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February
2005
NCAR
to survey scientists, engineers
If you’re an NCAR scientist or engineer, you will
probably be asked this month to fill out a survey about your
professional collaborations.
The NCAR director’s office is working with the Social
Science Research Council and Stanford University to analyze
the collaboration patterns of NCAR scientific and technical
staff. Two social scientists—Diana Rhoten of SSRC and
Andrew Parker of Stanford—have designed a series of
questions about collaborative activities such as work on
research projects and exchanges of scientific and technical
advice.
They hope to survey all ladder scientists, associate scientists,
project scientists, and engineers, including software engineers.
These groups will be asked to fill out the same survey about
18 months later, and possibly again in 2007. NCAR’s
goal is to learn more about collaborative activities and
experiences of scientists and engineers, and especially about
how the reorganization may influence both internal and external
collaborations.
“This is a way to get feedback and learn about how
NCAR works, not a way for us to assess you,” Peter
Backlund, NCAR director of research relations, told scientists
and engineers at a recent meeting. He added that such surveys
may be used as an ongoing tool by the director’s office
to help foster improved collaborations.
All individual responses will be kept confidential. Diana
and Andrew will analyze the data, plot patterns of internal
and external collaborations, and present overall findings
to NCAR management and staff. If NCAR consents, the survey
results may be included in a future published study of scientific
collaborations.
The survey takes about 30 to 40 minutes to fill out. It will
probably be administered over several weeks during this month
and next. The social scientists are hoping for as large a
response rate as possible, and they plan to contact eligible
staffers by e-mail, phone, and even in person.
Participation is strictly voluntary. But, as Peter said at
the meeting, “We hope everyone, as researchers themselves,
is going to recognize this is a cool, interesting project
and will want to participate.”
-- David Hosansky
On the Web
More
about the survey
Also in this issue...
An
eye on Washington
ISSE reflections
on the tsunami
Random profile:
Shu-Peng “Ben” Ho
Short
Takes
Staff Notes home page | UCAR News Center
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