Collaborative Research: VOSS: The Emergence of Collaborative Social Structure in nanoHUB Cyberspace

协作研究：VOSS：nanoHUB 网络空间中协作社会结构的出现

• 批准号: 0838352
• 负责人: Ann Zimmerman
• 金额: $ 11.17万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0838352&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; VOSS; Emergence; Social

A science gateway can be defined as a community-specific set of tools, applications, and data that are integrated via a portal or suite of applications. The nanoHUB was created as a new form of science gateway, intended to enable collaboration for learning and discovery in nanoscience and technology. The nanoHUB is only four years old but has grown to more than 60,000 members from 170 countries. The goal of this project is to understand the degree to which nanoHUB generates new intellectual capital; the technical and social features of the nanoHUB that support knowledge generation; and, the conditions needed to improve design choices for the expansion and creation of science gateways. The project will compare processes and outcomes in nanoHUB with Indiana CTSI, one of several new gateways that have been launched in other domains using the suite of software and tools available in nanoHUB. IndianaCTSI supports clinical and translational research to improve human health. In the past it was assumed that virtual spaces like nanoHUB and IndianaCTSI could not be considered sites of situated practice or generative of knowledge on their own terms, and no midrange theory of collaborative practice in virtual organizations exists. One aim of this study will be to contribute to the development of a conceptual framework to fill this theoretical gap. In doing so, the project draws on literature in the areas of socio-technical systems, knowledge generation, and collaboration. The research will be conducted in a series of three phases: 1) interviews and focus groups; 2) surveys; and 3) social network analysis. Findings from this study will contribute to a small but growing body of literature that will help to optimize gateway design and use.

科学门户可以被定义为通过门户或应用套件集成的一组特定于社区的工具、应用程序和数据。NanHUB是作为一种新形式的科学门户而创建的，旨在促进在纳米科学和技术方面的学习和发现方面的合作。NanHUB成立仅四年，但已发展到来自170个国家的6万多名成员。该项目的目标是了解NanHUB产生新智力资本的程度；NanHUB支持知识产生的技术和社会特征；以及为扩大和创造科学门户改进设计选择所需的条件。该项目将比较NanHUB与印第安纳州CTSI的进程和结果，这是已在其他领域使用NanHUB提供的一套软件和工具在其他领域推出的几个新网关之一。印度CTSI支持临床和转化性研究，以改善人类健康。在过去，人们认为，像NanHUB和IndianaCTSI这样的虚拟空间不能被认为是情境实践或知识生成的场所，也不存在虚拟组织中合作实践的中期理论。这项研究的目的之一将是为建立一个概念框架来填补这一理论空白做出贡献。在这样做的过程中，该项目借鉴了社会技术系统、知识创造和协作领域的文献。这项研究将分三个阶段进行：1)访谈和焦点小组；2)调查；3)社交网络分析。这项研究的结果将有助于收集少量但不断增加的文献，帮助优化网关的设计和使用。