Noshir Contractor gave a keynote address at the 2016 annual Web Science Summer School held in Koblenz, Germany. Click here for the event page and click here to download slides from the presentation.

Abstract:

The increased access to big data about social phenomena in general, and network data in particular, has been a windfall for social scientists. But these exciting opportunities must be accompanied with careful reflection on how big data can motivate new theories and methods. Using examples of his research, Contractor will argue that Web/Internet/Network Sciences (WINS) serve as the foundation to unleash the intellectual insights locked in big data. More importantly, he will illustrate how these insights offer social scientists an unprecedented opportunity to engage more actively in monitoring, anticipating and designing interventions to address grand societal challenges.

Noshir Contractor gave the keynote address at the University of Colorado, Denver’s 4th Annual Network Leadership Training Academy, titled  “Building and Leveraging Powerful Social Networks”. Click here for a link to the event page.

Description:
The Network Leadership Training Academy (NLTA) is a place where network leaders gather to learn, share ideas, and develop skills for engaging in the “network way of working.” This 3-day workshop, hosted by the University of Colorado Denver’s Center on Collaborative Governance, is focused on building, managing, and evaluating effective networks. Many people today are deeply involved in the network way of working, but are struggling to find tools and a place to build skills and a community for this new way of connecting across boundaries. This interactive workshop is based on the premise that everyone involved in a network requires network leadership skills in order to be an active, effective member of a collaborative network. he agenda for the 2016 NLTA is packed full of opportunities for attendees to share and learn from each other’s experiences and skills, as well as research and tools to translate back to practice. Our keynote address on Building and Leveraging Powerful Social Networks features Dr. Noshir Contractor, Professor at Northwestern University and Director of the Science of Networks in Communities (SONIC) research center. He will share his work on investigating factors that lead to the formation, maintenance, and dissolution of dynamically linked social and knowledge networks in a wide variety of contexts. Large group sessions will be led by NLTA core trainers who are recognized for their contributions to network science research. Session topics include: · Managing Networks, Brint Milward, Ph.D, University of Arizona · Network Way of Working: Building a Network Culture, Janice Popp, MSW, RSW, University of Calgary · Affective Contagion in Networks: Evaluating Process Quality, Darrin Hicks, PhD, University of Denver · Evaluating Networks as Systems, Danielle Varda, PhD, University of Colorado Denver Other session topics include: Networks 101, Using PARTNER’s Social Network Analysis Tool to Evaluate your Networks, Networks as Policy Tools: “Network Nuggets” from Research and Practice, Facilitation Skills, Conflict Training, and Collective Impact.

Noshir Contractor along with collaborators Suzanne Bell (DePaul University) and Leslie DeChurch (currently at Georgia Tech, but soon to be at Northwestern University) have received another grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in order to study the relationship between composition, interpersonal relations, and team effectiveness in space crews. This project will be jointly conducted with researchers at Institute of Biomedical Problems, whose research informs operations for the Russian Federal Space Agency. In this US-Russian collaboration, researchers will utilize data previously collected in the Mars 105 and Mars 500 simulations; collect new data using analog-definition research in the 2017 and 2018 Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) campaigns; and use a novel combination of text mining, relational event modeling, and coevolution statistical modeling.

For more information on this exciting new project, click here.

This is the second collaborative NASA grant among Prof. Contractor, Prof. DeChurch, and Prof. Bell; the first being CREWS: Crew Recommender for Effective Work in Space. This is also the fourth NASA grant the SONIC Lab has received in the past two years. Be sure to check out our work on the other two grants: SCALE and INERTIA!