January Event – Big Data & You: Preparing Current & Future Information Specialists
The New England Chapter of the Association for Information Science & Technology, together with the Simmons College Student Chapter, invite you to join us at our 2014 winter event on the topic of Big Data!
Big Data is rapidly changing the way researchers, scientists and businesses learn, compete and adapt in digital data-driven environments. The conversation is not just about what data to store, but also how to extract meaningful intelligence from all data, and this is just the beginning.
We now ask what librarians, data scientists and researchers need to know in order to prepare for the challenges of Big Data over the next 10 years. Our panelists are leading practitioners and experts in information and computer science. They will discuss their experiences with Big Data and share their insights into leading a successful career in the always-changing information field.
| When | Tuesday, January 14, 2014, from 8:15am to 12:30pm |
| Where | MIT Pappalardo Room, Bldg 4-349, Cambridge, MA. For exact location, see the MIT Campus Map. |
| RSVP | http://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-data-you-preparing-current-future-information-specialists-tickets-9600478289 |
Program
| 8:15-9:00am | Registration & Breakfast |
| 9:00-9:15am | Welcome & Introduction |
| 9:15-10:00am | Sands Fish, Senior Software Engineer--MIT Libraries "Knowing in the Age of Networked Knowledge" The words "research" and "knowing" have distinctly different meanings than they used to before the Information Age. Asking a librarian a question would likely have yielded a different kind of result than it does today. Now, asking questions of data yields vast and complex answers. Researchers, scientists, and librarians need to have a common ground to work together in this environment. What does it mean to "know" about something as our knowledge becomes increasingly interlinked? Where do we draw these boundaries and how does technology meet these challenges? |
| 10:00-10:45am | Bradley Strauss, Senior Data Engineer--Chitika "Is Big Data Bigger than a Bread Box?" What do we mean by "big data," and what, if anything, is new or different about it? This talk will attempt to answer these questions from the standpoint of a practitioner working with large data sets on a daily basis. |
| 10:45-11:00am | Break |
| 11:00-11:45am | Christopher Erdmann, Head Librarian--Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics "New Approaches to Library Data Services from an Astrophysics Perspective" The rise of big data is having a transformational affect on the research community in increasing ways. From new policies to changes in research workflows, a dramatic shift is occurring. This talk will explore approaches the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics John G. Wolbach Library has taken to offer new data-related services with particular emphasis on training opportunities for librarians. |
| 11:45am-12:30pm | Panel Discussion with Michael Leach, Head of Collection Development--Harvard University Cabot Science Library |
Getting There
Public parking is limited and the use of public transportation is encouraged. MIT is easily accessed from the Kendall Square stop on the MBTA Red Line as well as from the 84 Massachusetts Ave. stop on Bus Route 1. MIT maintains a list of publicly available pay lots in the area.
When you arrive at (Bldg 4-349), look for signs guiding you to the Pappalardo Community Room.
Contact the event organizer if you need special accommodations.
We hope to see you there!