Research Matters
NIH Launches Data Repository Pilot
August 23, 2019
Over the summer, I wrote about the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science and its importance to our research community. A key focus of the NIH plan is to make available the vast amounts of data produced by researchers. Here at UNC-Chapel Hill, the University Libraries offer a tutorial for data management that points to ... Read more
Art and Science, Science and Art
July 18, 2019
I live in a neighborhood of artists: painters, potters, and sculptors, all highly motivated to interpret the world around them through their crafts. I witness the same environment here at UNC, where scholars and students alike strive to understand humanity through creative expression. The Arts Everywhere initiative, founded by the departing Emil Kang, has illustrated ... Read more
Spotlight on Data Management
June 17, 2019
University researchers generate large amounts of data and therefore must be focused on its organization. The NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science, which was released last year, provides a roadmap for modernizing data science ecosystems and focuses on accessible, well-organized, secure, and efficiently operated data resources critical to modern scientific inquiry. The key components of the ... Read more
Update on Creativity Hubs
May 13, 2019
A major priority of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research is to stimulate virtual research networks that concentrate talent and resources on bold ideas, while simultaneously freeing the development of those ideas from typical organizational boundaries. Our goal is to move new ideas and discoveries into practice. To achieve that goal, we set ... Read more
Potential and Promise of Precision Health
April 11, 2019
In collaboration with research deans from each of UNC’s schools and three divisions within the College of Arts & Sciences, as well as directors of UNC’s centers and institutes, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research has identified six strategic research priorities for the university. Solving major challenges requires the partnership of multidisciplinary experts, ... Read more
Advocating for Federal Funding of Research
March 14, 2019
On January 11, Kelvin Droegemeier, a meteorology professor from the University of Oklahoma, assumed directorship of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). His appointment was welcomed by many scientific societies. In February, Droegemeier gave his first public address at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science ... Read more
A Closer Look at Open Access
February 12, 2019
Gaining access to the latest research through Open Access publishing has become a hot topic among scholars and publishers. Open Access publishing makes research materials available to the public, free of charge — a critical component for the advancement of research in every discipline. Open Access isn’t always accessible, though. The movement to Open Access ... Read more
Breakthroughs in Cell Development
January 28, 2019
In December, Science announced its 2018 Breakthrough of the Year, which highlighted a trio of innovations in tracking embryo development cell by cell. These breakthroughs are the result of technical advances that allow scientists to isolate large numbers of cells from a living organism, sequence the genetic material inside each cell, and track the movement ... Read more