image: This is Katy Borner, Indiana University. view more
Credit: Indiana University
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Faculty experts from Indiana University will join thousands of scientists converging on Washington, D.C., from Feb. 11 to 15 at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The IU scientists will travel to the nation's capital to deliver presentations and accept honors in recognition of their roles as leaders in the fields of informatics, chemistry, biology, the philosophy of science and others.
On Feb. 13, Katy Börner, Victor H. Yngve Professor of Information Science in the IU School of Informatics and Computing, will deliver "Visual Analytics: Mining, Mapping, and Accelerating Local and Global Science and Technology," about tools for improving information access, research management and networking among scientists.
An internationally recognized expert on data visualization and science of science studies, Börner focuses her research on the development of data analysis and visualization techniques to assist with access, management and interpretation of data. She is also the founding director of IU's Cyberinfrastructure for Network Science Center; curator of "Places and Spaces," an international traveling exhibit on data mapping; and the author of two beautifully illustrated books by MIT Press: "Atlas of Science," published in 2010, and "Atlas of Knowledge," published in 2015.
Börner's presentation is part of "New Science Roadmaps for Global Research" from 3 to 4:30 p.m., organized by Ben Shneiderman, University of Maryland, with a discussion lead by Peter Arzberger of the National Science Foundation.
On Feb. 14, Noretta Koertge, professor emeritus in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of History and Philosophy of Science, will deliver "The Role of Scientific Virtues in Understanding and Teaching Research Ethics" on the underlying values that guide the work of effective scientists.
Originally trained as a chemist, Koertge has a long and distinguished record as an expert in the philosophy of science. She is the author of the textbook "The Nature of Scientific Inquiry"; compiled essays for a volume from Oxford University Press, "Scientific Values and Civic Virtues"; and served five years as the editor-in-chief of the Philosophy of Science, a leading journal in the field. She currently teaches courses in IU's Hutton Honors College on topics such as research ethics, conflicts in science and scientific reasoning.
Koertge's presentation is part of "Virtues of U.S. Scientists Guiding Scientific Practice" from 10 to 11:30 a.m. led by Jennifer Wiseman, a senior astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
In addition, Jessica Gall Myrick, an assistant professor in IU's Media School, will deliver a presentation on the social and psychological importance of Internet cat videos, a topic for which she has received wide media coverage. The presentation will be a part of the "Annals of Improbable Research" from 8 to 10 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Börner's and Koertge's presentations will both take place in the Wilson C conference room at the Marriott Wardman Park, Diplomat Ballroom, Washington, D.C.
Lastly, three IU professors and eight alumni will be officially inducted as 2015 AAAS fellows at the AAAS Fellows Forum on Feb. 13. The professors are:
- William F. Carroll Jr., adjunct professor in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry
- Armin P. Moczek, professor in the College's Department of Biology
- Richard R. Wilk, Distinguished Professor and Provost's Professor of Anthropology in the College's Department of Anthropology
IU alumni named 2015 AAAS fellows are:
- Barry Aprison of the University of Chicago
- Gen-Seng Feng of the University of California at San Diego
- Watson M. Laetsch of the University of California at Berkeley
- Dennis L. Lichtenberger of the University of Arizona
- Reinhard C. Laubenbacher of the University of Connecticut
- Ellen K. Pikitch of Stony Brook University
- J. Donald Rimstidt of Virginia Tech
- G. Philip Robertson of Michigan State University
The fellows' induction will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. Feb. 13 in the Omni Shoreham Hotel Regency Ballroom, Washington, D.C. IU-affiliated fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold-and-blue rosette pin, joining the 347 new fellows selected by the AAAS in 2015.
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