human engagement with information and technology. Open to broad participation, the iConferences have been successful in building a sense of community around the information field, bringing together people who otherwise might rarely interact with one another, and helping them share findings and exchange views relating to their interdisciplinary research. More information about the 2014 iConference may be found online at http://ischools.org/theiconference/call-for-participation/. The 2014 iConference Doctoral Colloquium, which will take place on March 7, 2014 (the final day of the iConference), will be a day long research-focused meeting of approximately 35 selected PhD candidates studying all aspects of information science (IS) together with 12 distinguished mentors (NSF funds will be used to support 16 student participants from U.S. institutions). The primary objective of the Doctoral Colloquium is to help train the next generation of information science researchers. To this end, it will provide the student participants with an environment in which they can share and discuss their goals, methods and results at an early stage of their research. By participating in the doctoral colloquium, students will gain feedback on their work both from the mentors and from other students, which should allow them to enhance their research. Students will also develop a better understanding of the different research communities engaged in the study of information science, and learn how to position their work within the IS community. In addition, the colloquium will provide students with opportunities to make new professional connections beyond their own disciplines. Broader Impacts: The iConference doctoral colloquia traditionally bring together the best of the next generation of researchers in information science and related areas, allowing them to create a social network both among themselves and with senior researchers at a critical stage in their professional development. Participation is encouraged from a broad range of relevant disciplines and approaches, thereby broadening attendees' perspectives on their topics of study and promoting advancement of the field. No more than one student will be accepted from any given institution, and priority will be given to students who have not previously attended an iConference Doctoral Colloquium. The organizers will proactively work to include women and minority representation among the student participants to the extent possible. As a consequence of these steps, the student and faculty participants will constitute a diverse group across a variety of dimensions, which will help broaden the students' horizons to the future benefit of the field.