Impact of Advances in Computing and Communications Technologies on Chemical Science and Technology Report of a Workshop (1999) / Chapter Skim
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7 Collaboratory Life: Challenges of Internet-mediated Science for Chemists
7 Collaboratory Life: Challenges of Internet-mediated Science for Chemists
Pages 97-108
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From page 97... ...
Specifically, innovations like collaboratories, or network-based virtual laboratories, remove constraints of distance and time on scientific collaboration. In particular, collaboratories increase access to scarce instruments, accelerate the flow of information, and place new demands on senior scientists to mentor students.
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From page 98... ...
In chemistry, the Gauguin problem can be framed as the enduring legacy from innovation at the dawn of modern chemistry in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the mixing of inherited tradition with capabilities provided by the Internet that is occurring today, and alternative views of the future defined by new uses of the Internet. FIGURE 7.1 Where Do We Come From?
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From page 99... ...
The roots of the modern research laboratory, that is, a physical concentration of personnel and apparatus dedicated to systematic chemical research, can be found in Humphry Davy's laboratory at the Royal Institution at the turn of the 19th century. Under the patronage of Count Rumford, the founder of the Royal Institution, Davy simultaneously mastered the arts of building voltaic devices for the discovery of new elements as well as raising the funds to construct new devices.4 The impact of Davy's efforts in terms of new knowledge is obvious in terms of his identification of sodium, potassium, and so forth.
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From page 100... ...
Contemporary performance, or lack of performance, within the Internet is legendary hence the popular observation that WWW stands for "World Wide Wait." Examining plans for installation of high-capacity fiber across both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, however, suggests that current network delays may soon disappear. For example, capacity across the Pacific is slated to increase to 300 gigabits per second (Gbps)
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From page 101... ...
Recent examination of connected countries shows host domains for all but three nations, with even the tiny island nations of Nauru and Comoros linked to the global network.7 This scope means that, to an unprecedented extent, scientists with access to the Internet can reasonably expect to communicate and possibly collaborate with colleagues located anywhere on the face of the Earth. Similarly, through the Internet, scarce resources, such as libraries and rare instruments, can be made available to larger populations of users.
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From page 102... ...
For instance, an oft-cited reason for staying with a specific platform or application is the cost of learning a new program. Some have argued that this essential difficulty is the root of the apparent productivity paradox in computing, where massive investment in computing technology has often failed to produce significant increases in output or performance.8 A way out of this bind might be broader application of user-centered design philosophies that, in contrast to traditional development approaches, attempt to evolve applications with constant feedback drawn from users in authentic settings.
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From page 103... ...
First, the S PARC "session manager," shown in the upper left of Figure 7.4, organizes scientific activity by topic into groups called "rooms." Within these rooms, scientists find useful URLs, chat streams specific to that room, and saved configurations for data viewers relevant to that room. Note that each room name is followed by a number in parentheses, which represents the number of scientists currently using that room, and that the names of participants within a selected room are displayed below the session manager.
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From page 104... ...
is devoted to data displays. In this case, Figure 7.4 shows time series plots of electron densities against altitude as observed by five incoherent scatter radars spanning the Northern Hemisphere from the Norwegian Arctic to Puerto Rico.
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From page 105... ...
For example, in recent campaigns S PARC has provided simultaneous data from as many as six incoherent scatter radars, from spacecraft, and from unattended instrument arrays across Europe, Asia, and North America. In addition, S PARC provides a mechanism for the simultaneous display of data and model predictions.
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From page 106... ...
However, this new style of participatory education may require teaching and mentoring skills beyond the demands of familiar lecture and lab-style learning. The Value of Collaboratories A key component of the collaboratory concept, at least as realized in the S PARC project described above, is the use of media-rich information technologies to link scientists with each other and with instrument facilities, independent of distance and time.
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From page 107... ...
of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.~3 In this setup, a class of honors chemistry students at the University of Washington used the EMSL collaboratory facility to use advanced analytic instruments at PNNL and to interact with expert users of these instruments at PNNL (see |
From page 108... ...
Amidst the temptation to browse endlessly among an ever widening array of online resources, students and researchers must still take time to absorb and reflect on ideas in order to master and understand key concepts. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks to James Finholt, Albert Finholt, Peter Murray-Rust, and James Penner-Hahn for feedback from the chemistry perspective.
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