Collaborative suites for experiment-oriented scientific research

Abstract

Collaborations are the essence of science, yet in our information age, most scientific collaborations rely heavily on face-to-face interactions, individual actions, hands-on experimentation, and delayed communications (such as e-mail).For remote collaborations to be as fruitful as sessions with our colleagues down the hall, we need rich communication environments that enable us to focus on knowledge tasks. We also need shared access to primary scientific resources such as instruments, analysis tools, and information sources. Electronic collaborative environments can meet these needs by providing real-time access to collaborators and shared resources.

Development and Use of a Virtual NMR Facility

“…Previous work identifying different types of collaborations (peer-to-peer, mentor-student, interdisciplinary, producer-consumer) and the differences in their communications needs (18) suggests that a VNMRF optimized for peerto-peer interactions may not be optimal for supporting a theoretician working with an NMR collaborator or a student learning a new NMR technique. Thus, in-depth consideration of the requirements for supporting these types of collaborations will undoubtedly suggest additional directions for VNMRF enhancements.…”

“…There are certainly differences from working with local colleagues and local spectrometers. Many of these differences such as the lack of nonverbal feedback from body language and the intrusion of technology are well known in the computer-supported cooperative work community and have been discussed elsewhere (18). The overall effect of working remotely on the 750-MHz spectrometer via the VNMRF has been likened by one of us to "driving a Cadillac"; it's a luxury vehicle, but there is no "road feel.…”

Laboratory Directed Research and Development 1998 Annual Report

“…Research" (Schur et al 1998), describes EMSL'S collaborator tools in the SBC project and discusses the dynamics of distributed research groups.…”

Competence Mapping through Analysing Research Papers of a Scientific Community

“…Community members come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, having a shared set of normative and principled beliefs and a set of defined criteria for weighing and validating knowledge in the domain of expertise. As stated by Shur et al [15], collaboration is the essence of science and is a key factor in scientific knowledge construction.…”