Multicampus E-Science

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a story on an NSF study on e-science:

In the past few years, the National Science Foundation and other financing agencies have encouraged e-science projects, and many ambitious efforts are under way. But an analysis of 62 research projects supported by NSF grants found that projects spread across multiple institutions had less-successful outcomes -- fewer papers were published, or fewer patent applications were submitted -- than traditional projects based on one campus. ...

The major roadblocks to many multicampus projects are logistical -- finding time to exchange ideas about the substance of projects while making sure mundane tasks are performed on schedule, according to the study. It seems that technology cannot easily replace face-to-face communication over a laboratory workbench.

Among the roadblocks listed in the report are:

• Conflicting teaching schedules at different institutions can make it hard to plan conference calls or meetings.
• The lack of face-to-face interaction can make it harder for scientists to build trust, and without that trust, participants may be reluctant to share their data.
• Researchers at different institutions may use different software, which can make trading data more difficult.
• Participating colleges may have conflicting policies for resolving questions like who retains intellectual-property rights or the protocol for how to go about involving human subjects in research.

The NSF findings will be published in the journal Social Studies of Science next year.

The Chronicle of Higher Education 51(6):A25 (December 10, 2004)

Posted by Tom on December 07, 2004