2012 Summer Research Institute for the Science of Socio-Technical Systems
July 29 – August 2, 2011 – The Bishop’s Lodge Resort, Santa Fe, NM, USA
Application: Screening begins March 9th, 2012
Eligibility: Advanced doctoral students, post-doctoral scholars and pre-tenure faculty at US-based institutions
Notification: Early April 2012
Cost: reasonable expenses will be covered for all accepted participants
Background
A science of socio-technical systems is emerging from research in the fields of CSCW, social computing, social informatics, the sociology of computing, HCI, information systems and other related intellectual communities. The Consortium for the Science of Socio-Technical Systems (CSST, see www.sociotech.net) is an organization devoted to advancing research on socio-technical systems. Building on the success of the three previous Summer Research Institutes, the CSST will, with generous support by the National Science Foundation, again be hosting a summer research institute for advanced doctoral students, post-doctoral scholars, and pre-tenure faculty. A primary goal of the institute is to build a new cohort of faculty and graduate students who are interested in research on the design and interplay of the social and technical that spans levels of individuals, groups, organizations, and larger communities. Examples of this kind of work include research on:
* new forms of organizing (e.g., virtual organizations, massive online activities)
* social computing (e.g., online communities, online social networks);
* distributed work (e.g., collaboratories, virtual teams);
* technology and work in context (e.g. healthcare informatics, IT and journalism, eScience)
* emerging technologies (e.g., recommender systems, prediction markets);
* novel forms of production (e.g., open source software, Wikipedia);
* new forms of expression and entertainment (e.g., blogs, wikis, massively multiplayer online role-playing games);
* information and communication technologies for developing regions (e.g., cell phone-based applications to assist economic development, infrastructure development for local economic action).
Institute mentors
The institute has assembled a faculty of distinguished scholars in the domain of socio-technical systems to serve as mentors. This includes the followingleading scholars, in addition to others from both industry and government:
* Brian Butler, University of Maryland, Director
* Andrea Tapia, Pennsylvania State University, Assistant Director
* Geoff Bowker, UCI
* Tom Erickson, IBM
* Wayne Lutters, UMBC
* Tony Salvador, Intel
* Steve Sawyer, Syracuse University
* Diane Bailey, University of Texas – Austin
* Bonnie Nardi – UCI
Institute goals
The goals of the institute are to:
* Expand on and strengthen connections among the cohort of researchers in this area, and build on the network of relations formed through the prior Summer Research Institutes.
* Guide the work of the new researchers by interacting with experts in socio-technical systems science. Provide encouragement and support for the selection of socio-technical systems research topics.
* Illustrate the interrelationship and diversity of the field of socio-technical systems research.
How the institute will be conducted
The institute will be conducted as a residential program at the Bishop’s Lodge Resort outside Santa Fe, New Mexico (http://www.bishopslodge.com/) with a combination of small group sessions devoted to providing feedback onparticipant’s research and larger group sessions consisting of panels and presentations led by the Institute’s mentors. These sessions will cover research topics such as core principles and viable research methods and also career development, how to obtain funding, and publication strategies. Timeeach afternoon will be reserved for informal recreational activities. All reasonable, pre-paid costs of participation, including travel, lodging, and meals are covered by support from NSF.
How to apply
The application process requires three parts:
1. A 350 word response to the question: How will your research contribute to advancing our scientific understanding of socio-technical systems? A few core citations may be helpful in framing your answer, especially if they are not to your own work. (The accompanying reference list does not apply toward your word count.)
2. Your current curriculum vitae.
3. Your contact information and affiliation: your name, your current U.S.-based institution and affiliation, your preferred email address, and your status (PhD candidate, post-doctoral scholar, pre-tenure faculty, or an explanation of some other status).
Please email your application materials as attachments using PDF or a common word processing format to bsbutler@umd.edu<mailto:bsbutler@umd.edu> with “CSST 2012” in the subject line.
Please also note that participation in this institute will be restricted to doctoral candidates who have advanced to candidacy by the time of submission up through pre-tenure faculty who are at US institutions.
This includes post-doctoral scholars who are not in tenure-track positions if they are less than five years fromhaving completed their doctorate.
Selection and notification
All applications will be reviewed by the institute director, associate director, and all mentors. Selection will reflect the following criteria:
· Clear articulation of the research contribution to socio-technical systems (theory, practice or design);
· Clear development of socio-technical concepts and principles relative to your research interests;
· A career point where participation in the institution would be of greatest practical value;
· Contribution to a balanced anddiverse group of participants.
Additional information
For further information please visitwww.sociotech.net, e-mail bsbutler@umd.edu<mailto:bsbutler@umd.edu>, or speak with prior Institute participants at CSST workshops or on our Facebook group — “Researchers of the Socio-Technical.”
