I elected to participate in the 2013 Walter E. Dean Environmental Management Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As the namesake suggests, the Institute is made possible by Walter E. Dean’s generous financial support. He is a retired geophysicist who got his start with environmental information working with FORTRAN programming language long ago.
The Institute’s connection to DataONE is that the curriculum was designed and is taught by several instructors involved with DataONE. So far instructors have included Kirsten Vanderbilt, with Sevilleta LTER, John Porter, with the Virginia Coastal Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research Network (VCRLTER), Rebecca Koskela, executive director of DataONE, and Bill Michener of UNM Libraries and DataONE PI.
We’ve learned a lot in the first 2 days of Informatics 530 – Environmental Information Management, covering data management planning and data archives, and metadata and intro to databases. I’ll upload the syllabus here and hopefully integrate some PowerPoint slides into subsequent posts to make these training materials more widely available.
Here’s the description from the University of New Mexico Libraries:
Scientists, engineers, and data librarians are working in an increasingly data-intensive research environment. The Environmental Information Management Institute (EIMI) provides graduate students and professionals with the conceptual and practical hands-on training to effectively design, manage, analyze, visualize, and preserve data and information. Participants completing the three-week Institute will gain invaluable experience with all aspects of the data life cycle: from managing data files and creating databases and web portals, through state-of-the-art analysis and visualization techniques, as well as managing, analyzing, and visualizing geospatial data.
The 2013 Flyer is also available online and describes the courses:
Register for these courses if you are a student or professional with a BS in biology, geology, ecology, or other environmental sciences, environmental engineering, geography or science librarianship. Non-UNM students are also welcome but need to register.
Scientists, engineers, and data librarians are working in an increasingly data-intensive research environment. The Environmental Information Management (EIM) Institute provides MS and PhD students and professionals with the conceptual and practical hands-on training that allows them to effectively design, manage, analyze, visualize, and preserve data and information.
Participants will:
1. Work with nationally known experts in the field
2. Gain a significant competitive advantage in the job market
3. Become familiar with all aspects of the data life cycle
4. Learn how to manage data files, create databases and design web portals
5. Explore state-of-the-art analysis and visualization techniques
6. Learn techniques for managing, analyzing, and visualizing geospatial data.
The three courses represent a total of six graduate level credits – ideal for me as I can transfer exactly 6 credits from an outside organization to my home institution, The University of Tennessee School of Information Science. I am fortunate to be able to add 6 credit hours in addition to my previous coursework, Environmental Informatics with Professor Mike Frame, also a lead of activity for DataONE and employed by the U.S. Geological Survey Core Science Analytics and Synthesis Program. USGS has been involved with DataONE since its inception.
