July 24, 2008
Research1: YouTube + Facebook + you
Some people might describe Research1 as “YouTube meets Facebook in a research project setting.”
Research1, which is being developed by staff at UW Technology, is an attempt to create new online communities involving widely scattered research teams, but also give the general public a window on research in progress.
“Research1 allows the work of leading scientists and researchers to be shared with a broader audience,” says Andre Tan, lead Web architect. “But we also see it as a good place for postdocs and graduate students to get exposure and post information about their research.”
The site, now in beta testing, is built around “project hubs,” which contain general information about the research, including a list of team members, the granting organizations and related sites. The project hub provides very simple tools for uploading a variety of media — audio, video, and documents — into Web-friendly formats, but also archives the original higher- quality, unadulterated file. Those individuals who upload media have the ability to assign Creative Commons rights to each product, which can limit access to view-only or allow collaborators or the media to download and use the material in their own work. The project hubs also provide access to private on-site messaging (separate from e-mail).
Each project hub also contains a public blog where team members and the general public can comment on the research as it progresses. There is also a discussion forum, which may be related to individual projects but also could touch on other research and communication issues, that allows for dynamic real-time communications between scientists and the larger community.
“Until now, research findings have primarily been shared in print journals, which most of the public does not have access to, and won’t ever see,” Tan says. “Research1 provides a forum for active discussion across the world while a project is still under way.”
Research1 is being developed as a national and international resource and is an outgrowth of the ResearchChannel, a national television channel operated by UW Technology staff which features research videos from a consortium of universities and institutions. The National Science Foundation is expected to promote Research1 actively later this year. Tan is already receiving inquiries from across the country and around the world.
Tan says the staff is especially encouraging UW participation during this testing phase. Setting up accounts is simple. Although phase 1 is still under way, Tan and the developers are already looking at adding new features like “widgets” that interact with other social networking sites and internet-based videoconferencing.
The URL to sign up for the beta test is: www.researchchannel.org/research1.
