The rise of big data and big science have provided universities with an opportunity to work together on ways to technologically manage worldwide research projects.
Misfolding proteins that cause Alzheimer’s disease and the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy are just a few of the projects that generate massive amounts of data. To unlock the answers that the data holds, researchers will have to work together across different disciplines and countries.
“In this era of big data and big science, universities must serve as a crossroads for collaboration more than they ever have,” said Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, during a general session at the 2014 Internet2 Global Summit in Denver on Tuesday, April 8.
This crossroads for collaboration doesn’t just mean that researchers should talk to each other. It also means collaboration between research and IT in a way that doesn’t always happen, said Michael McRobbie, president of Indiana University. Researchers need the support of IT leaders who take the time to understand what’s needed technologically and can then provide it.
