scholarly journals Report on the “Big Data Training School for Life Sciences”, 18-22 September 2017, Uppsala, Sweden

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. e905
Author(s):  
Juliane Pfeil ◽  
Sabrina Kathrin Schulze ◽  
Eftim Zdravevski ◽  
Yen Hoang
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Training School ◽  
Intensive Courses ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
The Cost

In September 2017 a "Big Data Training School for Life Sciences" took place in Uppsala, Sweden, jointly organised by EMBnet and the COST Action CHARME (Harmonising standardisation strategies to increase efficiency and competitiveness of European life-science research - CA15100). The week programme was divided into hands-on sessions and lectures. In both cases, insights into dealing with big amounts of data were given. This paper describes our personal experience as students’ by providing also some suggestions that we hope can help the organisers as well as other trainers to further increase the efficiency of such intensive courses for students with diverse backgrounds.

scholarly journals Proceedings of the “Think Tank Hackathon’’, Big Data Training School for Life Sciences Follow-up, Ljubljana 6th – 7th February 2018

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. e912
Author(s):  
Sabrina K. Schulze ◽  
Živa Ramšak ◽  
Yen Hoang ◽  
Eftim Zdravevski ◽  
Juliane Pfeil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Training School ◽  
Big Data Technologies ◽  
The Cost

On 6th and 7th February 2018, a Think Tank took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was a follow-up of the “Big Data Training School for Life Sciences” held in Uppsala, Sweden, in September 2017. The focus was on identifying topics of interest and optimising the programme for a forthcoming “Advanced” Big Data Training School for Life Science, that we hope is again supported by the COST Action CHARME (Harmonising standardisation strategies to increase efficiency and competitiveness of European life-science research - CA15110). The Think Tank aimed to go into details of several topics that were - to a degree - covered by the former training school. Likewise, discussions embraced the recent experience of the attendees in light of the new knowledge obtained by the first edition of the training school and how it comes from the perspective of their current and upcoming work. The 2018 training school should strive for and further facilitate optimised applications of Big Data technologies in life sciences. The attendees of this hackathon entirely organised this workshop.

scholarly journals Educational Challenges of Molecular Life Science: Characteristics and Implications for Education and Research

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena A.E. Tibell ◽  
Carl-Johan Rundgren
Keyword(s):  
Applied Sciences ◽  
Pure Sciences ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Technical Innovation ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
Starting Point

Molecular life science is one of the fastest-growing fields of scientific and technical innovation, and biotechnology has profound effects on many aspects of daily life—often with deep, ethical dimensions. At the same time, the content is inherently complex, highly abstract, and deeply rooted in diverse disciplines ranging from “pure sciences,” such as math, chemistry, and physics, through “applied sciences,” such as medicine and agriculture, to subjects that are traditionally within the remit of humanities, notably philosophy and ethics. Together, these features pose diverse, important, and exciting challenges for tomorrow's teachers and educational establishments. With backgrounds in molecular life science research and secondary life science teaching, we (Tibell and Rundgren, respectively) bring different experiences, perspectives, concerns, and awareness of these issues. Taking the nature of the discipline as a starting point, we highlight important facets of molecular life science that are both characteristic of the domain and challenging for learning and education. Of these challenges, we focus most detail on content, reasoning difficulties, and communication issues. We also discuss implications for education research and teaching in the molecular life sciences.

scholarly journals Standards make the world go round

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. e931
Author(s):  
Domenica D'Elia ◽  
Chris Evelo ◽  
Babette Regierer ◽  
Susanne Hollmann
Keyword(s):  
Life Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
Cost Action ◽  
Successful Work ◽  
The World ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Implementation Of Standards

On the 2 March 2020, the COST Action - Harmonising standardisation strategies to increase efficiency and competitiveness of European life-science research (CHARME) - held its final conference in BrusselsAfter four years of successful work, the members of the COST Action CHARME met in Brussels to summarise the achievements and to discuss future perspectives and challenges for standardisation in the life sciences.Following the motto "Standards make the world go round", the outcomes of the COST Action are manifold and introduced some basic concepts and definitions that support a better understanding of the challenges and requirements.The results of this COST Action's network will be subject of a White Paper addressing the needs of standardisation, including a catalogue of requirements and recommendations to be disseminated to decision-makers at all levels to enable the implementation of standards in the daily workflow of research in academia and industry.The Action, ending this month, has given the opportunity to its members to tentatively presenting a set of preliminary requirements to develop further the harmonisation of standards. We hope this will inspire other Actions for the future.

scholarly journals Interpreting and integrating big data in the life sciences

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serghei Mangul
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Reproducible Research ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
Omics Data ◽  
Omics Technologies ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
The Many ◽  
Review Current

Recent advances in omics technologies have led to the broad applicability of computational techniques across various domains of life science and medical research. These technologies provide an unprecedented opportunity to collect omics data from hundreds of thousands of individuals and to study gene-disease association without the aid of prior assumptions about the trait biology. Despite the many advantages of modern omics technologies, interpretations of big data produced by such technologies require advanced computational algorithms. Below I outline key challenges that biomedical researches are facing when interpreting and integrating big omics data. I discuss the reproducibility aspect of big data analysis in the life sciences and review current practices in reproducible research. Finally, I explain the skills which biomedical researchers need to acquire in order to independently analyze big omics data.

scholarly journals Exploring emerging topics

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. e1-e2
Author(s):  
Colin Kleanthous
Keyword(s):  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Life Science Research ◽  
Aims And Scope ◽  
Emerging Topics

Life science research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary in nature, and therefore there is a need for a journal that will support researchers, covering the latest thinking and newest concepts. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences is a new journal that fulfils this need, covering rapidly-moving areas of life science research, and providing a link between the established record and the latest research. Here, Colin Kleanthous, the Editor-in-Chief, provides an introduction to the journal, its aims and scope, and highlights the first featured topics.

scholarly journals Regulatory brokerage: Competitive advantage and regulation in the field of regenerative medicine

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Sleeboom-Faulkner
Keyword(s):  
Regenerative Medicine ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Political Consequences ◽  
The Uk

This article concerns the roles of entrepreneurial scientists in the co-production of life science research and regulation. Regulatory brokerage, defined as a mode of strategic planning and as the negotiation of regulation based on comparative advantage and competition, is expressed in scientific activities that take advantage of regulatory difference. This article is based on social science research in Japan, Thailand, India and the UK. Using five cases related to Japan’s international activities in the field of regenerative medicine, I argue that, driven by competitive advantage, regulatory brokerage at lower levels of managerial organization and governance is emulated at higher levels. In addition, as regulatory brokerage affects the creation of regulation at national, bilateral and global levels, new regulation may be based on competition in regulatory advantage rather than on ethical and scientific values. I argue that regulatory brokerage as the basis for regulatory reform bypasses issues that need to be decided by a broader public. More space is needed for international and political debate about the socio-political consequences of the global diversity of regulation in the field of the life sciences.

Turning High School Students into MRS Authors and Presenters: The Magic of the Garcia Summer Scholars Program

MRS Advances ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (31-32) ◽  
pp. 1621-1627
Author(s):  
Rebecca Isseroff ◽  
Julia Budassi ◽  
Miriam Rafailovich
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Science Research ◽  
School Students ◽  
Scientific Performance ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Positive Effect

ABSTRACTMore than 50 high school students each year learn how to conduct science research at the Garcia Summer Scholars Program at Stony Brook University through hands-on, inquiry-based methods. Started in 1998, the program has already provided hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds a unique opportunity for outstanding scientific performance and achievement. In this paper, we present a brief overview of how the program operates as well as several case studies that display the effect of the Garcia Program on student accomplishment. The evidence provided demonstrates that the Garcia Program has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on its many student participants, regardless of their background or socio-economic status.

scholarly journals From intent to implementation: Factors affecting public involvement in life science research

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
John. A. Burns ◽  
Kora Korzec ◽  
Emma R. Dorris
Keyword(s):  
Public Involvement ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Life Science Research ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Production ◽  
Time Required

AbstractPublic involvement is key to closing the gap between research production and research use, and the only way to achieving ultimate transparency in science. The majority of life science research is not public-facing, but is funded by the public and impacts the community. We undertook a survey of researchers within the life sciences to better understand their views and perceived challenges to involving the public in their research. We had a valid response cohort of n=110 researchers, of whom 90% were primarily laboratory based. Using a mixed methods approach, we demonstrate that a top-down approach is key to motivate progression of life scientists from feeling positive towards public involvement to actually engaging in it. Researchers who viewed public involvement as beneficial to their research were more likely to have direct experience of doing it. We demonstrate that the systemic flaws in the way life sciences research enterprise is organised, including the promotion system, hypercompetition, and time pressures are major barriers to involving the public in the scientific process. Scientists are also apprehensive of being involuntarily involved in the current politicized climate, misinformation and publicity hype surrounding science nowadays makes them hesitant to share their early and in-progress research. The time required to deliberate study design and relevance, plan and build relationships for sustained involvement, provide and undertake training, and improve communication in the current research environment is often considered nonpragmatic, particularly for early career researchers. In conclusion, a top-down approach involving institutional incentives and infrastructure appears most effective at transitioning researchers from feeling positive towards public involvement to actually implementing it.

Interpreting and integrating big data in the life sciences

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serghei Mangul
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Reproducible Research ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
Omics Data ◽  
Omics Technologies ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
The Many ◽  
Review Current

Abstract Recent advances in omics technologies have led to the broad applicability of computational techniques across various domains of life science and medical research. These technologies provide an unprecedented opportunity to collect the omics data from hundreds of thousands of individuals and to study the gene–disease association without the aid of prior assumptions about the trait biology. Despite the many advantages of modern omics technologies, interpretations of big data produced by such technologies require advanced computational algorithms. I outline key challenges that biomedical researches are facing when interpreting and integrating big omics data. I discuss the reproducibility aspect of big data analysis in the life sciences and review current practices in reproducible research. Finally, I explain the skills that biomedical researchers need to acquire to independently analyze big omics data.

scholarly journals Interpreting and integrating big data in the life sciences

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serghei Mangul
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Life Science ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Reproducible Research ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
Omics Data ◽  
Omics Technologies ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
The Many ◽  
Review Current

Recent advances in omics technologies have led to the broad applicability of computational techniques across various domains of life science and medical research. These technologies provide an unprecedented opportunity to collect omics data from hundreds of thousands of individuals and to study gene-disease association without the aid of prior assumptions about the trait biology. Despite the many advantages of modern omics technologies, interpretations of big data produced by such technologies require advanced computational algorithms. Below I outline key challenges that biomedical researches are facing when interpreting and integrating big omics data. I discuss the reproducibility aspect of big data analysis in the life sciences and review current practices in reproducible research. Finally, I explain the skills which biomedical researchers need to acquire in order to independently analyze big omics data.

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