Spotlight on: Labmeeting.com

In an age when it feels as though if it isn't online then it doesn't exist, there are an increasing number of programs/solutions/tools to help people connect/manage or simply get their work done. This same mentality is being used in the laboratory via www.labmeeting.com

Check out this post on techcrunch which gives an overview of the motivation for and history of the site.

Though I have not used the site extensively, I've seen a few things:
- In order to join you must have a .edu email address and have a PI or Advisor listed as the person you are working for. This allows teams working in a specific group/lab to link together and share news, reports, articles, papers, protocols, etc.
- You can search for relevant published papers by keyword and add them to your collection. You can also receive updates when papers are made available that match your search criteria. For example, the keywords 'water purification' will land you (in preview mode) papers as diverse as "Sequential and simultaneous determination of bromate and chlorite (DBPs) by flow techniques: kinetic differentiation." AND " Feasibility of water purification technology in rural areas of developing countries." , among others.
- Within the lab you can receive/create events, notes, and notebook entries. This could be very useful for a PI trying to communicate within a large lab group, and also very helpful for teams working from more than one physical location.
- You can also view other members of labmeeting, along with their affiliation and areas of research. This could very well provide an interesting setting for researchers who have questions, are seeking expertise, or simply want to connect with other scientists working on similar issues. In a way, this aspect of the site could act as a social networking tool for laboratories.

As I am not working in a lab, I can not attest to whether or not it is actually being utilized, though the members' page looks is quite extensive. It looks like the site is used only by US institutions. If used internationally, I imagine it could help countries, both developed and developing, tap into new resources. One topic some of us at GW have come across is the idea of the 'new invisible college'. Could labmeeting be used as a tool to bring science to resource poor areas and help them plug into the scientific network?

If you have friends and colleagues in labs, please tell them about this tool. I'd be interested in hearing about what they think. Read more!

The WikiLaboratory

Just as you may use wikipedia.com to do a general search for some quick historical info, to figure out which actor played in that movie you are trying to remember, or to win a bet with a friend using some obscure trivia, you might also be interested in the wiki laboratory.

http://www.wikilaboratory.com/ is a website, in their own words, "based off of the well-known Wikipedia template where users contribute, edit, and direct content on the website. The goal of this website is to develop a community of researchers in every discipline. We would like WikiLaboratory to become a place where scientists can come to get information, discuss topics, and collaborate."

Not only can you conduct a search for "rinderpest virus chromotographic strip test", which I actually had to do the other day, you can use their jobs section to find or post jobs from science writing to senior scientist in a research lab. There is a nice list of scientific databases, as well.

Although there is no page for "science and technology policy" yet, given time I think that can change. Read more!

SISTP Events Calendar

It's almost impossible to keep up with all of the S&T events of interest in DC (and elsewhere)...but we're trying. On the right hand side of this site, you'll see the SISTP calendar of events. We'll be keeping this as up to date as possible. Be sure to refer to the calendar frequently, as we are adding events almost daily.

Recent additions include SISTP's upcoming informal discussion with Usha Balakrishnan, the founder of CARTHA and the Technology Managers for Global Health network. She'll be joining us at the Center on April 23, 2008 from 3-5pm.

Also, the American Chemical Society's Science and the Congress Project, with the Society for Toxicology, and the Society for Risk Analysis are hosting a luncheon on Congress' role in Nanotechnology on April 18, 2008.

If you know of events you'd like to share or list-serves we should subscribe to, please let us know at sistp.gwu (at) gmail (dot) com

You can also add this calendar to your google calendar by searching for 'SISTP Events' in google's public calendars.
A big thank you to Jon Camfield for setting up this feature! (and this site in general!)
Read more!

Networking with the Bigshots

Throughout our professional careers, we will often be told that networking is key: the key to information we need, the key to a job we want, etc.

The Economist offers up some tips and tricks about how to go about this daunting task, especially when you find yourself at large international gatherings. For example, when schmoozing with the adviser to the bigshots at the hotel bar, "Don’t express your own opinions on hot topics until you have a rough idea of what your new friend thinks. Express amazement and gratitude at even the most trivial insight in the hope of getting something better. If stuck with a bore or a nonentity, grasp your phone and pretend to take a non-existent call."


The witty, and probably quite realistic, post can be found here: http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11014554&fsrc=RSS
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Got something to share?

SISTP wants to hear from you! It is impossible for us to keep up with all of the publications, events, and groundbreaking ideas surrounding the world of S&T Policy.

Have you read a report that we should know about? Want to write or comment on it?
Is there an event we should attend?
Has a new journal started publication?
Know of a job or internship vacancy?
Want to highlight a project your organization is working on?
Is there a call for papers or abstracts to which we should submit?

Let us know! email: sistp.gwu (at) gmail (dot) com Read more!