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Project acronym 1D-Engine
Project 1D-electrons coupled to dissipation: a novel approach for understanding and engineering superconducting materials and devices
Researcher (PI) Adrian KANTIAN
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Summary Correlated electrons are at the forefront of condensed matter theory. Interacting quasi-1D electrons have seen vast progress in analytical and numerical theory, and thus in fundamental understanding and quantitative prediction. Yet, in the 1D limit fluctuations preclude important technological use, particularly of superconductors. In contrast, high-Tc superconductors in 2D/3D are not precluded by fluctuations, but lack a fundamental theory, making prediction and engineering of their properties, a major goal in physics, very difficult. This project aims to combine the advantages of both areas by making major progress in the theory of quasi-1D electrons coupled to an electron bath, in part building on recent breakthroughs (with the PIs extensive involvement) in simulating 1D and 2D electrons with parallelized density matrix renormalization group (pDMRG) numerics. Such theory will fundamentally advance the study of open electron systems, and show how to use 1D materials as elements of new superconducting (SC) devices and materials: 1) It will enable a new state of matter, 1D electrons with true SC order. Fluctuations from the electronic liquid, such as graphene, could also enable nanoscale wires to appear SC at high temperatures. 2) A new approach for the deliberate engineering of a high-Tc superconductor. In 1D, how electrons pair by repulsive interactions is understood and can be predicted. Stabilization by reservoir - formed by a parallel array of many such 1D systems - offers a superconductor for which all factors setting Tc are known and can be optimized. 3) Many existing superconductors with repulsive electron pairing, all presently not understood, can be cast as 1D electrons coupled to a bath. Developing chain-DMFT theory based on pDMRG will allow these materials SC properties to be simulated and understood for the first time. 4) The insights gained will be translated to 2D superconductors to study how they could be enhanced by contact with electronic liquids.
Correlated electrons are at the forefront of condensed matter theory. Interacting quasi-1D electrons have seen vast progress in analytical and numerical theory, and thus in fundamental understanding and quantitative prediction. Yet, in the 1D limit fluctuations preclude important technological use, particularly of superconductors. In contrast, high-Tc superconductors in 2D/3D are not precluded by fluctuations, but lack a fundamental theory, making prediction and engineering of their properties, a major goal in physics, very difficult. This project aims to combine the advantages of both areas by making major progress in the theory of quasi-1D electrons coupled to an electron bath, in part building on recent breakthroughs (with the PIs extensive involvement) in simulating 1D and 2D electrons with parallelized density matrix renormalization group (pDMRG) numerics. Such theory will fundamentally advance the study of open electron systems, and show how to use 1D materials as elements of new superconducting (SC) devices and materials: 1) It will enable a new state of matter, 1D electrons with true SC order. Fluctuations from the electronic liquid, such as graphene, could also enable nanoscale wires to appear SC at high temperatures. 2) A new approach for the deliberate engineering of a high-Tc superconductor. In 1D, how electrons pair by repulsive interactions is understood and can be predicted. Stabilization by reservoir - formed by a parallel array of many such 1D systems - offers a superconductor for which all factors setting Tc are known and can be optimized. 3) Many existing superconductors with repulsive electron pairing, all presently not understood, can be cast as 1D electrons coupled to a bath. Developing chain-DMFT theory based on pDMRG will allow these materials SC properties to be simulated and understood for the first time. 4) The insights gained will be translated to 2D superconductors to study how they could be enhanced by contact with electronic liquids.
Project acronym AfricanNeo
Project The African Neolithic: A genetic perspective
Researcher (PI) Carina SCHLEBUSCH
Summary The spread of farming practices in various parts of the world had a marked influence on how humans live today and how we are distributed around the globe. Around 10,000 years ago, warmer conditions lead to population increases, coinciding with the invention of farming in several places around the world. Archaeological evidence attest to the spread of these practices to neighboring regions. In many cases this lead to whole continents being converted from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. It is however difficult to see from archaeological records if only the farming culture spread to other places or whether the farming people themselves migrated. Investigating patterns of genetic variation for farming populations and for remaining hunter-gatherer groups can help to resolve questions on population movements co-occurring with the spread of farming practices. It can further shed light on the routes of migration and dates when migrants arrived. The spread of farming to Europe has been thoroughly investigated in the fields of archaeology, linguistics and genetics, while on other continents these events have been less investigated. In Africa, mainly linguistic and archaeological studies have attempted to elucidate the spread of farming and herding practices. I propose to investigate the movement of farmer and pastoral groups in Africa, by typing densely spaced genome-wide variant positions in a large number of African populations. The data will be used to infer how farming and pastoralism was introduced to various regions, where the incoming people originated from and when these (potential) population movements occurred. Through this study, the Holocene history of Africa will be revealed and placed into a global context of migration, mobility and cultural transitions. Additionally the study will give due credence to one of the largest Neolithic expansion events, the Bantu-expansion, which caused a pronounced change in the demographic landscape of the African continent
The spread of farming practices in various parts of the world had a marked influence on how humans live today and how we are distributed around the globe. Around 10,000 years ago, warmer conditions lead to population increases, coinciding with the invention of farming in several places around the world. Archaeological evidence attest to the spread of these practices to neighboring regions. In many cases this lead to whole continents being converted from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. It is however difficult to see from archaeological records if only the farming culture spread to other places or whether the farming people themselves migrated. Investigating patterns of genetic variation for farming populations and for remaining hunter-gatherer groups can help to resolve questions on population movements co-occurring with the spread of farming practices. It can further shed light on the routes of migration and dates when migrants arrived. The spread of farming to Europe has been thoroughly investigated in the fields of archaeology, linguistics and genetics, while on other continents these events have been less investigated. In Africa, mainly linguistic and archaeological studies have attempted to elucidate the spread of farming and herding practices. I propose to investigate the movement of farmer and pastoral groups in Africa, by typing densely spaced genome-wide variant positions in a large number of African populations. The data will be used to infer how farming and pastoralism was introduced to various regions, where the incoming people originated from and when these (potential) population movements occurred. Through this study, the Holocene history of Africa will be revealed and placed into a global context of migration, mobility and cultural transitions. Additionally the study will give due credence to one of the largest Neolithic expansion events, the Bantu-expansion, which caused a pronounced change in the demographic landscape of the African continent
Project acronym AgeConsolidate
Project The Missing Link of Episodic Memory Decline in Aging: The Role of Inefficient Systems Consolidation
Researcher (PI) Anders Martin FJELL
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH4, ERC-2016-COG
Summary Which brain mechanisms are responsible for the faith of the memories we make with age, whether they wither or stay, and in what form? Episodic memory function does decline with age. While this decline can have multiple causes, research has focused almost entirely on encoding and retrieval processes, largely ignoring a third critical process– consolidation. The objective of AgeConsolidate is to provide this missing link, by combining novel experimental cognitive paradigms with neuroimaging in a longitudinal large-scale attempt to directly test how age-related changes in consolidation processes in the brain impact episodic memory decline. The ambitious aims of the present proposal are two-fold: (1) Use recent advances in memory consolidation theory to achieve an elaborate model of episodic memory deficits in aging (2) Use aging as a model to uncover how structural and functional brain changes affect episodic memory consolidation in general The novelty of the project lies in the synthesis of recent methodological advances and theoretical models for episodic memory consolidation to explain age-related decline, by employing a unique combination of a range of different techniques and approaches. This is ground-breaking, in that it aims at taking our understanding of the brain processes underlying episodic memory decline in aging to a new level, while at the same time advancing our theoretical understanding of how episodic memories are consolidated in the human brain. To obtain this outcome, I will test the main hypothesis of the project: Brain processes of episodic memory consolidation are less effective in older adults, and this can account for a significant portion of the episodic memory decline in aging. This will be answered by six secondary hypotheses, with 1-3 experiments or tasks designated to address each hypothesis, focusing on functional and structural MRI, positron emission tomography data and sleep experiments to target consolidation from different angles.
Which brain mechanisms are responsible for the faith of the memories we make with age, whether they wither or stay, and in what form? Episodic memory function does decline with age. While this decline can have multiple causes, research has focused almost entirely on encoding and retrieval processes, largely ignoring a third critical process– consolidation. The objective of AgeConsolidate is to provide this missing link, by combining novel experimental cognitive paradigms with neuroimaging in a longitudinal large-scale attempt to directly test how age-related changes in consolidation processes in the brain impact episodic memory decline. The ambitious aims of the present proposal are two-fold: (1) Use recent advances in memory consolidation theory to achieve an elaborate model of episodic memory deficits in aging (2) Use aging as a model to uncover how structural and functional brain changes affect episodic memory consolidation in general The novelty of the project lies in the synthesis of recent methodological advances and theoretical models for episodic memory consolidation to explain age-related decline, by employing a unique combination of a range of different techniques and approaches. This is ground-breaking, in that it aims at taking our understanding of the brain processes underlying episodic memory decline in aging to a new level, while at the same time advancing our theoretical understanding of how episodic memories are consolidated in the human brain. To obtain this outcome, I will test the main hypothesis of the project: Brain processes of episodic memory consolidation are less effective in older adults, and this can account for a significant portion of the episodic memory decline in aging. This will be answered by six secondary hypotheses, with 1-3 experiments or tasks designated to address each hypothesis, focusing on functional and structural MRI, positron emission tomography data and sleep experiments to target consolidation from different angles.
Project acronym AGINGSEXDIFF
Project Aging Differently: Understanding Sex Differences in Reproductive, Demographic and Functional Senescence
Researcher (PI) Alexei Maklakov
Summary Sex differences in life span and aging are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom and represent a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. In most species, including humans, sexes differ not only in how long they live and when they start to senesce, but also in how they react to environmental interventions aimed at prolonging their life span or decelerating the onset of aging. Therefore, sex differences in life span and aging have important implications beyond the questions posed by fundamental science. Both evolutionary reasons and medical implications of sex differences in demographic, reproductive and physiological senescence are and will be crucial targets of present and future research in the biology of aging. Here I propose a two-step approach that can provide a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the biological basis of sex differences in aging. First, I propose to resolve the age-old conundrum regarding the role of sexspecific mortality rate in sex differences in aging by developing a series of targeted experimental evolution studies in a novel model organism – the nematode, Caenorhabditis remanei. Second, I address the role of intra-locus sexual conflict in the evolution of aging by combining novel methodology from nutritional ecology – the Geometric Framework – with artificial selection approach using the cricket Teleogryllus commodus and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. I will directly test the hypothesis that intra-locus sexual conflict mediates aging by restricting the adaptive evolution of diet choice. By combining techniques from evolutionary biology and nutritional ecology, this proposal will raise EU's profile in integrative research, and contribute to the training of young scientists in this rapidly developing field.
Sex differences in life span and aging are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom and represent a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. In most species, including humans, sexes differ not only in how long they live and when they start to senesce, but also in how they react to environmental interventions aimed at prolonging their life span or decelerating the onset of aging. Therefore, sex differences in life span and aging have important implications beyond the questions posed by fundamental science. Both evolutionary reasons and medical implications of sex differences in demographic, reproductive and physiological senescence are and will be crucial targets of present and future research in the biology of aging. Here I propose a two-step approach that can provide a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the biological basis of sex differences in aging. First, I propose to resolve the age-old conundrum regarding the role of sexspecific mortality rate in sex differences in aging by developing a series of targeted experimental evolution studies in a novel model organism – the nematode, Caenorhabditis remanei. Second, I address the role of intra-locus sexual conflict in the evolution of aging by combining novel methodology from nutritional ecology – the Geometric Framework – with artificial selection approach using the cricket Teleogryllus commodus and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. I will directly test the hypothesis that intra-locus sexual conflict mediates aging by restricting the adaptive evolution of diet choice. By combining techniques from evolutionary biology and nutritional ecology, this proposal will raise EU's profile in integrative research, and contribute to the training of young scientists in this rapidly developing field.
Project acronym ASD
Project Atomistic Spin-Dynamics; Methodology and Applications
Researcher (PI) Olof Ragnar Eriksson
Summary Our aim is to provide a theoretical framework for studies of dynamical aspects of magnetic materials and magnetisation reversal, which has potential for applications for magnetic data storage and magnetic memory devices. The project focuses on developing and using an atomistic spin dynamics simulation method. Our goal is to identify novel materials and device geometries with improved performance. The scientific questions which will be addressed concern the understanding of the fundamental temporal limit of magnetisation switching and reversal, and the mechanisms which govern this limit. The methodological developments concern the ability to, from first principles theory, calculate the interatomic exchange parameters of materials in general, in particular for correlated electron materials, via the use of dynamical mean-field theory. The theoretical development also involves an atomistic spin dynamics simulation method, which once it has been established, will be released as a public software package. The proposed theoretical research will be intimately connected to world-leading experimental efforts, especially in Europe where a leading activity in experimental studies of magnetisation dynamics has been established. The ambition with this project is to become world-leading in the theory of simulating spin-dynamics phenomena, and to promote education and training of young researchers. To achieve our goals we will build up an open and lively environment, where the advances in the theoretical knowledge of spin-dynamics phenomena will be used to address important questions in information technology. In this environment the next generation research leaders will be fostered and trained, thus ensuring that the society of tomorrow is equipped with the scientific competence to tackle the challenges of our future.
Our aim is to provide a theoretical framework for studies of dynamical aspects of magnetic materials and magnetisation reversal, which has potential for applications for magnetic data storage and magnetic memory devices. The project focuses on developing and using an atomistic spin dynamics simulation method. Our goal is to identify novel materials and device geometries with improved performance. The scientific questions which will be addressed concern the understanding of the fundamental temporal limit of magnetisation switching and reversal, and the mechanisms which govern this limit. The methodological developments concern the ability to, from first principles theory, calculate the interatomic exchange parameters of materials in general, in particular for correlated electron materials, via the use of dynamical mean-field theory. The theoretical development also involves an atomistic spin dynamics simulation method, which once it has been established, will be released as a public software package. The proposed theoretical research will be intimately connected to world-leading experimental efforts, especially in Europe where a leading activity in experimental studies of magnetisation dynamics has been established. The ambition with this project is to become world-leading in the theory of simulating spin-dynamics phenomena, and to promote education and training of young researchers. To achieve our goals we will build up an open and lively environment, where the advances in the theoretical knowledge of spin-dynamics phenomena will be used to address important questions in information technology. In this environment the next generation research leaders will be fostered and trained, thus ensuring that the society of tomorrow is equipped with the scientific competence to tackle the challenges of our future.
Project acronym BONE SCAN
Project Traces in the bones: reconstructing the lost soft anatomy of the earliest vertebrates through ultra-high resolution synchrotron scanning
Researcher (PI) Per Erik Ahlberg
Summary Early vertebrate evolution involved a series of drastic structural reorganisations as new features were added and elaborated. The fossil record illuminates this evolutionary history more directly than inferences from the diversity of living forms, but the fossils usually consist only of bones whereas many of the most important and interesting changes occurred in the soft anatomy. Traditional approaches to reconstructing the musculature and other soft tissues of fossil vertebrates rely on subjective tools, like the visual identification of rough bone textures thought to indicate muscle attachments, and generally leave a lot to be desired. Here I propose a wholly novel and radically more objective approach to the identification of soft-tissue contacts, using holotomographic synchrotron CT at sub-micron resolutions to identify these contacts by the three-dimensional micro-architecture of the bone. A pilot study has already shown that such scans (performed at the ESRF synchrotron facility in Grenoble) are capable of imaging key features such as arrested growth surfaces and probable Sharpey s fibres in 380 million year old fossils. We will undertake a systematic review of the three-dimensional bone micro-architectures associated with different soft-tissue contacts in living vertebrates, and the use this as a key to reconstruct the soft-tissue contacts on fossil bones with unprecedented accuracy. This will permit us to produce far more reliable reconstructions of the soft anatomy than has hitherto been possible. Our findings will inform other areas of palaentology, particularly functional morphology, and will also be of great importance to evolutionary developmental biology.
Early vertebrate evolution involved a series of drastic structural reorganisations as new features were added and elaborated. The fossil record illuminates this evolutionary history more directly than inferences from the diversity of living forms, but the fossils usually consist only of bones whereas many of the most important and interesting changes occurred in the soft anatomy. Traditional approaches to reconstructing the musculature and other soft tissues of fossil vertebrates rely on subjective tools, like the visual identification of rough bone textures thought to indicate muscle attachments, and generally leave a lot to be desired. Here I propose a wholly novel and radically more objective approach to the identification of soft-tissue contacts, using holotomographic synchrotron CT at sub-micron resolutions to identify these contacts by the three-dimensional micro-architecture of the bone. A pilot study has already shown that such scans (performed at the ESRF synchrotron facility in Grenoble) are capable of imaging key features such as arrested growth surfaces and probable Sharpey s fibres in 380 million year old fossils. We will undertake a systematic review of the three-dimensional bone micro-architectures associated with different soft-tissue contacts in living vertebrates, and the use this as a key to reconstruct the soft-tissue contacts on fossil bones with unprecedented accuracy. This will permit us to produce far more reliable reconstructions of the soft anatomy than has hitherto been possible. Our findings will inform other areas of palaentology, particularly functional morphology, and will also be of great importance to evolutionary developmental biology.
Project acronym BRAINMINT
Project Brains and minds in transition: The dark side of neuroplasticity during sensitive life phases
Researcher (PI) Lars T. WESTLYE
Summary The potential and boundaries of the human mind is determined by dynamic interactions between the environment and the individual genetic architecture. However, despite several breakthroughs, the genetic revolution has not provided a coherent account of the development of the mind and its disorders, and the missing heritability is large across human traits. One explanation of this impasse is the complexity of the gene-environment interactions. Current knowledge about the determinants of a healthy mind is largely based on studies whose modus operandi is to treat the environment as a static entity, neglecting to consider the crucial fact that environmental inputs and their genetic interactions vary dramatically between life phases. The objective of BRAINMINT is to provide this missing link by zeroing in on two major life transitions, namely adolescence and pregnancy. These phases are characterized by temporarily increased brain plasticity, offering windows for adaptation and growth, but also host the emergence of common mental disorders. I propose that a multi-level investigation with this dark side of brain plasticity as the axis mundi will add a mechanistic understanding of this link between growth and vulnerability. I will test the main hypothesis that mechanisms that boost neuroplasticity promote adaptation to a dynamic environment, but at the cost of increased risk of psychopathology if exposed to a combination of genetic and environmental triggers. To this end I will utilize cutting-edge longitudinal brain imaging, electrophysiology, rich cognitive and clinical data, immune markers, gene expression and genetics. I will leverage on massive imaging data (n>40,000) and novel tools to increase power and generalizability and improve brain- and gene-based predictions of complex traits. Aiming to help resolving one of the modern day enigmas, BRAINMINT is a pioneering and high risk/high gain effort to find mechanisms of brain plasticity that support and harm the brain.
The potential and boundaries of the human mind is determined by dynamic interactions between the environment and the individual genetic architecture. However, despite several breakthroughs, the genetic revolution has not provided a coherent account of the development of the mind and its disorders, and the missing heritability is large across human traits. One explanation of this impasse is the complexity of the gene-environment interactions. Current knowledge about the determinants of a healthy mind is largely based on studies whose modus operandi is to treat the environment as a static entity, neglecting to consider the crucial fact that environmental inputs and their genetic interactions vary dramatically between life phases. The objective of BRAINMINT is to provide this missing link by zeroing in on two major life transitions, namely adolescence and pregnancy. These phases are characterized by temporarily increased brain plasticity, offering windows for adaptation and growth, but also host the emergence of common mental disorders. I propose that a multi-level investigation with this dark side of brain plasticity as the axis mundi will add a mechanistic understanding of this link between growth and vulnerability. I will test the main hypothesis that mechanisms that boost neuroplasticity promote adaptation to a dynamic environment, but at the cost of increased risk of psychopathology if exposed to a combination of genetic and environmental triggers. To this end I will utilize cutting-edge longitudinal brain imaging, electrophysiology, rich cognitive and clinical data, immune markers, gene expression and genetics. I will leverage on massive imaging data (n>40,000) and novel tools to increase power and generalizability and improve brain- and gene-based predictions of complex traits. Aiming to help resolving one of the modern day enigmas, BRAINMINT is a pioneering and high risk/high gain effort to find mechanisms of brain plasticity that support and harm the brain.
Project acronym CACTUS
Project developmental social Cognition and ACTion UnderStanding
Researcher (PI) Kjell Gustaf Gredebäck
Summary Humans are social creatures throughout life. This proposal aims to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms that mediate understanding of others' actions from a developmental perspective. A special emphasis will be devoted to mirror neuron and teleological frameworks. The former framework focuses on reciprocal motor activation during action execution and observation whereas the later framework emphasizes the application of abstract principles to observed events. The mechanisms that guide both processes will be investigated in isolation, but special attention will also be devoted to understanding how these diverse forms of action understanding jointly contribute to action understanding. The project encompasses three essential research objectives, illustrated by three research questions. How do mirror neuron and teleological processes influence action understanding? How does action understanding enable social action evaluation (empathy and pro-social preferences)? How is action understanding expressed during real-life social interactions? These questions will be addressed by presenting infants and toddlers with social events of varying complexity (from simple actions and animated sequences to complex everyday social events), relating empirical findings to predictions derived from the teleological and motor cognitive frameworks. The overarching aim is to provide a computational model of early emerging social cognitive capabilities, with a focus on action understanding and action evaluation, while passively observing others and while partaking in social interactions with others.
Humans are social creatures throughout life. This proposal aims to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms that mediate understanding of others' actions from a developmental perspective. A special emphasis will be devoted to mirror neuron and teleological frameworks. The former framework focuses on reciprocal motor activation during action execution and observation whereas the later framework emphasizes the application of abstract principles to observed events. The mechanisms that guide both processes will be investigated in isolation, but special attention will also be devoted to understanding how these diverse forms of action understanding jointly contribute to action understanding. The project encompasses three essential research objectives, illustrated by three research questions. How do mirror neuron and teleological processes influence action understanding? How does action understanding enable social action evaluation (empathy and pro-social preferences)? How is action understanding expressed during real-life social interactions? These questions will be addressed by presenting infants and toddlers with social events of varying complexity (from simple actions and animated sequences to complex everyday social events), relating empirical findings to predictions derived from the teleological and motor cognitive frameworks. The overarching aim is to provide a computational model of early emerging social cognitive capabilities, with a focus on action understanding and action evaluation, while passively observing others and while partaking in social interactions with others.
Project acronym CAPTURE
Project CApturing Paradata for documenTing data creation and Use for the REsearch of the future
Researcher (PI) Isto HUVILA
Summary "Considerable investments have been made in Europe and worldwide in research data infrastructures. Instead of a general lack of data about data, it has become apparent that the pivotal factor that drastically constrains the use of data is the absence of contextual knowledge about how data was created and how it has been used. This applies especially to many branches of SSH research where data is highly heterogeneous, both by its kind (e.g. being qualitative, quantitative, naturalistic, purposefully created) and origins (e.g. being historical/contemporary, from different contexts and geographical places). The problem is that there may be enough metadata (data about data) but there is too little paradata (data on the processes of its creation and use). In contrast to the rather straightforward problem of describing the data, the high-risk/high-gain problem no-one has managed to solve, is the lack of comprehensive understanding of what information about the creation and use of research data is needed and how to capture enough of that information to make the data reusable and to avoid the risk that currently collected vast amounts of research data become useless in the future. The wickedness of the problem lies in the practical impossibility to document and keep everything and the difficulty to determine optimal procedures for capturing just enough. With an empirical focus on archaeological and cultural heritage data, which stands out by its extreme heterogeneity and rapid accumulation due to the scale of ongoing development-led archaeological fieldwork, CAPTURE develops an in-depth understanding of how paradata is #1 created and #2 used at the moment, #3 elicits methods for capturing paradata on the basis of the findings of #1-2, #4 tests the new methods in field trials, and #5 synthesises the findings in a reference model to inform the capturing of paradata and enabling data-intensive research using heterogeneous research data stemming from diverse origins. "
"Considerable investments have been made in Europe and worldwide in research data infrastructures. Instead of a general lack of data about data, it has become apparent that the pivotal factor that drastically constrains the use of data is the absence of contextual knowledge about how data was created and how it has been used. This applies especially to many branches of SSH research where data is highly heterogeneous, both by its kind (e.g. being qualitative, quantitative, naturalistic, purposefully created) and origins (e.g. being historical/contemporary, from different contexts and geographical places). The problem is that there may be enough metadata (data about data) but there is too little paradata (data on the processes of its creation and use). In contrast to the rather straightforward problem of describing the data, the high-risk/high-gain problem no-one has managed to solve, is the lack of comprehensive understanding of what information about the creation and use of research data is needed and how to capture enough of that information to make the data reusable and to avoid the risk that currently collected vast amounts of research data become useless in the future. The wickedness of the problem lies in the practical impossibility to document and keep everything and the difficulty to determine optimal procedures for capturing just enough. With an empirical focus on archaeological and cultural heritage data, which stands out by its extreme heterogeneity and rapid accumulation due to the scale of ongoing development-led archaeological fieldwork, CAPTURE develops an in-depth understanding of how paradata is #1 created and #2 used at the moment, #3 elicits methods for capturing paradata on the basis of the findings of #1-2, #4 tests the new methods in field trials, and #5 synthesises the findings in a reference model to inform the capturing of paradata and enabling data-intensive research using heterogeneous research data stemming from diverse origins. "
Project acronym COMPASS
Project Colloids with complex interactions: from model atoms to colloidal recognition and bio-inspired self assembly
Researcher (PI) Peter Schurtenberger
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Summary Self-assembly is the key construction principle that nature uses so successfully to fabricate its molecular machinery and highly elaborate structures. In this project we will follow nature's strategies and make a concerted experimental and theoretical effort to study, understand and control self-assembly for a new generation of colloidal building blocks. Starting point will be recent advances in colloid synthesis strategies that have led to a spectacular array of colloids of different shapes, compositions, patterns and functionalities. These allow us to investigate the influence of anisotropy in shape and interactions on aggregation and self-assembly in colloidal suspensions and mixtures. Using responsive particles we will implement colloidal lock-and-key mechanisms and then assemble a library of "colloidal molecules" with well-defined and externally tunable binding sites using microfluidics-based and externally controlled fabrication and sorting principles. We will use them to explore the equilibrium phase behavior of particle systems interacting through a finite number of binding sites. In parallel, we will exploit them and investigate colloid self-assembly into well-defined nanostructures. Here we aim at achieving much more refined control than currently possible by implementing a protein-inspired approach to controlled self-assembly. We combine molecule-like colloidal building blocks that possess directional interactions and externally triggerable specific recognition sites with directed self-assembly where external fields not only facilitate assembly, but also allow fabricating novel structures. We will use the tunable combination of different contributions to the interaction potential between the colloidal building blocks and the ability to create chirality in the assembly to establish the requirements for the controlled formation of tubular shells and thus create a colloid-based minimal model of synthetic virus capsid proteins.
Self-assembly is the key construction principle that nature uses so successfully to fabricate its molecular machinery and highly elaborate structures. In this project we will follow nature's strategies and make a concerted experimental and theoretical effort to study, understand and control self-assembly for a new generation of colloidal building blocks. Starting point will be recent advances in colloid synthesis strategies that have led to a spectacular array of colloids of different shapes, compositions, patterns and functionalities. These allow us to investigate the influence of anisotropy in shape and interactions on aggregation and self-assembly in colloidal suspensions and mixtures. Using responsive particles we will implement colloidal lock-and-key mechanisms and then assemble a library of "colloidal molecules" with well-defined and externally tunable binding sites using microfluidics-based and externally controlled fabrication and sorting principles. We will use them to explore the equilibrium phase behavior of particle systems interacting through a finite number of binding sites. In parallel, we will exploit them and investigate colloid self-assembly into well-defined nanostructures. Here we aim at achieving much more refined control than currently possible by implementing a protein-inspired approach to controlled self-assembly. We combine molecule-like colloidal building blocks that possess directional interactions and externally triggerable specific recognition sites with directed self-assembly where external fields not only facilitate assembly, but also allow fabricating novel structures. We will use the tunable combination of different contributions to the interaction potential between the colloidal building blocks and the ability to create chirality in the assembly to establish the requirements for the controlled formation of tubular shells and thus create a colloid-based minimal model of synthetic virus capsid proteins.


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APPEARS IN News
2018 is An important Midterm
By Chris W. Cox | Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Our many battles over the past 147 years have taught us that every election is important. Every decision made by you, the American voter, can have consequences for our country. Perhaps nothing exemplifies that more than Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. There is no doubt that a Clinton victory would have been a grave threat to our fundamental freedoms. President Trump, on the other hand, has proven time and again that he is a true champion of our constitutional rights. His election was a great victory for all true believers in the Second Amendment.
This November, we face a vicious attack on those freedoms. The events of the past two years have emboldened those who would take away our right to keep and bear arms, to the point that many are openly admitting that they want to repeal the Second Amendment. To that end, they continue to press for dramatic restrictions on our liberties, including banning common rifles and imposing other harsh restrictions on our rights, such as firearm and ammunition registration.
The good news is that we, as NRA members, have the power to stop them by voting to protect our allies in both the U.S. Congress and state legislatures, so that the opponents of freedom are denied the opportunity to vote our liberties out of existence.
Overcoming this threat requires all of us to unite with determination and dedication. We need more widespread voter activism than ever before.
For most Americans, this time of year means barbecue, baseball and the beach. NRA members know, on the other hand, that summer also calls for door knocking, phone calling and working events in support of pro-gun candidates.
Our opponents are more emboldened and well-funded than ever, and they are ready to pounce on any opportunity to promote their gun control agenda. The opposition is working as we speak to install candidates who will eliminate our rights. We must do everything we can to make sure they don't succeed.
Election Day—Nov. 6, 2018—might seem like a long way off, but the battle must begin today. What NRA members and gun owners do or don't do right now will have a major impact on the outcome of this year's elections.
Below are some things you can do now to help NRA-ILA's ongoing efforts in this year's campaigns. Use these resources to enhance your own level of activism, and make sure you share with your family, friends and fellow firearm-owning patriots so they can do the same.
NRA-ILA App: Information Is Power
As the use of technology in our daily lives continues to grow, it is imperative that we embrace new ways of communicating with our members and activists. In the summer of 2016, NRA-ILAlaunched its own app. Since that time, activists have used it to take hundreds of thousands of actions that helped defend our gun rights.
If you are ready to join in the fight for your Second Amendment rights, call NRA-ILA at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) to find out if there is a Campaign Field Representative near you.
After downloading the free NRA-ILA app on any smart phone, you can use it to contact your lawmakers, share articles on social media and even test your firearm knowledge with just a few simple clicks. We also encourage you to communicate with fellow app users both outside the app and through the community newsfeed.
The NRA-ILA app is a one-stop shop for any activist looking to learn more about what we at NRA-ILA are doing in your home state and across the nation. To download the app, simply visit the Apple store or Google play store and search "NRA-ILA."
NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representatives (CFRs): Boots on the Ground
Michael Bloomberg has pledged to spend tens of millions of dollars to help elect anti-gun politicians to office all over the country. Your NRA-ILA is fighting back to ensure that doesn't happen. While we may not be able to match his spending dollar for dollar, the good news is we have something great that he doesn't—you!
Once again, we are investing in our human resources this election cycle by deploying Campaign Field Representatives (CFRS) in key battleground states ahead of the elections. ILA's CFRS are full-time employees who are working on the ground through Election Day to build and bolster our volunteer networks so the millions of gun owners across the nation turn out to vote in force. In 2016, our Campaign Field Representatives contacted more than 1.5 million pro-gun voters in key areas to urge them to get out and vote on behalf of Donald Trump, and our efforts paid off!
This year, there are a number of key U.S. House and Senate races that we absolutely must win in order to ensure we keep our pro-gun majorities in Congress. Luckily, our CFRS are up to the challenge—they are already in the trenches attending local events, making phone calls and knocking on doors to educate voters on the important choices they face this November.
We have a tough battle ahead and we will only be successful if we stand and fight together. If you are ready to join in the fight for your Second Amendment rights, call NRA-ILA at (800) 392-vote (8683) to find out if there is a Campaign Field Representative near you.
Make Sure You Are With Us on the FrontLines™
Our efforts will only succeed if we have active volunteers who are willing to commit their efforts to this incredibly important cause. Our FrontLines™ volunteers work vigorously at the local, state and federal levels to defend our Second Amendment rights, and the time is now for you to join the ranks. FrontLines™ volunteers work with the NRA to advance ILA's legislative and political agenda. Becoming an effective FrontLines™ volunteer will require mere hours of your time, but this small contribution from all our members will pay off in a big way!
To enroll in NRA-ILA's FrontLines™ program, visit nraila.org/grassroots/volunteer today.
Our FrontLines™ volunteers are organized and led by local leaders to ensure our efforts are concentrated in the most effective manner possible. Known as NRA-ILA FrontLines™ Activist Leaders (FAL), these NRA leaders coordinate and implement NRA-ILA's grassroots programs in their areas. FALs work with NRA staff, NRA members and gun-rights supporters to provide ground-level support for NRA-ILA election and legislative efforts all year round.
During this campaign season, FALs are working directly with their NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representatives to organize volunteers for voter contact and "Get Out The Vote" efforts. In the absence of a CFR in their area, FALs will organize volunteers directly to support the grassroots efforts of the NRA-Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) endorsed campaigns.
If your area currently has an FAL vacancy and you are interested in serving in this leadership capacity, please call NRA-ILA's Grassroots Division at (800)-392-vote (8683) and ask to speak with your state's Grassroots Coordinator. To find contact information for your existing area FAL so you can begin working with him or her, visit nraila.org/grassroots/find-your-frontlines-activist-leader.
We know we have a long, tough fight ahead of us. We need every NRA member across the country to contribute their hard work and passion to our shared cause. If preserving the Second Amendment for future generations isn't worth a few hours of your time, what is? We need you to take action right now and motivate your family, friends and fellow firearm owners to do the same! Together, we can win this battle.
"Originally appeared in the August 2018 National Rifle Association Official Journal magazines"
Chris W. Cox Election 2018 Campaign Field Representatives NRA-ILA FrontLines™ Volunteer Program
BY Chris W. Cox
Former NRA-ILA Executive Director
Follow This Contributor
Chris W. Cox served as the executive director of the Institute for Legislative Action, the political and lobbying arm of NRA, until 2019. As NRA's principal political strategist, Cox oversaw eight NRA-ILA divisions: Federal Affairs; State & Local Affairs; Public Affairs; Grassroots; Finance; Research & Information; Conservation, Wildlife & Natural Resources; and Office of Legislative Counsel. Cox also serves as chairman of NRA's Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF), the Association's political action committee; president of the NRA Freedom Action Foundation (NRA-FAF), which focuses on non-partisan voter registration and citizen education; and chairman of NRA Country, an effort to bring country music artists together with NRA members in support of our Second Amendment freedoms and hunting heritage.
More About This Contributor
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Department news and events
Internship spotlight: Kaitlin Foran, First W.N. Looper Award recipient
Posted by: Erin Blevins | September 18, 2013 | No Comment |
Political Science major, Kaitlin Foran and U.S. Representative Mick Mulvaney
Political science major, Kaitlin Foran, was selected as the first recipient of the W.N. Looper Award sponsored by 1983 alumna Ann Looper Pryor. This award of $3,000 helps cover the cost of living in DC. During the summer of 2013, Kaitlin interned with Congressman Mick Mulvaney's (SC-5) office in Washington D.C. She found the opportunity to work on Capital Hill unforgettable and inspiring. She told me that Pryor kept in touch offering assistance in any way she could throughout Kaitlin's stay in DC.
"Without this award, I would not have been able to have had this experience, an experience that unquestionably influenced my future. Ann Looper Pryor is one of the most generous and kind people I have ever had the privilege to meet and I am so happy to have her as a friend and contact in Washington D.C." says Kaitlin
A typical day for Kaitlin at her internship included assisting the legislative staff on bill/ legislative research and letter writing. She would also speak with constituents and record their comments and concerns. She was there during the deliberation of the Farm Bill as well as communication on a potential immigration bill. In addition to her office duties, Kaitlin gave constituents from SC district 5 private tours of the Capitol Building and House Gallery. Kaitlin lived in a residence hall at American University and commuted back and forth from the Hill via the Metro.
She explored her surroundings, visiting museums and the National Zoo, as well as walking around the Hill and National Mall on a daily basis. She attended a South Carolina Shag Event and watched Representative Mulvaney play in the Congressional Baseball game. Kaitlin had the opportunity to be present for a committee hearing in the Small Business Committee and go to several talks, including one headed by Senator Mitch McConnell. Also, while in DC, Kaitlin was able to meet many people including Speaker of the House John Boehner, Representative Joe Wilson, Representative Mark Sanford (who she is interning with now) and Mike Tongour, a lobbyist.
We asked Kaitlin some questions about her experience and here is what she had to say:
What impact did this internship have on your career plans?
"As a political science major, I thought that after graduation I wanted to go into a field involving law and government, and where better to go for that than Washington D.C. I had gained some experience with Congressional office and campaign internships, but I had no idea what D.C. was like, what types of positions would be open to me that involved my career path, or if I would even want to live and work there. Completing this internship answered all of those questions for me. Through the W.N. Looper Award I was not only able to complete an internship with Congressman Mick Mulvaney, but I was also able to live in and experience the nation's Capitol, a city that I can't imagine not living in now, to it's fullest! I also now have a more definitive idea of what I want to do after leaving the College. I am still thinking of going to law school, however, I first want to try to get a position as a legislative assistant in a Congressional office. I worked with some of the legislative assistants in Congressman Mulvaney's office and enjoyed helping them. From there, I would eventually like to see myself entering a lobbying firm."
What were the three most valuable things that you learned while completing the internship?
"The three most valuable things I learned while involved in the internship were: 1) to not doubt yourself; you may feel like you are unprepared but, chances are, you know more and are capable of more than you think; 2) it is so important to single out what you want to do and where you want to be. Prior to this internship I was not fully sure if I wanted to work in the government or how I even would, if my career took that path. Just working in an office similar to my interests really cleared up many questions I had and gave me the opportunity to meet people in that field 3) try to work in a place you absolutely love. I loved working in the Capitol and D.C. as a whole. I can't imagine ever wanting to work or live anywhere else."
What advice would you offer other political science students interested in interning in DC or other places?
"Take advantage of as many opportunities that come upon them, especially when it involves internships. There are several studies that say internships aren't as useful as they should be, and with that I would have to disagree, with one exception: internships, for the most part, are what the intern makes of them. If a student is willing to do their part, then internships, are the best way to gauge what career you want to enter and the way to enter into that field. With internships you are able to fully see how a company or group works, get a sense of what the working environment is, and what work/experience certain positions involve. I would not have known that a legislative assistant position is something that I would have been interested in without this internship opportunity."
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There aren't many Wynekens you can really call "famous".
Actually, to tell the complete truth — there aren't any.
The German Wikipedia lists these three as well as a few others.
The mother-in-law of the famous mathematician, Carl Friedrich Gauß, was a Wyneken.
The reason I mention all this is that I just recently ran into another Wyneken with a coattail relationship to fame. The "famous" person in question is Matthias Claudius (1740-1815), a German poet and journalist (pictured above). I must admit that I had never heard of him before, but I am certainly familiar with one of his poems because it is a popular children's song in Germany, "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" ("The moon has risen"). You can find the German lyrics and an English translation in the Internet.
The Wyneken in question was Mathilde Wyneken (1843-1886), who married Adolph Ernst Nicolaus Claudius (1834-1893), one of Matthias Claudius' grandsons.
As this is, I admit, not particularly impressive, let me just paraphrase the old adage: Some are born to fame, some have fame thrust upon them, and some merely ride the coattails of the famous.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on 2016/12/23 by mpwyn.


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Assembly eyes limits on proliferating vendors
Renewing law would help clear sidewalks; First Amendment complicates vet rules
Lisa Fickenscher
Assemblyman Steven Sanders is drafting legislation to restore limits on street vending in New York City, amid complaints from businesses and tourists that vendors have taken over the sidewalks, making walking in already congested areas even more difficult.
The Manhattan Democrat says it's possible that a bill will be ready in time for the Assembly's special session Wednesday. But he concedes that it could be delayed because of a thorny issue involving vendors who sell items that are protected under the First Amendment, such as written material, music and photographs.
A state law that expired on March 31 prohibited vending entirely on certain streets and allowed only disabled veteran vendors on others--though so-called First Amendment vendors are permitted to set up on prohibited streets if disabled veterans have set up shop there. Efforts to renew the law bogged down in the final days of the legislative session.
First Amendment issue
The bill Mr. Sanders is working on, which would make the law permanent, would reinstate most of the old rules and add a few new ones. It would prohibit vending around Ground Zero, for example. Legislators would also like to limit First Amendment vendors' access to areas set aside for disabled veterans.
"What we have tried is to fashion legislation that allows areas in the city for only veterans to vend," says Mr. Sanders. "But there are some people who (believe) that once a street is open for vending of any kind, you have to allow all the vendors who are selling items that are protected under the First Amendment."
Business groups say vendors have proliferated in number and have crept into areas of the city, such as along avenues in midtown, that were previously prohibited.
The Times Square Business Improvement District found that the number of vendors in Times Square on a typical weekday increased 138% between April and July, rising to 212 from 89. The vendors take up about 30% of the sidewalk, according to the BID, forcing people to walk in the streets.
This is not only annoying to the people who live and work in the area but also bad for tourism, says Cristyne L. Nicholas, president of NYC & Company, the city's tourism bureau.
"It's difficult to market the city as a destination in this climate," she says.
Will tourists stay away?
Local business groups say the situation has reached a critical point.
"We are facing a disastrous Christmas season," says Tom Cusick, president of the Fifth Avenue BID.
The war veteran community is actually in favor of regulations. Veterans believe that without laws limiting First Amendment vendors, they themselves will face harsher restrictions when legislators act.
"First Amendment vendors piggyback in an unregulated manner on the backs of the disabled veteran," says Beazer Pitiger, a disabled veteran who sells goods in midtown. "The city has been unable to address the First Amendment vendors, and it affects us."


The main controls on the player are a slightly indented scroll wheel with a flat round button in the center. Hold the player with these controls facing you.
The top of the player will have the following, from left to right: remote connector, headphone socket, Hold switch.
The dock connector that is used to connect your player to your computer is on the bottom panel of the player.
The button in the middle of the wheel is called Select. You can operate the wheel by pressing the top, bottom, left or right sections, or by sliding your finger around it. The top is Menu, the bottom is Play, the left is Prev, and the right is Next. When the manual says to Scroll Forward, it means to slide your finger clockwise around the wheel. Scroll Backward means to slide your finger counterclockwise. Note that the wheel is sensitive, so you will need to move slowly at first and get a feel for how it works.
Note that when the Hold switch is pushed toward the center of the player, hold is on, and none of the other controls do anything. Be sure Hold is off before trying to use your player.
In the unlikely event of a software failure, hardware poweroff or reset can be performed by holding down Menu and Select simultaneously until the player shuts off or reboots.
Rockbox has a dual-boot feature. To boot into the original firmware, shut down the device as described above. Turn on the Hold switch immediately after turning the player on. The Apple logo will display for a few seconds as Rockbox loads the original firmware.
You can also load the original firmware by shutting down the device, then clicking the Hold switch on and connecting the iPod to your computer.
Regardless of which method you use to boot to the original firmware, you can return to Rockbox by pressing and holding Menu and Select simultaneously until the player hard resets.
When browsing files and moving through menus you usually get a list view presented. The navigation in these lists are usually the same and should be pretty intuitive. In the tree view use Scroll Forward and Scroll Backward to move around the selection. Use Select or Next to select an item. Note that the scroll speed is accelerating the faster you rotate the wheel. When browsing the file system selecting an audio file plays it. The view switches to the "While playing screen", usually abbreviated as "WPS" (see section 4.3. The dynamic playlist gets replaced with the contents of the current directory. This way you can easily treat directories as playlists. The created dynamic playlist can be extended or modified while playing. This is also known as "on-the-fly playlist". To go back to the File Browser stop the playback with the Long Play button or return to the file browser while keeping playback running using Select. In list views you can go back one step with Prev.
Note: Be aware that this button may still perform its normal function, so it is recommended to use a button without harmful side effects, such as Menu.


Paul captured this moment brilliantly in text and digital stills here of David Wilcox and Nick Booth video blogging each other. I had been thinking it was an isolated moment of geekily recursive silliness, but today I got a ping from Lucy Hooberman, also from the UK, about a post she wrote that observes that so many people are live blogging conferences that it produces a lot of documentation of the event.
The technique (Live blogging) finally seems to have caught on in Davos. Everyone is blogging about what is going on in Davos to the point that no one has time to talk face-to-face anymore because they need to rush off and record the last great thought.
Inviting bloggers to Davos is a good thing as it means those not attending in person can participate in the discussion and it makes the whole thing a bit more informal. But by the time I arrived on Wednesday, there were already one million blog hits for "Davos 2007." At this rate, we'll all be able to stay home, prevent climate change and just send our avatars to Switzerland.
This calls to mind a debate in the educator community about some years ago about computer-mediated experiences - and how it is a (mostly) bad thing. Has this view been changed by the pervasive Internet access?
People are blogging so much do they have time to talk to anyone, or each other? I noticed this first at TED last March. Is there a polite way to interrupt a blogger to say hello, or even try and talk? Guess you have to send a comment! At Netsquared last May Ethan Zuckerman spoke on a panel and blogged brilliantly at the same time - so he did have time for a chat in the corridor. I think I am onto something.
And back to David Wilcox's posts about blogger actvists preparing for a conversation. So, the question isn't should we put down our social media tools and have a conversation? I think it is how do we use our social media tools to extend the conversation and bring in other s both online and offline.
David Wilcox wrote his reflections on our workshop in Birmingham two weeks ago while stuck on a train enroute back to London. He's spot on.
I have been processing my experience and wanted to reflect more on my instructional practice, something I used to do regularly. It also reminded me how I still am not yet able to reflect in action 100% of the time. I also thought of a book title from about ten years ago called "Learning and Forgetting"
I went a little overboard on the 80-plus powerpoint slides. What I didn't externalize at the time (I'm off the charts Intuitive and slightly Introverted) was that the process of creating a powerpoint - translating the ideas into visuals - was for my own preparation. Once I get in the room, we throw away the slides.
I really liked having "wikitation" (A wiki that you can use for a presentation) for the content See Social Media wik) The wiki worked well because it put a lot of links and some visuals as jumping off points for discussion.
I didn't really do a presentation - I tried to do an "interactive presentation" where you are involving people in a discussion. It also helped in terms of getting a sense of where people were at and facilitating some sharing of stories.
Most of the content questions were familiar, but I got a few that are still making me pause. "How much time do you spend online?" and "Should one be worried about having so much of your 'thinking outloud' and photographs on the Internet. Do we need to worry.?"
Dion Hinchcliffe presents a great visual illustrating the difference between traditional/mainstream and social media. It made me think of how many times have I heard crusty old nonprofit technology consultants, "Social media, no body knows what that is?"
Hinchcliffe goes on to give us a clear definition for social media with pointer to wikipedia's definition and emphasizes "The key here is that people are the ones that use and control these tools and platforms instead of organizations and large institutions."
Of course, any effective technique or phenomenon has those who attempt to co-opt it or copy it, the latter which is the most sincerest form of flattery. The recent Public Relations 2.0 flap, which ostensibly boiled down to whether or not traditional organizations can even conceive of how these new freeform platforms work, was a good example of how institutions firmly grounded in the 20th century struggle to understand the power shift under way. Because these platforms are no longer under anyone's control for the very reason that the Web is a system without an owner, except all of us together.
He goes on to ask: "But how significant is this really? What are the compelling datapoints that tell use that social media is changing the landscape of communication, collaboration, and personal interaction?" In the next few paragraphs, presents statistics that illustrate the "mainstreaming" of social media - like this google trends for podcasting.
He lays out the ground rules for Social Media.
1. Communication in the form of conversation, not monologue.
2. Participants in social media are people, not organizations.
3. Honesty and transparency are core values.
4. It's all about pull, not push.
5. Distribution instead of centralization.
When users are in control via the highly democratizing tools of the Web, the fundamental ground rules change. Understand them, follow them, and embrace them, this is the pre-eminent media model for the 21st century.
Write down your blog's obituary. How would it read if your readers were to write it? How would it read if other blog's in your field were to write it? What would the world look like if your blog didn't exist? If you were to stop tomorrow, who would miss your blog and why? Have you made any real difference for your readers?
I'm the session designer for the video geekout session at NTC and today is the deadline for the outline submission. I got a couple of rock stars from the video blogging community with us - Jay Dedman, Ryan Hodson, Jonny Goldstein, Andy Carvin, and Robyn Tippins to lead the session. It's been fun to bounce ideas back and forth with Jay and everyone, particularly in light of their extensive experience teaching folks video skills.
Steven Parker is doing some cool stuff with video. Not only on his blog, Network Learning, but embedded into a wiki. Check out his Group Learning page where he walks us through how to facilitate a tech learning session! The rest of the wiki is also a great resource for those looking to integrate tech into learning -- or anything else. The stuff has "good bones" to be applied in varied settings.
This is an excellent example of "rich media" documentation.
Meet Susan Silverman. I met her like ten years ago when I leading training workshops for arts educators, artists, and arts organizations throughout New York State on how to use the Internet. I was teaching Web1.0 skills like how to search the Internet, how to manage email, how to build a simple web page with HTML, and other good stuff. Susan was doing these amazing collaborative, user-generated content projects over the Internet.
I remember her community of clocks project -- she facilitated content creation from schools around the world on the theme of clocks. These projects were done nearly ten years ago, but they presage what the social web, participatory media. I wonder what lessons or techniques can be learned from her practice that can be applied with the next generation of tools? How much has our environment, culture, or information overload changed?
I was really excited to find her photo contributed to one of my flickr groups!
Can Yahoo Answer My Question About Del.icio.us?
That's what Allan Benamer and I want to know. Why? To play with the data on dabbledb, swivel, or many-eyes (see what Chris did here). The context is here.
I've been working in the nonprofit tech field since 1993 and I've faced the issue of "cranial containment." My brain just isn't big enough to hold all the information about all topics that I need to know. So, one method is to find people who are experts in a topic and take advantage of their expertise. I'm lucky that Laura Quinn, an expert in nonprofit software, shares expertise via Webinars in collaboration with NTEN.
Last week, I sat in on the Idealware/NTEN Webinar "Getting Started With Online Donation Tools" because I need to prep myself for my board meeting. In fact, looking down the list of upcoming Webinars - I really need to go to all of them. If your organization is struggling with software selections for online fundraising, databases, or newsletters - it is well worth your time and money to sign up for these webinars. It's great to be able to ask your specific question and get it answered. Also, the idealware site has many excellent articles you can back and re-read and better understand or read before the webinar to go in better informed.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to the UK to present a workshop on Social Media with David Wilcox at the UK Circuit Riders Conference. I also had a chance to meet Nick Booth from Podnosh, High Fibre Podcasting. Nick is a journalist with a background in documentary making. I asked him for some video shooting techniques for interviews and he kindly gave me and David some excellent coaching and shooting pointers.
My video blogging has mostly been about "moment capture" from professional conferences. I am mostly live blogging with text and photos and then I capture a video clip or soundbyte from someone who was in the session, a speaker or participant. As a beginner, I've only been able to think in sound bytes from a single shoot because I wanted to have the editing process be easy and efficient. Nick gave me some tips on how to integrate interviewing techniques with camera angles that makes your editing work easy and could result in a better a good final product.
There is nothing like getting some one-on-one or small group coaching from a pro. This is why I'm organizing a video geekout session at NTC -- we'll have some of the rock stars of the video blogging community with us - Jay Dedman, Ryan Hodson, Jonny Goldstein, Andy Carvin, and Robyn Tippins.
What are your most useful synchronous online facilitation practices?
TechSoup holds regular meetings for nonprofits in Second Life and I have been attending regularly and sometimes facilitate like this I did this past week. So, I've been reflecting about effective facilitation of virtual meetings in Second Life Right now the primary method of group interaction is via unmoderated chat interface.
Sometimes it doesn't support the process of collaboration effectively for all the reasons we already know. But there is also a trust issue too -- particularly if you don't know all the avatars in real life. Given that you are starting a virtual representation of people - you may be proned to projection.
-If you need multiple lines, use .... at the end of your phrase to indicate you're not finished.
This protocol might make some aspects of inworld chat only meetings smoother and less multiple threads, but introducing it into an established group's meeting practices might be a little like herding cats.
I also find that I reach cognitive overload with the SL chat client pretty fast because: 1.) chat history flys by and I'm scrolling back to catch up 2.) The chat window I'm reading covers up the screen if I want to reach the history without scrolling, so I have to move it around to watch what is happening in world 3) I have to translate the avatar name to real person name and relate to agenda or summary notes that I'm taking elsewhere. 4) There isn't a place inside of the virtual world where you can easily post the agenda and I haven't found a virtual flip chart yet. It kinds of gets in the way of effective facilitation.
I also don't like using chat alone because it sometimes can get chaotic, leads to miscommunication, and feels so slow. That slowness is great if you want to immerse in a conversation where you reflect and explore, but it can be really annoying if you're trying to come to agreement, determine actions, and make decisions. I've always had chat as a back channel to a conference call and used it to summarize key points as a sort of electronic flip chart. There I go again, wanting a virtual flipchart.
At Friday's meeting in-world, someone brought along their roundtable with expandable seats. It worked for me because of the clock technique we often use to facilitate conference calls. Now, if I could just find a flip chart in SL that let's you type in the summary of key points - I'd be a happy.
That's why Nancy White's post on most useful synchronous online facilitation practices really caught my eye. So, I read it with this question in mind: What techniques can be applied or adapted to Second Life facilitation or virtual world interface facilitation? How does SL compare to these other tools and where does it fit on the gradient? And, how does a virtual world tool help or hinder effective online collaboration or a synchronuous online communication?
This is interesting to me because Second Life is quite the opposite - there is a huge investment in learning the tools, there is no audio (although that is changing) and it is all visual. How much does this help or hinder effective collaboration? How might it influence your choice of using Second Life for a project?
The reason to have something beyond the is two fold: one is to increase our engagement and participation, particularly for those of us who are not great in an aural-only mode. With a visual, I'm less apt to start doing my email or staring out the window. For the same reason, I love my cordless phone because I find I listen to long phone meetings better when I can walk around and move away from my computer. It does something to my thinking. I'm still hard wired for VOIP calls and, despite the price, I am tempted to get a bluetooth headset for the computer.
I'm very similar to Nancy in that I have attention issues with aural-only mode. But, I'm also finding when I don't any aural mode for group collaboration meetings - chat only - I start to have similar attention issues. So, that's why I like having both the visual and the aural.
The second reason is other tools can support the process of the meeting or gathering. Using a chat room to collectively take notes, or a wiki to evolve the agenda and take notes during a meeting. Co-editing WHILE discussing a document. Queing up questions in a larger phone meeting via chat so that a) you know you are on deck to speak and b) people have a chance to be heard, especially if they are less inclined to jump in to a conversation.
This gets me back to wanting that virtual flip chart. Another thing that happens and I know there is probably a way to prevent this - is that our meeting are taking place in a busy place where visitors often come by who are not involved in the group. The other day, we had someone come by with their virtual dog who fetching a ball. It's cute, but it flooded our chat transcript with "woof woof." Now, I'm a huge dog lover, but it disrupted the meeting.
When you get to the place where you are doing larger meetings (over 8 or so), or are doing ongoing live meeting practices, it starts making sense to consider more sophisticated tools and pratices. This is where things like web meeting tools, co-browsing, and such can be useful.
What I notice about web meeting tools is that most of us don't know how to make the most of them. We may learn how to use all the tools and features, but we haven't had exposure to good facilitation practices. We try and duplicate offline experiences (be they useful or not) and not really take advantage of the medium.
Of course, the meetings I'm attending in Second Life are related to planning and implementing projects in Second Life. So, while some aspects of the interface are annoying - as I've outline above -- it comes back to a question of "What makes for a good facilitation practice in Second Life?" Given that it is a virtual word, do online facilitation techniques used in RL or other types of online applications make sense? How can we take advantage of the medium of Second Life?
I keep coming back to damn virtual flip chart. I posted a question on the educator listserv and there doesn't seem to be one. yet.
Nancy's post continues with some observations about synchronous online facilitation techniques gleaned from reading "Learning in Real Time" by Jennifer Hoffman and Jonathan Finkelstein.
What I notice is that Jonathan writes about something I learned from my colleague, Fernanda Ibarra. It is the masterful use of a shared white board to move people from being consumers of a meeting to being active participants. Fernanda showed me how she prepared a whiteboard screen with clipart of a circle of chairs. As people entered the web meeting space, she invited them to write their names under a chair. This helped orient them to and practice with the tool, created a sense of "group" and gave a visual focus as people entered the "room." It was brilliant. I've riffed on that idea and found it very useful. We've done After Action Reviews with the white board taking the place of a flip chart used F2F. We've even had virtual parties. This brings together , text, and images.
This starts to get really excited about the possibilities of Second Life and really using the medium. Now what if our shared table (see above) could also be a shared white board -- our collaborative virtual flip chart. Of course, you'd need the aural channel for it to work.
Nancy points to a few good resources on the topic of synchronous online facilitation techniques that I need to explore ..
A lot of people have asked me about those widget fundraising campaigns I did last December. So, if you're interested, you can learn more.
ChipIn asked me to write up a formal case study on my first personal fundraising campaign using their tool.
This case study walks you through the step-by-step process of using the ChipIn widget to implement a successful a personal fundraising campaign on behalf of any nonprofit organization or cause. The tips and techniques shared in the next few pages will help your organization guide supporters and transform them into effective fundraisers for your organization's cause or program. The case study looks at how to set a realistic goal, crafting an effective message, identifying likely prospects, incorporating social networking sites into your implementation efforts, and how to best use the Chipin widget.
He did an interview with me about widget fundraising -- its brief - go take a listen.
This week on the NpTech Tag call, the idea of social search was referenced. Nancy White just sent me this note about a conference call on Monday about the topic.
Here's the deal: If we can't sort the wheat from the chaff, the chaff wins.
If so, the Net becomes a big pit of quicksand.
Search engines keep improving, sometimes imperceptibly, but my money's on social search. We'll find our best information from other people, not from software filters.
There are many social ways to filter info, from digg (see especially the Diggswarm) and Memeorandum to del.icio.us, blogging, reblogging (see the Google Reader Sharing FAQ) and more.
How are people making sense of the torrent of info on the Net?
What do you use? What practices have you developed?
What is missing? What do you wish someone would build?
As always, an IRC Chat will be available during the call, here.
A big thank you to Britt Bravo for the Have Fun, Do Good T-Shirt! I've now launched my two-headed blog t-shirt collection on Flickr. Check out Britt's store on CafePress.
CafePress.com is an online retailer that produces and dispatches a large variety of user-customized products on demand. Opening and operating a basic CafePress shop is free. A basic shop can be upgraded to a premium shop for a small monthly rate, allowing an unlimited number of products per type and additional maintenance and customization features.
photo of Lucy Bernholz live blogging during the Northern California Grantmakers Briefing. Photo in flickr from Community Technology Foundation.
It's always nice to discover redesigned nonprofit web sites with a web2.0 functionality. Check out the SDCTC Community Portal (is the idea of a "portal" web 2.0 or more like web 1.0?) They are using RSS to stream content, including resources tagged with NpTech tag in del.icio.us. Hmm .. we should add some questions to our NpTech Tag research about how people are aggregating and republishing content tagged with the NpTech Tag.
Sundance, the Oscars, and Nonprofit Technology?
Katya Andresen from Network for Good gives us the lastest celebrity news (what no gossip?) from Sundance where she was busy running around asking celebs to join Six Degrees and getting them sign swag for charity.
Nick Booth, high fibre podcasting blog, points us to some fascinating brain research that has discovered the part of the brain responsible for altruism and he links it to why nonprofits should be using the social web to advance their missions.
Nancy Schwartz of the Getting Attention Blog is hosting next week's Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. The topic is "How do Nonprofit Communicators Compete for Audience Attention?"
Jayne Cravens from Coyote Communications offers advice and commentary for nonprofit organizations about online social networking. Specifically she speaks to why she isn't a stronger advocate and some of the issues related to "Second Wave Adoption."
Hillary Clinton is using Drupal. Niels' Blog has a post called "Wanted - A President Candidate That Blogs" wondering if presidential candidates understand what it means to have a conversation online and a related post called "How Not To Blog."
Last week Ethan Zuckerman was the invited speaker at the Ethos Roundtable and also presented this talk "Looking beyond the US for activist inspiration" at the Berkman Center/Sunlight Foundation meeting. Deborah Finn was at both events and blogged about the latter here.
Heather Carpenter from Aspiration has a post titled "Why It Took Us Eight Months To Get Our Network Up and Running"
Phillip Djwa writes about a youth videoconference he is organizing.
Michelle Martin writes about her experience as a non-technical programmer creating mashups with some new user-friendly tools.
After a brief hiatus from blogging, the studio 501c blog with some great advice for nonprofits on how to explore org.20 practices.
The nonprofit blog exchange has posted pointers to the last round of blog posts for the virtual event, along with a summary of nonprofit blog exchange blog posts.
Last week I summarized Allison Fine's articulate rant about the Gates Foundation. Now "The Giving Carnival" over at the Tactical Philthanthropy Blog provides a roundup of several bloggers opinions.
Northern California Grantmakers Briefing called From YouTube to Podcast: Digital Media, Philthanthropy, and Social Justice was live blogged by Lucy Bernholz here. Anil Dash, of Sixapart, was one of the speakers. You can listen to a podcast of his remarks here. Lucy has more coverage on her blog.
The "OpenItUp" blog shares a list of commonly used excuses for not using open source as heard during the recent LASA UK Circuit Rider Conference.
A WikiTation is a presentation delivered in a wiki. It can be a great tool for conference presentations -- to present material, examples, or take notes for your session. It also serves a resource leave behind! Alan Levine, CogdogBlog, invented the term and also has some excellent examples here.
BlogWikiWeb is the "wikitation" from the Web2.0 session during the Legal Services Conference Technology Initiative Grant Conference.
The Net2.0 Unplugged Research an action research project which will explore the question: How do telecentres make 'web 2.0' socially and technically accessible in emerging knowledge societies? The research is being led by Partha Partim Sarker, Co-Founder, Bytes for All. (Blog is here) There are some excellent questions raised about the impact of technology on the way people do their. So, the resulting report should be fascinating.
Check out the wiki for CivicCRM Documentation, 2007 Penguin Day Planning, and 2007 Nonprofit Software Development Summit.
Ian Bogost takes some of the fun out of video games -- and replaces it with opinion with his "playable editorial cartoons." If you're interested the uses of videogames in advertising, politics, education, and other activities, check out Ian's site, water cooler games.
Live blog notes from a session at Northern California Grantmakers briefing about Virtual Worlds and Video Games here.
Need a chuckle? See this one-page parody of Second Life.
John Kenyon tells you why video blogging is useful for nonprofits.
John Kenyon was also at the LASA Circuit Riders Conference in Birmingham with me earlier this month. We went to a pub with some David Wilcox and Nick Booth, ordered up a few rounds of drinks, and had a fantastic conversation about social media and nonprofits. The type of conversation you have with your peers about your work that you can only have face-to-face. I pulled out my video camera to do some moment capture.
The NTC Conference is a little more than two months away and I'm really looking forward to conversations with colleagues and meeting others face-to-face for the first time. While one might be tempted to discount the value of face-to-face gatherings when we have the Internet, some of my most valuable connections and learning experiences have taken place "in real life" at the NTC. There is just no replacement for face-to-face connections.
I've volunteered to be a session designer for two (yikes!) sessions and I'm in the process of organizing a third, an affinity group meeting! I'll be collaborating with colleagues online to further plan our sessions and online materials. So, in the spirit of thinking outloud, I'm sharing these works in progress here and welcome any comments or reactions.
Those of us that provide technology support for nonprofits get asked a few questions over and over (and over and over) again. Screencasts are a great new way to answer simple how-to's and record the answers to those frequently asked questions for posterity. A recording of your , the image on your screen, and some additional elements, screencasts are perfect for explaining how-to's for your applications and other specific, tactical uses. In this session we'll explore some uses for screencasting, the tools you'll need to create one, and tips and tricks for making them work.
Seems like video is obsession this year - so the other session is going to be a geekout, hands-on session on video blogging for nonprofits. Jay Dedman and Ryanne Hodson (well known video bloggers and authors of books on the topic) have will be leading the session, along with Andy Carvin and Jonny Goldstein, also accomplished video bloggers. The session will be very hands-on, participants will be encouraged to their cameras, laptops, and clips. I'm hoping that video blogging can be spread to the nonprofit sectors - as a way for organizations to tell their stories and document their work. The latter is something dubbed "Rich Media" or "Social Reporting"
This is a great opportunity to learn from some key learners in the video blogging field. The planning wiki (very much a work in progress right now) is here.
I'm the moderater for the NTEN online affinity group that focuses on Flickr for Nonprofits. (It's free and anyone can join, so if you are curious about nonprofit applications in flickr, come subscribe to the listserv and if you're going to the NTC, come join our meeting). I read in the NTEN newsletter where there was call for Affinity Group Meetings. So I sent out a trial balloon on the list and in our flickr group discussion area.
The Flickr for Nonprofits Affinity group will meet in Washington, DC to share experiences, tips, and ideas about how Flickr can be used to support nonprofits and their programs. We will discuss flickr, tagging, digital photography, flickr contests, participatory media campaigns, and much more. We will also design a "Flickr Walk" to take place sometime during the conference. We will also organize a flickr collaboration during conference, for example we might take digital photos of the event around particular themes and stream and project our photo stream so everyone at NTC can view it.
Mental note to self: I've never actually organized a flickr walk - has anyone? Where do I find more information?
Nancy White pinged me the other day asking if I was interested in joining the Guest Editor Crew she is leading for the next edition of the KM4Dev journal. The theme is going to be on something like "Technology for knowledge sharing in development." I said yes because I have always found collaborative online activities with Nancy extremely rewarding, it is an opportunity to connect with others beyond the US borders, and discover new research/researchers.
Net2:Unplugged is an action research project which will explore the question: how do we make make 'web 2.0' socially and technically accessible in emerging knowledge societies? The project will provide direct support to three telecentre networks who want to use these new approaches to organize their members online. We will learn about what works and what doesn't alongside these networks.
The Idealist, a project of Action Without Borders,connects people, organizations, and resources to help build a better world. If you want to get involved in social change issues or work with nonprofits anyplace on the globe, the Idealist is one of the first desinations on the web you should visit.
The Idealist recently launched a new initiative, Can You Imagine a Better World? Next week, participants from all over the world are holding start-up meetings to imagine, connect, and act!
Action Without Borders is an 11 year-old nonprofit organization with an amazing history of accomplishment and growth. I recently tracked down several women who work for the organization in their New York and Buenos Aires offices, including Lorene Straka, Joanna Eng, and Mari Velasco for an interview.
1. Lorena, you've worked for the organization for almost 8 years, starting as an intern and moving to Chief of Staff position, what was your background prior to your internship? Why did you decide to intern for the idealist?
8 years! Wow. It all started with a subway ride...I met the founder, Ami Dar, on a subway two weeks after moving to New York in 1999. During our commute uptown he very, very briefly told me about the Imagine project and I was intrigued. As part of this bigger project, he was looking for an intern to research countries that didn't allow their citizens to create nonprofit organizations.
When I joined, we were a staff of three, and we're now at 55 in two countries: the US and Argentina. It was, and continues to be, a great crew of people.
We're about harnessing every resource and tool available to promote connections between people, ideas and resources and the more ways to do that, the better! We're a small organization with limited resources, but we're creative, ambitious and are doing our best to keep up and capture the best of what's out there.
We have made some recent changes to expand our use of new web tools, but there's always more we could do! We have started to make our presence known on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, and we're encouraging people to use sites like Flickr and YouTube to share their photos and videos with the Idealist network. We'd still like to do more, though, to integrate these tools into the flow of our website.
We've also started using a wiki for a volunteer research project, and we'll probably expand our use of wikis in the future. The wiki model has great potential for us: since we are always looking to share resources through our website, why not make it easier for the public to contribute great ideas and resources they know about? The key with all of these new web tools is that they help us make our work more collaborative, help our network come alive!
3. Can you tell me some stories about how your organization has connected people, organizations, and resources to realize change?
I am originally from Ecuador and have two stories about connection. I lived at the Galapagos islands for 2 years and last year a friend who runs an important NGO in the islands wrote me thanking me because through Idealist he managed to find 2 volunteers from Spain to work on a project about organic agriculture. He said he felt it was going to be impossible trying to find people from a little island in the middle of the Pacific ocean and that he was thankful that there's a site like Idealist to connect people all over the world, and that it works!
The other story is from another friend who is the executive director of a great NGO (Fundacion Futuro del Ecuador) that works with indigenous communities living on the highlands, helping them have access to decent health care system. They empower the communities so they can run the program themselves through "cooperativas" and she needed desperately the help of volunteers for a nutritional project to complement the health care program, and two argentinians from Patagonia traveled to Ecuador to give her a hand with the project and they have done amazing things and had a great life experience. This happened from the connections they made on idealist.
4. I understand that there will be over 200 start-up meetings in 53 countries scheduled for the week of February 5-11. What are are some of the common themes?
Most are about improving their communities and networking. There are also meetings focused on youth, sexuality, volunteerism, and persons with disabilities.
5. What else would you like to tell us about your organization or programs?
Come take advantage of this amazing oportunity to connect with people in their communities (and all over the world) to work together and improve the place where they live. This is the best way to empower ourselves and to pass our enthusiasm to others. The world can really be changed by the power of positive and active people working side by side with the same objective.