Scientific & Technical Core

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Scientific & Technical Core: Project Summary The overall goal of the Scientific and Technical Core (STC) is to provide the statistical and methodological support, technical services, and computing infrastructure needed for the PRC to fulfill its mission to promote the development of innovative, ambitious, and high-impact research projects in population dynamics that will ultimately advance knowledge in the field. The STC advances five specific aims: (1) to provide statistical and methodological support for faculty to develop high-impact research projects that will successfully compete for extramural funding; (2) to provide robust, flexible, and customized computing infrastructure solutions designed to reduce barriers to productivity; (3) to provide state-of-the-art data security to maintain a secure computing environment for storage of, access to, linking across, and analysis of sensitive data; (4) to improve access to the newest developments in statistics, methodology, data science, and computing to support innovative research in population dynamics; and (5) to provide expertise and support for dissemination of data and communication of scientific findings to diverse external audiences in an increasingly “on-demand” and web- based information landscape. Key services and activities designed to achieve these aims include: (1) provide assistance with collecting, linking, managing, and storing data from diverse sources; (2) provide expertise on all aspects of statistical design and analysis for population science; (3) organize methodological workshops and seminars on both fundamental and newly developed statistical techniques and methodologies for demography and population dynamics; (4) match statistical and methodological expertise with project needs, and provide a database of protocols and research services for population science; (5) provide a secure computing environment for storage and analysis of sensitive data, including a secure data enclave for restricted-use data sets; (6) increase capacity for population scientists to access and analyze microdata through the newly awarded RDC branch at UT Austin; (7) develop protocols and support for data archiving and data dissemination; and (8) create compelling and accessible research briefs to communicate PRC faculty research findings to diverse external audiences. The STC collaborates closely with the Administrative Core and the Development Core to harmonize activities, ensure efficiency, and promote the overarching mission of the Center to promote the development of innovative, ambitious, and high-impact research in population dynamics that will ultimately advance knowledge in the field.