ACTS Webinar: Building Bridges: Strengthening the Relationship Between Science Research and the Public
Thursday, March 20 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET
Science can transform lives—but its potential impact depends on public confidence and engagement in research. In an era of rapid technological advancements and shifting societal interests, how can research teams work together to make science more accessible, transparent, and trusted? This dynamic webinar explores how scientific collaboration can foster credibility, enhance communication, and build meaningful connections beyond traditional academic circles.Join the RENCI ACTS team for a discussion on how research teams can actively engage local communities, spark enthusiasm for scientific discovery, and inspire confidence in research outcomes. Whether you’re a researcher, science communicator, or policymaker, this discussion will provide insights on how teamwork and public engagement shape the future of the relationship between science and the public.
- Cassandra R. Davis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Public Policy; Center for Resilient Communities and the Environment, Institute for the Environment, UNC Chapel Hill
- Layla Dowdy, Director of Communications, OVCR; former communications strategist at the Kennedy Space Center and the Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA
- Brian Blanton, Ph.D., Director of Earth Data Sciences at RENCI, UNC Chapel Hill
- Julie Horvath, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, RENCI, UNC Chapel Hill – Citizen Science expert
- Moderator, Brandy Farlow, Grants and Documentation Specialist, RENCI
View a recording of the webinar below or here.
ACTS Webinar: The Cost of Large Teams in Innovation
February 20, 2025 | 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET
While traditional studies have emphasized the benefits of teamwork, Dr. Lingfei Wu’s research investigates their overlooked costs in innovation. By leveraging big data and AI tools, Dr. Wu identifies disruptive innovation in science and technology, showing how large teams can hinder individual creativity that might otherwise drive breakthrough advancement in the field (Wu et al., 2019, Nature). His analysis reveals that team hierarchy is a key factor, with early-career scientists often playing a supporting role in idea implementation rather than leading the generation of new ideas (Xu et al., 2022, PNAS; Lin et al., 2023, Nature). To deepen this investigation, his team created and analyzed the world’s first observational dataset on author contributions, derived from two million LaTeX source files from preprint websites. This innovative approach reveals how large teams can obscure individual recognition, especially for junior scientists. This issue has become increasingly relevant today, as teams grow ubiquitous across domains, yet not all team members receive recognition for their contributions.
View a recording of the webinar below or here.
ACTS: Team Science in Sync: The Experts Explain It All
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00pm ET
Join our ACTS Team for this fire-side chat-style event with Hailey Brighton, Lakaija Johnson, and Gaetano Lotrecchiano. Our team of experts will unravel the complexities of the science of team science and team science practice by addressing previously asked questions from our webinars and diving into fresh inquiries, providing valuable insights into effective teamwork, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the science behind collective problem-solving in scientific research.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your understanding of how teamwork drives innovation and success in research. Come curious and leave inspired!
View a recording of the webinar below or here.
UNC Research Week | ACTS Presents: Successful Collaborative Writing in Team Science
Thursday, October 24, 2024 | 2:00 – 3:00pm ET
Join our ACTS Team, RENCI’s Dr. Julie Horvath and Brandy Farlow host a workshop-style event teaching participants essential skills across all stages of the writing process—from brainstorming to drafting and editing. Key topics include addressing diverse scientific perspectives, conflict resolution, managing authorship, using technology and generative AI, defining contributor roles, and assessing document readiness for submission. By focusing on effective organization and collaboration, the workshop aims to enhance grant writing, research publications, and communication within interdisciplinary teams.
View a recording of the webinar below or here.
ACTS: From Competition to Collaboration: Fostering a Data Sharing Culture for Collaborative Team Science: Insights from the NIH HEAL Data Ecosystem
Thursday, October 17, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00pm ET
Open, accessible research data provides a foundation for scientific discovery and paves the way for team science-based collaborations. Despite clear benefits to data sharing and increased emphasis on making federally funded research outcomes public, data sharing hesitancy remains common. We will explore that hesitancy, discuss what can be done to improve data sharing and explain how to encourage better scientific collaboration through large-scale data sharing efforts like the one in the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative. We will highlight work underway in the NIH HEAL Data Ecosystem (HDE) to engage with NIH HEAL-funded investigators and promote data sharing, exploring practical strategies research data administrators and stewards employ within the HEAL Data Ecosystem to overcome hesitancy and create a culture of data sharing to benefit collaboration and knowledge integration within and across scientific research teams seeking to end the opioid crisis.
View a recording of the October webinar below or here.
ACTS: The Role of AI as a Team Member in Scientific Research
Thursday, September 19 | 12:00 – 1:00pm ET
Join Dr. Jim Spohrer, retired IBM and Apple executive. Jim will review the history of artificial in and the challenges of keeping up with accelerating change, such as fixing the “hallucination” problem, addressing energy consumption, and answering vital questions regarding the ownership and control of AI tools. Then, he will lead attendees through an exploration of possible future roles for AI as a team member in scientific research. Learning to invest wisely in these changes will require significant advances in the science of team science.
View a recording of the June webinar below or here.
ACTS: Leadership Considerations in Collaborative Team Science
Thursday, June 13, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00pm ET
Join Dr. Dorothy Carter (Michigan State University) as she discusses leadership in scientific collaborations. Dr. Carter shares key challenges facing leaders of large, interdisciplinary ‘multi-team system’ projects. Her presentation draws from her research on multi-team system collaboration, as well as her extensive experiences working closely with scientific leaders, to provide practical guidance for leading interdisciplinary multi-team system projects.
View a recording of the June webinar below or here.
ACTS: Introduction to Understanding and Assessing Teamwork Processes
Thursday, May 9, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00pm ET
Join Dr. Stephen M. Fiore, Director of the Cognitive Sciences Laboratory, Professor with the University of Central Florida’s Cognitive Sciences Program in the Department of Philosophy and Institute for Simulation and Training, and a leader in research on the science of team science. Dr. Fiore is a founding board member, and past-president of the International Network for the Science of Team Science (INSciTS). He will present, in conversation with Chris Lenhardt, Senior Research Scientist with the Earth Data Science Group at RENCI, addressing topics to include an introduction to some of the fundamental collaborative science research processes, teamwork, and how to assess collaborative science teamwork. They will also cover how teams can provide feedback to improve their collaborations. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in the question and answer, providing their own queries and/or responses to discussed topics.
View a recording of the May webinar below or here.
ACTS: Team Science and the Academic Research Enterprise
Thursday, April 11, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:00pm ET
Enjoy this discussion from our April 11 webinar where you’ll learn about Team Science practices from key stakeholders at UNC Chapel Hill; as well as several other campus institutes utilizing Team Science to advance research. Listen in on this discussion surrounding terminology, critical aspects of successful Team Science efforts, as well as pitfalls to avoid, and a robust Q & A conversation.
View a recording of the April webinar below or here.
