WORKSHOP: The iConference 2018 Doctoral Colloquium

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This is funding to partially support participation by the PI and 5 U.S.-based doctoral students who have completed their dissertation proposals, along with distinguished faculty mentors, in a doctoral colloquium (workshop) on information science research to be held in conjunction with the thirteenth iConference that will take place March 25-28, 2018, on the campus of University of Sheffield, UK. This will be the first time the iConference is held in England, and only the second time in Europe. Since 2005, the iConferences have provided a forum where information scholars, researchers and professionals from around the world gather to share insights on critical information issues in contemporary society. An openness to new ideas and research fields in information science is a primary characteristics of these events, which have been successful in bringing together people who otherwise might rarely interact with one another, thereby helping to promote interdisciplinary research. Recent iConferences have drawn approximately 500 attendees, a testament to participants' appreciation for the inspiring sense of community, high quality research presentations, and myriad opportunities for engagement. The iConferences are presented by the iCaucus, now a consortium of 78 Information Schools in the United States and abroad (along with 8 associate members) dedicated to advancing the information field and preparing students to meet the information challenges of the 21st Century. This year's theme is "Transforming Digital Worlds"; more information may be found online at http://ischools.org/the-iconference. The iConference doctoral colloquia traditionally bring together the best of the next generation of interdisciplinary researchers focused on the interplay of information and technology in a social context, allowing them to develop a network both among themselves and with senior researchers. Participation is encouraged from a broad range of relevant disciplines, thereby expanding attendees' perspectives on their topics of study and promoting advancement of the field. Due to timing constraints, the student participants in the 2018 event have already been selected. The organizers worked proactively to maximize diversity along such key dimensions as institution type, research topic, methodological approach, disciplinary tradition, gender, ethnicity, and national or cultural background, so that the students' horizons are broadened at a critical stage in their professional development. Of the 18 students accepted in total, 7 are women; 6 are studying in the UK, 5 in the US, 3 in Canada and 1 each in Germany, Israel, Nigeria and South Africa (2 of the UK-based students are originally from African countries).The 2018 Doctoral Colloquium will be tightly integrated into the conference experience, starting with an orientation event highlighting specific content during the technical program, and culminating in a full day focused on peer-research critique and career development which will overlap with and immediately follow the closing session of the conference technical program on March 28. 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 in order to gain feedback on their work both from the mentors and from other students, which should allow them to enhance their research. The student participants will come away with a better understanding of the various research communities engaged in the study of information science, and learn how to position their work within the field. In addition, the colloquium will provide students with opportunities such as poster sessions to make new professional connections beyond their own disciplines and institutions, and it will also help them successfully launch their careers whether in industry or academia.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.