Visualizing Scientific Discovery Workshop, September 11-12, 2008

可视化科学发现工作坊佐治亚理工学院苏珊·E·科曾斯网络基础设施的进步使可视化工具的开发成为可能，为跟踪科学投资的影响提供了有趣的可能性。这些可能性的范围从追踪从基础研究发现到专利和创新的路径，到不断变化的科学学科结构，从考察社会网络的重要性到科学创新的分散，再到国际科学业绩的比较。这对NSF项目的潜在贡献是深远的。规划人员可以利用这类工具提供的信息，检查一种特定类型或水平的投资是否比另一种类型或水平更有利于实现特定的短期结果，利用这些信息重组或平衡其资金组合，以及向外界提供有关特定投资价值的信息。此外，国家科学基金会的工作人员可以使用这些工具来描述交叉倡议的影响，如网络基础设施和ITR。NSF的工作人员还可以通过绘制多学科合作的复杂结构图来进行扩展，并使用这些信息来识别分散在科学上的社区成员以及科学和创新领域的新兴领导者。然而，在实现这样的愿景之前，可视化工具的健壮性、有效性和可用性仍然存在许多问题。研讨会的目的是让来自广泛学科的研究人员研究开放的问题。研讨会将探索一个令人兴奋的社会科学领域的研究前沿，调查当前的技术水平，并确定进一步发展的关键问题。研讨会将增加这一研究领域成果的实用性。它充分吸收博士后学者和博士后学生参与工作，从而为科学政策科学中的人力资源开发做出贡献。

Visualizing Scientific Discovery WorkshopSusan E. Cozzens, Georgia Institute of TechnologyThe development of visualization tools made possible by advances in cyber-infrastructure offer intriguing possibilities for tracking the impact ofinvestments in science. These possibilities range from tracing the path from basic research discoveries to patents and innovation, to the changing structure of scientific disciplines, and from examining the importance of social networks to the dispersion of scientific innovations to comparators of international performance in science.The potential contribution to NSF programs is far-reaching. Programofficers could use information from such tools to examine whether one particular type or level of investment has been better than another for achieving a particular short-term outcome, use the information to restructure or balance their funding portfolio, as well as to provide information to outside queries about the value of particular investments. In addition, NSF staff could use the tools to describe the impact of cross-cutting initiatives, such as cyber-infrastructure and ITR. NSF staff might also be able to expand by mapping the complex structures of multidisciplinary collaborations and using the information to identify members of scientifically dispersed communities as well as emerging leaders in science and innovation.However, before such a vision is achieved, many questions remain aboutthe robustness, validity and usability of the visualization tools. The workshop is designed to bring researchers from a broad range of disciplines to examine the open questions.Intellectual Merit. The workshop will explore the research frontier of anexciting area of the social sciences, surveying the current state of the art and identifying key issues for further development.Broader impacts. The workshop will increase the usability of results fromthis research area. It involves a postdoctoral scholar and doctoral student fully in the work, and thus contributes to human resource development in the science of science policy.