News and Information Services' Summary of the

Report by the Subcommission on Research

The Knowledge Network: A New Research Environment

The Information Revolution—itself a product of forward-looking inquiry and unanticipated discovery—is transforming the way research is conceived and conducted across all fields, changing not only the ways investigators gather, analyze, and interpret data and text, but also the kinds of questions they ask and the ways they work together to find answers. Along with the Internet, new tools and technologies are enhancing communication and collaboration, providing novel ways to link—on a global scale—people, vast collections of multimedia information, tools for analysis and synthesis, and collections of facilities and instruments.

With high-performance computing power and large storehouses of information available to distributed communities of scientists or scholars, increasingly interdisciplinary approaches to problems are possible. Researchers can now search through massive sets of data, looking for patterns and correlations that previously could only be discovered one painstaking step at a time, if at all. In fact, whole new fields—such as bioinformatics, complex systems studies, and computational linguistics—have emerged in these new, ICT-mediated research environments, often called knowledge networks.

The Next Wave of the Information Revolution

With proven experience and expertise in developing and deploying knowledge networks, the University of Michigan is poised to lead the way into the next wave of the Information Revolution. The challenge now is not only to continue to develop knowledge networking technology, but also to explore ever more innovative ways to use it and to understand how it transforms our work and our lives. Here, too, U-M researchers already have experience. In addition to developing suites of collaborative tools, they have been investigating how people use the tools, gaining insights into the effects of electronic communication on teamwork, mentoring, development of trust, and generation of new ideas.

Tomorrow’s research university undoubtedly will be different from today’s: information will likely be created, organized, and accessed in ways that are difficult to predict. In such a dynamic environment, our strategy must leave room for—and actively encourage—experimentation. Some experiments will be undertaken by individuals; some by departments, schools and colleges; some by the University as a whole; but all must be part of an overall system—an “ecology of experimentation”—that allows everyone to learn from the successes and failures of others.

Essential Improvements and Action

The commission recommends that the University:

• Take a leadership role in creating, using, and understanding knowledge networks through a systematic, integrated, multi-level approach to research about information and communication technology, and research and using the technology, at multiple levels, including:

1. Research on the basic technologies and techniques that underlie knowledge networks, such as data capture and manipulation, advanced high-performance computation and communication, and advanced security for data and communications.
2. Interdisciplinary research in areas where information technology and social/behavioral research overlap, such as human/computer interaction, collaboration technology, and digital libraries.
3. Research about using information and communication technology in particular disciplinary or interdisciplinary domains, such as the arts, humanities, life sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences.

• Foster information and communication technology research and use by:

1. Upgrading and maintaining a strong ICT infrastructure, as well as specialized, high-end technology application services to support research computing.
2. Improving access to technical support and expertise by offering a basic level of support campus-wide, by establishing a single point of contact for those seeking information and communication technology resources, and by establishing an ICT Training Institute where students can learn specific skills such as database design and applications, and technical staff can upgrade their skills.
3. Encouraging cross-disciplinary exchange of expertise in information and communication technology methods. Effective communication between researchers in two disciplines, such as social science and computer science, takes time to develop, as collaborators learn the language and conventions of each other’s areas. Establishing opportunities for semester-long interactions between researchers could lay the groundwork for long-term collaborative projects.
4. Developing new models for extramural collaboration. With significant information technology and communications expertise existing outside of the University and numerous extramural parties interested in collaborating with University researchers, the University must develop more flexible models for establishing extramural collaborations, while continuing to protect academic integrity, academic freedom, and the intellectual property of the University, its faculty, and its students.
5. Recognizing and rewarding unconventional contributions. Promotion and tenure-granting guidelines should take into account faculty contributions toward the development of leading-edge information technology and communication applications and tools.

In addition, all members of the University community should be encouraged to explore and exploit tools for building, linking, and reshaping knowledge networks so that they become living, evolving systems. This might be accomplished in part through a campus-wide initiative to enable every member of the University community to build data-rich portals, just as they are now able to create and publish their own web pages. These portals—sophisticated, customizable, interactive websites—would allow faculty to share databases, documents, video clips, and other material with colleagues and students and could lead the way to collaboration in all disciplines and at all levels.