Saturday, February 28, 2015

Open Courseware on Research Evaluation Metrics, Bibliometrics and Scientometrics

Open Courseware on Research Evaluation Metrics, Bibliometrics and Scientometrics

From INFLIBNET Centre, UGC, India
The following course on Informetrics & Scientometrics is available online with India's e-PG Pathshala: A Gateway to All Post Graduate Courses [An MHRD Project under its National Mission on Education through ICT (NME-ICT)]. The course contents are freely available online.

Course Structure
Informetrics & Scientometrics (I K Ravichandra Rao, Paper Coordinator)
Full-text Access: http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/browse.php?&category=364
01. Librametry, bibliometrics, scientometrics, informetrics and webometrics: historical development. Content writer : Dr. S L Sangam
02. Data sources and software tools for bibliometric studies. Content writer : N S Harinarayana
03. Library use studies. Content writer : A Y Asundi
04. Analysis of circulation data, including the quantitative methods to evaluate collection. Content writer : A Y Asundi
05. Classical law of bibliometrics. Content writer : B K Sen
06. Bradford distributions: an overview. Content writer : B K Sen
07. Bibliometrics in assessing productivity and impact of research. Content Writer : Dr. S L Sangam
08. Growth of literature. Content writer : I K Ravichandra Rao
09. Obsolescence factor: definition and calculation. Content writer : Dr. S L Sangam
10. Citation analysis. Content writer : K C Garg
11. Science indicators. Content writer : Sujit Bhattacharya
12. Technology based indicators. Content writer : Sujit Bhattacharya
13. Bibliometric mapping of science. Content writer : K C Garg
14. Collaboration in science. Content writer : K C Garg
15. Scientometric studies and their role in science policy. Content writer : Sujit Bhattacharya
16. Limitations of bibliometrics and scientometrics. Content writer : N S Harinarayana
17. Webometrics, cybermetrics and nettometrics. Content writer : N S Harinarayana
18. National mapping of science. Content writer : K C Garg
19. Basics of testing of hypotheses. Content writer : I K Ravichandra Rao
Full-text Access to OpenCourseware.

From UNESCO
The following course on Research Evaluation Metrics is available with UNESCO's Open Access Curricula for Researchers and Librarians. The course contents are now freely available online with CC-BY license. 
Module 4: Research Evaluation Metrics
This module dwells on a number of methods (including old and new) available for research evaluation. The module comprises the following four units:
UNIT 1: Introduction to Research Evaluation Metrics and Related Indicators
1.0 Introduction
1.2 Use of Citation-based Indicators for Research Evaluation
1.3 Transition from Citation-Based Indicators to Author-Level and Article-Level Metrics for Research Evaluation
1.4 Conclusion
UNIT 2: Innovations in Measuring Science and Scholarship: Analytical Tools and Indicators for Evaluating Scholarly Communications
2.0 Introduction
2.2 Citation Databases
2.3 Analytical Products with Journal Performance Metrics
2.4 New Platforms for Evaluating Scholarly Communications
2.5 Conclusion
UNIT 3: Article and Author Level Measurements
3.0 Introduction
3.2 Unique Identifiers for Authors and Researchers
3.4 Academic Social Networks
3.5 Regional Journal Networks with Bibliometric Indicators
3.6 Conclusion
UNIT 4: Online Citation and Reference Management Tools
4.0 Introduction
4.2 Online Citation and Reference Management Tools
4.3 Conclusion
Download Full-Text OpenCourseware.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

CfPs: Workshop on the Politics of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Global South (London: 2-3 October 2015)

Call for Papers

 

Workshop on the Politics of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Global South, King's College London and Queen Mary University of London, 2 and 3 October 2015

 

 

Over the last ten years, there has been mounting alarm about the growing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) epidemic in the global South and the health and economic burden it represents. International organisations like the WHO have published numerous reports and action plans to tackle this new epidemic. Likewise, governments have expressed concern about this rising threat, recently passing a Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of NCDs at the United Nations. Public health experts, too, have called for more attention to be paid to this new epidemic, as illustrated by The Lancet's frequent special issues on the topic. Last but not least, health charities and patient organisations have also voiced their anxiety and recently established, with the support of the pharmaceutical industry, the NCD Alliance to campaign for action against the chronic disease epidemic in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). As these different actors have repeatedly argued, NCDs – usually defined as comprising four conditions (cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disorders) related to four behavioural risk factors (diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol) – have become a critical issue for LMICs. Drawing on complex epidemiological data, they point out that more than 60% of deaths worldwide are NCD-related and nearly 80% of these deaths occur in these countries. Such a high prevalence of NCDs, they argue, constitutes one of the major challenges for development in the twenty-first century. On one hand, NCDs are viewed as a negative consequence of socio-economic development, with economic growth and rapid urbanisation having led to the rise of modern lifestyles like smoking and drinking. On the other hand, NCDs are understood to be a serious threat to future development through both their negative impact on the productivity of working age populations and the double burden of disease they place on already overstretched health systems.

 

While there is a growing public health literature on NCDs in the global South, the interventions by more critical social science researchers have been sparse. Organised by the Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine at King's College London and the Schools of Politics & International Relations and Geography at Queen Mary University of London, this workshop is a first step towards addressing this gap. We invite political scientists, anthropologists, historians, sociologists, geographers and public health experts interested to examine current initiatives to problematise and govern the chronic disease epidemic in emerging economies to submit abstracts of no more than 250 words to David Reubi (david.reubi@kcl.ac.uk) by 15 March 2015. Among others, submissions may explore the making of chronic disease as a problem of development in international forums and across countries of the global South. They may, for example, examine the narratives through which the problem is framed and analyse the techniques such as epidemiological models and maps that make it possible to view chronic diseases as a development issue. Submissions may also consider the influence of the tobacco, alcohol and food companies in globalising risk factors associated with NCDs as well as the role of the pharmaceutical industry and philanthropic foundations in creating drug markets for chronic diseases in the global South. Alternatively, submissions can also investigate the way health advocates and patient groups in the global South translate, resist and re-appropriate the international public health strategies that aim to mitigate against the epidemic in the global South. Thanks to the generous financial support of the both the Wellcome Trust and the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the organisers will be able to fund travel to and from the workshop as well as accommodation for all the speakers.

 

 

When? Friday 2 (4–7 PM) and Saturday 3 (9 AM–4 PM) October 2015. Where? King's College London, Strand Campus, London, United Kingdom. Organisers: Dr David Reubi (Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine, King's College London, david.reubi@kcl.ac.uk); Dr Sophie Harman (School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London, s.harman@qmul.ac.uk) and Dr Tim Brown (School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, tim.brown@qmul.ac.uk).

 

 

Dr David Reubi

Wellcome Trust Fellow

Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine

King's Colllege London

Strand, East Building, Room 3.1

London WC2R 2LS

United Kingdom

 

Phone: ++44 78 7516 4411

Website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/sshm/people/academic/davidreubi.aspx

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

IE OpED Article "Nalanda's Cosy Club: The Revival of a University in Nalanda is a Noble Mission, But the past seven years have seen a hijacking of the project by a small clique"

Nalanda's Cosy Club: The Revival of a University in Nalanda is a Noble Mission, But the past seven years have seen a hijacking of the project by a small clique
by Ashok Malik | February 24, 2015 | The Indian Express    

In the heat of the moment, it is easy to lose perspective. Let us step back and consider what the Nalanda University project is all about. Nalanda University and the South Asian University (SAU) were conceived by the UPA government as world-class institutions that, while being located in India, would be outside the purview of the University Grants Commission and government regulations.
This special dispensation was meant to allow these universities to draw on government of India funding but recruit international faculty and students, and develop curricula in line with international best practices. They were to be treated as international organisations (like the World Bank and UN agencies), exempt from taxation and eligible for diplomatic immunities and privileges.
In 2007, a Nalanda Mentor Group (NMG) was set up, with Amartya Sen as chair. It was tasked with guiding the process of setting up the university. Seven years and many meetings later, Nalanda University opened its doors in Rajgir, Bihar, with a handful of faculty and students. Sen has been vocal in blaming the government for this delay and this disappointing state, but closer scrutiny reveals a much more complex landscape. Indeed, it shows the NMG in less than favourable light.
Controversy has dogged this project from its inception. The first visitor of the university, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, dissociated himself from the project in 2011. In 2013-14, the ministry of finance, then under P. Chidambaram, objected to the manner in which the special dispensation was being operated. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), too, has been critical.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has had its misgivings. As foreign minister, S.M. Krishna recorded his objection to the opaque manner in which Sen selected the vice chancellor and asked for a fresh approach. The relevant file noting is available. Krishna was overruled by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) under Manmohan Singh.
To be fair, innovating within government is difficult. Creating an "offshore" university like Nalanda requires not just an ability to innovate but also the dexterity to navigate the framework of parliamentary accountability and government rules and procedures in creating new precedents. While this was not entirely the responsibility of the NMG and the chancellor, the choice of vice chancellor proved to be remarkably inauspicious.
As a government official told this writer in the winter of 2013, "A mid-level academic, at one of the affiliated colleges of Delhi University, with no known experience in institution-building, was selected to steer this flagship project, apparently over more respected names. We don't know why." How was the vice chancellor selected? There is no available history of advertisements, global searches, and candidate interviews with wide-ranging panels.
All that the government has is a letter from Amartya Sen to the MEA. It says he has "considered" three names — Gopa Sabharwal, Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Ramachandra Guha — and selected Sabharwal. It does not say who else was on the longlist or shortlist. It does not invite comments and consultation on a reappraisal or expansion of the list of names on offer.
This was the arbitrariness that both Kalam and Krishna objected to. The manner of selection of the vice chancellor drew negative comments from the CAG as well. Further, it was questioned in Parliament. The CAG also objected to the propriety and procedure of fixing the salary of the vice chancellor. This was done by the NMG, by then re-designated as the interim governing board. The annual salary was fixed at $80,000 (tax-free).
How was this figure arrived at? The NMG/ governing board simply borrowed the sum from the salary payable to the vice chancellor of the SAU. Government agencies, such as the finance ministry, were not consulted. Yet, as was pointed out, the SAU has a different charter. It is funded by the Saarc, a multilateral organisation. The SAU vice chancellor's salary is benchmarked against the salary of the secretary general of Saarc (based in Kathmandu).
In contrast, while Nalanda University has received small grants from countries that are participants in the East Asia Summit, the bulk of its funding comes from the Indian taxpayer. Over the coming five or six years, it is estimated that the government will spend Rs 2,700 crore on the Nalanda University project. Surely, this necessitates some accountability and at least as much transparency as is expected from the government? This was exactly the issue the CAG raised.
In 2010, the Nalanda University Act was passed by Parliament. It allowed the NMG to function as the interim governing board for one year, till a proper governing board was set up by the government. This was never done. In 2011 and 2012, the NMG was given one-year extensions to function as the interim governing board. In 2013, it was given an indefinite extension.
The governing board is meant to comprise 14 members. Nine of these represent the governments of India (including the MEA and the HRD ministry) and of Bihar. In the winter of 2013-14, Sen mooted a proposal to amend the Nalanda University Act and raise the strength of the governing board to 18. The four new members, all non-government, would be nominated by members of the existing governing board. For example, the vice chancellor would nominate a representative of the faculty as member of the governing board.
In effect, the NMG/ governing board would become a self-perpetuating body, with members choosing their successors. This cosy club would have authority to spend Rs 2,700 crore of taxpayer money over a half-decade. The amendment was formally recommended by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, in his capacity as the then chair of the National Monitoring Committee for Nalanda University. The PMO, under Manmohan Singh, initially supported the proposed amendment. After ferocious objections from the MEA and the finance ministry, and fearful of another scandal, the idea was dropped.
Quite unconscionably, even the BJP-led government has not constituted a formal governing board for Nalanda University. It has allowed the NMG/ interim arrangement to continue. All that is happening is Sen's term as chancellor is expiring in July 2015. As such, he will stop being a member of the interim governing board. Earlier this year, the government told the interim governing board that it would not be giving the current chancellor (Sen) a fresh term. It asked the interim governing board to recommend three names for chancellorship. Sen has described this as an infringement of academic independence.
Importantly, Sen has not come up with any other example of such infringement. He has not accused the MEA or the government of intervening on any issue of recruitment of academics or development of curricula. The efforts of the ministry to reconcile the university's autonomy with the MEA's accountability to Parliament were not helped by the NMG insisting that autonomy meant complete freedom to set its own rules on how taxpayer money was to be spent.
Questions posed by the MEA were repeatedly fobbed off by citing "academic autonomy". In 2013, the MEA reviewed the project and concluded management capacity was a major constraint in meeting deadlines. No registrar was appointed for three years. A thin crew of a vice chancellor and a dean of academic affairs (on secondment from Delhi University), with limited experience, a finance officer (with no relevant experience of project finance) and two consultants could not be entrusted with institution-building of this magnitude.
The MEA then proposed sending a senior civil servant, with a relevant professional background, to handle non-academic work relating to the project for a two- or three-year period. The NMG protested, labelling this government interference and bureaucratisation. Manmohan Singh's PMO backed the NMG.
The revival of a university in Nalanda is a noble and eminently desirable mission. However, the past seven years have seen only limited progress and a hijacking of the project by a small clique. Sen, as chancellor, cannot escape responsibility here. Of course, the end of his term as chancellor need not end his association with Nalanda University. He is free to lecture there. Even beyond July 2015, the university could benefit from his scholarship. For his part, he must decide if he wants to be remembered as a great teacher — or an indifferent administrator.

The writer is a Delhi-based senior journalist.
Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/nalandas-cosy-club/99/
This article attracted 63+ online comments and critical remarks.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Book Review -- Revolution Half-Done: The Universe of Ideas that once formed JNU is laid out in this new history

Revolution Half-Done: The Universe of Ideas that once formed JNU is laid out in this new history
by Pratap Bhanu Mehta | February 21, 2015 | Indian Express
Book Review: "JNU: The Making of a University" by R. Batabyal,  Harper Collins, New Delhi, 556 pages, Rs 799.

Historically, universities have been sectarian enterprises. In principle, they are committed to the cultivation of intellect and sometimes character. But quite what this means was often framed in terms of particular pedagogical, political or national goals. Many universities have religious origins; some were instruments for national regeneration; others embodied pedagogical goals of academic entrepreneurs, and others still were simply instrumental, shaped by the dictates of labour markets. This often makes universities susceptible to a peculiar tension. They are, in self-image, open spaces, places for the entire universe of knowledge, every argument and counterargument. But they are also susceptible to charges of partisanship, of mistaking partial knowledge or particular methodologies for the whole thing. This is particularly true in the social sciences and humanities. Arguably, in reputation at least, this tension has been most pronounced in the case of one of India's leading universities: Jawaharlal Nehru University.
As Batabyal notes in his engrossing, wide-ranging and deeply interesting history, this constitutive tension marked JNU. The Rajya Sabha select committee inserted a schedule that the "university shall endeavour to support and promote the study of the principles and fulfil the ideals for which Jawaharlal Nehru stood…" To this Prof. Mukut Bihari Lal objected rather presciently that it was never wise to represent the ideals and ideologies of a nation as the principles and ideals of a great man. Whether JNU was created to further inquiry or further particular values has obsessed both its defenders and critics ever since. Batabyal captures this debate with illuminating nuance.
The book's greatest strength, oddly enough, consists less in its ability to illuminate the inner working of JNU than in its wonderful evocation of the broader institutional, political and intellectual contexts in which JNU operated. The first 200 pages or so, centred on the heroic jurist and minister M.C. Chagla, are riveting and full of ironies and a sense of déjà vu. They capture vividly the institutional debates of the time that have left their imprint on the current crisis of higher education. It is hard to believe now, but the University Grants Commission (UGC) had in the Sixties issued a circular arguing that universities should not be named after persons. Now, universities are instruments of hagiography.
In the early debates, JNU was thought of as a large affiliating university that would potentially absorb independent research centres. Some wanted state-wise quotas, and other still wanted to break Delhi's domination over education. There was bitter debate over the desirability of professors partaking in political activity, whether inspired by the RSS or the Communists. And, in bittersweet irony, often it was the Left that opposed the creation of JNU.
Curiously, the most absorbing sections in the book are on the decline of the great universities outside Delhi, from Rajasthan to Aligarh. The immense  pressure on Delhi came from the fact that during the Sixties most of the well-functioning universities elsewhere became trapped in the politics of vernacular parochialism. Like a poison, it consumed one university after the other.
The early debates on the degree of autonomy universities should have are still instructive. The current human resource development (HRD) minister would do well to read Prof. Tara Chand's poignant outburst captured in the book. Teachers were trusted to develop morality and intellect in young men; yet one did not trust them to do this with full responsibility. He wrote, "Teachers of universities are not angels, they are not superhuman beings, they are Indians like all of us. If we are not going to trust them, who are we going to trust?" This is the heart of the debate over education.
The second half of the book is uneven. Batabyal is quite convincing that JNU is less monolithic than it appears. There are useful accounts of the intellectual flavour of different departments. But he tactfully shies away from the politics of knowledge that has marked these departments and the whole range of blind spots that have marked the university. He is good on the early days of JNU and the faculty politics of the 1970s, pointing out quite convincingly that the nexus between intellectuals and the state is more a product of the Indira Gandhi than the Nehruvian era. He has interesting accounts of student politics, pointing out that democracy was often a strategic value, not a commitment. He has a rather surprising claim that JNU's general lack of hygiene is connected to the politics of secularism. You will also encounter the headiness of the early Left debates, encapsulated in the legendary historian Jairus Banaji, one of the most theoretically brilliant minds I have encountered. But Banaji's Trotskyist putdown of a colleague that he is "gripped in the vice of rigid social categories which he puts in the place of live historical forces," is a charge that, perhaps somewhat unfairly, fixed JNU's image as well.
Batabyal's book ends rather abruptly with no conclusion. Given JNU's culture, where every thing is semiotically overdetermined, perhaps Batabyal is also trying to send a message. It is not clear where the university is headed. But this history should convince you that, for all its afflictions, this indispensable university is still worth taking to greater heights. But time may be running out for it.
Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/revolution-half-done/

Further Details: http://amazon.in/review/R2WNV8VXXIMKOZ/

CfP: GLACINDIA: Stakeholder Workshop on "Identifying Climate Change Information Needs" and Training on Climate Modeling and Climate Change Research, innovation and Services (Indo-European Initiative); 8-10 April JNU New Delhi

GLACINDIA: Stakeholder Workshop on Identifying Climate Change Information Needs and Training on Climate modeling and Climate Change Research, innovation and Services (Indo-European Initiative)
April 08-10, 2015, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India


The GLACINDIA project is a multi-disciplinary project involving cooperation between European (Norway, Germany), Indian (DST-GOI, JNU) and US (NCAR) partner institutes, started largely in late 2014. The primary objective of the project is to produce updated and scientifically robust data on water related effects of changes in mass balance of glaciers and river runoff, aiming at reducing uncertainties in one region of Western Himalaya by a combination of field data and measurements coupled with climate downscaling and modeling of glacier mass balance. Results of the project will be made available to stakeholders in the Himalayan region in order to support the climate related decision making process.
Within the frame work of GLACINDIA project a one day stakeholder workshop will be organized combined with two day training course from 8th to 10th April 2015 at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India. The workshop is a good opportunity for policy makers dealing with climate change and adaptation in various sectors to get the latest information about the project activities and to interact with experts from these fields in order to tailor the dissemination of the project results towards their needs and expectations.

The training program is designed for scientific community from various government sectors, and equally interesting for Master's-level, Ph. D. applicants as well as Postdoctoral researchers involved in the earth sciences, primarily studying or conducting research within the area of water and climate change in the Himalayan region. The course will be conducted in English. Conference is for Indian nationals only.

Workshop Objectives:
The main objective of the one day stakeholder workshop is to facilitate a close interaction between stakeholders in the region and the scientific community. During the workshop focus will be set on one hand to the introduction of the project to the stakeholders. The state of the art in climate and glacier related work in the Himalayan region will be highlighted and potential outcomes and user oriented products of the GLACINDIA activity will be presented and discussed. On the other hand a substantial input on climate information needs of the stakeholders is foreseen by having working groups and discussion rounds on this topics. Finally the workshop will try to match the work conducted within the GLACINDIA activity with the expressed needs and thereby set up a roadmap for the continuation of the GLACINDIA research activities. Stakeholders who are directly dependent and interacting with Himalayan ecosystem as their livelihood depend on these resources along within the administrative and NGO's who are responsible for the Himalayan eco management will be targeted. Their experience and expectations on climatic impact on the livelihood will be focused during workshop.

Training Objectives:
The main objective of the two day training course is to educate participants about adaptation to changing climate and associated water resources and water demand with glacier retreat, changing monsoon patterns and related science policy interaction. The workshop will improve knowledge of the participants on climate change, and uncertainty coupled with the processes. The course will also give participants a hands-on experience in the analysis of climate and climate impact data's. All the lectures and hands-on will be delivered by the leading experts.

Learning Objectives:
Renowned keynote speakers will deliver insights into current hot topics in their areas.
Have a broad range of presentations to deepen the exchange between multitudes of scientific disciplines.
Offer an opportunity to present your research (poster) to a larger audience.
Provide you with new perspectives and inspirations for your own projects.
Interactive climate data (observed and model data) analysis sessions using modern scientific tools like CDO's, NCL, Python etc. to learn time series analysis, interactive IPython Notebook, statistical techniques, spatial analysis, etc.

Registration for Participants and Stakeholder

Registration Form for Participants: http://www.climate-service-center.de/058008/index_0058008.php.en

Registration Form for Stakeholder: http://www.climate-service-center.de/058048/index_0058048.php.en

Organizing Committee
Prof. Dr. AL. Ramanathan, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India
Dr. Daniela Jacob, Climate Service Center 2.0, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Hamburg Germany
Prof. Atle Nesje, University of Bergen, Norway
Dr. Roy Rasmussen, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), USA
Dr. Pankaj Kumar, Climate Service Center2.0, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Hamburg Germany
Dr. Mukul Tewari, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), USA
Dr. Andreas Haensler, Climate Service Center2.0, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Hamburg Germany
Dr. Nikolay Koldunov, Climate Service Center2.0, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Hamburg Germany

Important Dates
Application submission last date :15-03-2015
Notification to Authors :20-03-2015
Workshop dates :08-04-2015 to 10-04-2015

Speakers
Prof. A L Ramanathnan, JNU, India
Dr. Daniela Jacob, Director Climate Service Center, Germany
Dr. Roy Rasmussen, Senior Scientist, NCAR, USA
Dr. Pankaj Kumar, Scientist, Climate Service Center 2.0, Germany
Dr. Nikolay Koldunov, Scientist, Climate Service Center 2.0, Germany

Funded by: Norway Research Council
Organized by: Climate Service Center 2.0, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Hamburg Germany; Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Hosted by: School of Environmental Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Travel and Accommodation: The GLACINDIA workshop covers the participant's food, travel and accommodation.
Social Event: There will be a cultural program on 9th April 2015 around 6pm. More information will be updated soon.
Contact Information: All correspondence relating to GLACINDIA workshop may be addressed to: alrjnu(at)gmail.com and copy (CC) to pankaj.kumar(at)hzg.de
Further Details: http://www.climate-service-center.de/058047/index_0058047.html

Thursday, February 19, 2015

CfPs: FSAS Conference 2015: Paths to the Future for India and Pakistan; May 4, at Uppsala, Sweden

FSAS Conference 2015: Paths to the Future for India and Pakistan

May 4, 2015

Uppsala, Sweden

The Forum for South Asia Studies at Uppsala University invites you to participate in the 2015 FSAS conference, May 4, 2015 in Uppsala with a special focus on "Paths to the future for India and Pakistan." Keynote presentations by Christophe Jaffrelot (SciencesPo), Mahvish Shami (London School of Economics) and Ian Talbot (University of Southampton). In addition we are organising workshops for South Asia scholars in Sweden. 

Call for Papers and Workshops

The 2015 FSAS conference provides an opportunity for senior researchers and Ph.D students to share their current and planned research on South Asia. Although the conference keynote presentations this year will focus on recent development in India and Pakistan, FSAS invites South Asia researchers active in the fields of social sciences and humanities to make paper presentations in workshops that fit the broad scope of South Asia studies.

Possible Themes:

  • Environmental Challenges
  • Development and Economy
  • Peace, Justice and Democracy
  • Identity and Culture
  • Gender
  • Language
  • Religion

Proposal types:

Individual Papers - Papers can be submitted individually with or without a suggestion for a workshop theme. We accept a variety of contributions: article manuscripts, Ph.D. proposals, research proposals, etc. Papers need a title, abstract, name(s) of the author(s), and institutional affiliation. The abstract should be no longer than 200 words.

Workshop – We invite you to suggest a workshop theme for the conference. Workshop theme proposals must have a title and an abstract. You should also be able to suggest possible participants who may be ready to submit papers for the workshop. The abstract should be no longer than 200 words.

Important Dates:

25 March        Registration deadline

10 April          Program announcement (on this web page)

21 April          Paper deadline.

4 May             Conference in Uppsala

Registration deadline for the conference, and submission of paper abstract and/or workshop proposal, is 25 March 2015.

All conference papers must be submitted no later than 21 April. The details of the conference program will be announced by 10 April 2015.

Travel Grants: In particular, FSAS wants to encourage PhD candidates to participate in the conference. A limited amount of travel support grants is available for that purpose. Please indicate when registering if you apply for travel support. In case you are granted travel support, FSAS will make your ticket reservations.

Conference Dinner: All participants who present a paper and/or convene a workshop are welcome to join for a conference dinner in the evening. The dinner will be sponsored by FSAS, but you will need to pay part of the dinner fee yourself.

Registration for Workshops and Dinner

Call for applications: "Scientific Objects and Digital Cosmopolitanism" Summer School; at Manipal, India, 20-24 July

Call for applications: "Scientific Objects and Digital Cosmopolitanism" Summer School
Venue: Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities, Manipal, India
Dates: July 20-24, 2015
Co-organized by the Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities and Cosmopolitanism and the Local in Science and Nature.

Deadline for applications: Monday March 23, 2015

Organizers: Sundar Sarukkai, Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities; Gordon McOuat, University of King's College
Coordinator: Varun Bhatta, Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities
 
Description:
Applications from post-graduate and doctoral students in the fields of philosophy, philosophy of science and social sciences, history and philosophy of science, science and technology studies, and cognate fields are invited to a five-day summer school in India, made possible by collaborations between institutions and scholars in Canada, India and Southeast Asia. This will be an excellent opportunity for graduate students interested in receiving advanced training in the philosophy of science and science and technology studies, with a focus on scientific objects and their relation to cosmopolitanism.
The paradigm of scientific objects has undergone a major transformation in recent times. Today, scientific objects are not limited to microscopic or major astronomical objects. A new category of objects involves ontological modes of data, grids, simulation, visualization, etc. Such modes of objects are not merely peripheral props or outcomes of scientific endeavour. They actively constitute scientific theorizing, experimentation and instrumentation, and catalyze notions of cosmopolitanism in the digital world. Cosmopolitanism in this context is defined as a model of cultural and political engagement based on multidirectional exchange and contact across borders. A cosmopolitan approach treats science as a contingent, multifaceted and multicultural network of exchange. The summer school will engage with philosophical themes around the nature of new scientific objects and digital cosmopolitanism.
"The event is organized by the Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities (Manipal University) and by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada-funded Cosmopolitanism and the Local in Science and Nature, a three-year project to establish a research network on cosmopolitanism in science with partners in Canada, India, and Southeast Asia. The project closely examines the actual types of negotiations that go into the making of science and its culture within an increasingly globalized landscape.

Program and Faculty:
Each of the days will be split among:
(a) Background sessions led by Arun Bala, Gordon McOuat and Sundar Sarukkai,
(b) Sessions led by other faculty members with recognized expertise in the theme, and
(c) Sessions devoted to student research projects.
There will be plenty of opportunities for interaction and participation. The seminar will be held in English and readings will be circulated in advance. Special events will be organized to complement session content. There also will be opportunities for exploring the incredible richness and diversity of the region.
 
Selection Criteria: We seek outstanding graduate students from Canada, India and Southeast Asia. We will prioritize applications from graduate students in disciplines or with experience in philosophy, philosophy of science, social studies, the history and philosophy of science, or science and technology studies.
Location and Accommodations: The event will be hosted by the Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities in the picturesque ocean-side state of Karnataka in south-western India. Students will be housed in student residences. The space is wheelchair accessible.
Fees: A registration fee of Rs 1500 for Indian students and $100 CAD for international students will be charged. This fee will include accommodations and some meals.

Financial Coverage:  

Students from India: Travel for India-based students will be covered by the summer school sponsors.
Students from Canada and Southeast Asia: Pending government funding, travel costs may be defrayed for students from Canada or Southeast Asia. Students should indicate in their applications whether they have access to travel support (confirmed or unconfirmed) from home institutions or funding agencies. This will not affect the selection process. Acceptance letters will include more information on travel support.  
Students from outside Canada, India and Southeast Asia: Students from outside Canada, India and Southeast Asia will be expected to provide their own funding.
Students at home institutions of "Cosmopolitanism and the Local in Science and Nature" team members are strongly encouraged to contact the local team member to discuss funding options. Information on the project's partners and team members is available on the project's "About Us" page: www.CosmoLocal.org/about-us.
Any travel support will be considered as co-sponsorship to this international training event and acknowledged accordingly. Further information on funding will be included with acceptance letters.

Timeline:
Deadline for applications: March 23, 2015
Notification of acceptance: Week of April 6, 2015
Deadline for registration forms: May 11, 2015
 
Procedure:
Applications should include the following, preferably sent as PDFs:
1. Description of research interests and their relevance to the school (max. 300 words)
2. Brief Curriculum Vitae / resume highlighting relevant skills, experience and training,
3. One signed letter of recommendation from a supervisor, director of graduate studies, or other faculty member familiar with applicant's research interests.
 
Applications should be sent to: MCPH Office, mcphoffice@gmail.com with a copy to Varun Bhatta, varunsbhatta@gmail.com

For more information, please contact :
Greta Regan, Project Manager, Cosmopolitanism and the Local, University of King's College situsci@dal.ca
and/or
Dr. Gordon McOuat, History of Science and Technology Programme, University of King's College gmcouat@dal.ca

Further Details: http://eepurl.com/beFXyr

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

COLLNET 2015: Call for Papers- 11th International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics & 16th COLLNET Meeting, Delhi, India

Call for Oral Presentations and Posters, Important Dates:
  • April 05, 2015 (Deadline), Extended Abstract for Oral Presentation, (3 pages, abstracts less than 2.5 pages are not accepted )

            Please send your extended abstracts to:

            Hildrun Kretschmer kretschmer.h@onlinehome.de

 

            Please send also a copy to:

            P K Jain collnet2015@gmail.com

  • May 01, 2015, Acceptance Notification
  • May 15, 2015 (Deadline), Abstract for Poster Presentation (1 page)

 

 

Call for Papers

11th International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics (WIS)

&

16th COLLNET Meeting

 

November 26-28, 2015 New Delhi, India 

http://www.slp.org.in/collnet2015/

 

Conference Venue: Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), University of Delhi Enclave, Delhi-110007, India         

 

 

Organized by Society for Library Professionals in association with Asian Chapter, Special Libraries Association, Institute of Economic Growth

&

COLLNET

 

General Chair: Hildrun Kretschmer (Germany, China)

Steering Committee Chair: P. K. Jain (India)

Technical Program Chair: Debal C. Kar (India)

 

Call for Oral Presentations and Posters, Important Dates:

  • April 05, 2015 (Deadline), Extended Abstract for Oral Presentation, (3 pages, abstracts less than 2.5 pages are not accepted )

            Please send your extended abstracts to:

            Hildrun Kretschmer kretschmer.h@onlinehome.de

 

            Please send also a copy to:

            P K Jain collnet2015@gmail.com

  • May 01, 2015, Acceptance Notification
  • May 15, 2015 (Deadline), Abstract for Poster Presentation (1 page)
  • July 31, 2015 (Deadline), Full Paper

(Camera-ready version, maximum 10 pages including tables, figures, references)

The extended abstracts will be peer reviewed by the Programme Committee. The accepted full papers will be published in the proceedings.

  • November 15, 2015 (Deadline), Registration
  • November 26-28, 2015, Conference

Programme Committee:

COLLNET Membershttp://www.collnet.de/

and

Local Programme Committee:

   Advisory Committee Chair: P R Goswami, Director (Library), IGNCA, Delhi, India

   Finance, Website Engineering, Graphics: Parveen Babbar, Deputy Librarian, JNU, Delhi

Content, Communication: N K Wadhwa, NPL (CSIR), Delhi, India

Co-ordinators:

Shantanu Ganguly, Fellow and Area Convenor, TERI, Delhi

Tariq Ashraf, Librarian, South Campus Delhi University, Delhi

Salek Chand, Library and Information Officer, Election Commission of India, Delhi

M Madhusudan, Deputy Dean and Asst. Professor, Dept. of LIS, DU, Delhi

Sujit Bhattacharya, Senior Scientist, NISTADS, Delhi

Divya Srivastava, Scientist "F", Indian Council of Medical Research, Delhi

 

Regional Chairs:

Regional Chair of Africa, America, Australia and Europe:

            Valentina Markusova (Russia)

Regional Chair of China:

            Liang Liming (China)

 

Regional Chair of India:

            Ramesh Kundra (India)

                        Team:  N.K. Wadhwa (India)

                                   Divya Srivastava (India)

                                   Sujit Bhattacharya (India)

                                   P.K. Jain (India)

Regional Chair of Iran:

            Farideh Osareh (Iran)

 

Scope

 

The broad focus of the conference is on collaboration and communication in science and technology; science policy; quantitative aspects of science of science; and combination and integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches in study of scientific practices.

 

The conference thus aims to contribute to evidence-based and informed knowledge about scientific research and practices which in turn may further provide input to institutional, regional, national and international research and innovation policy making.

 

Themes:

 

A.Theoretical, Methodological and Applied Aspects in Webometrics, Informetrics,    Scientometrics, for example:

-          Emerging issues in Scientometrics / Informetrics /webometrics and history

-          Science Policy and collaboration

-          New Metrics (Altmetrics), their Potential Value and their Relationship to Established Measures

-          Collaboration Studies for Science & Society

-          Collaboration, Knowledge Management & Industrial Partnership

-          Collaborative Bridge between Academic Research and Industry

-          Techniques for Collaboration Studies

-          Visualization Techniques in Collaboration Studies

-          Quantitative Analysis of S&T Innovations

-          Informetrics Laws and Distributions, Mathematical Models of Communication and Collaboration

-          Nature and Growth of Science and of Collaboration in Science and its Relation with Technological Output

-          Evaluation Indicators

-          Collaboration in Science and in Technology from both Quantitative and Qualitative Points of View

 

            Please, note that these examples listed above give a broad outline of the scope of the workshop theme but do not limit it.

B. Data Management

-             Data Analysis and Data Mining

-             Open Access Management and its Impact

C. Information Technology, Management and Services

-             Information and Knowledge Services Measurement

-             Information Literacy Program

-             Performance Measurement and Competitiveness Quality Assessment

-             Technology & Innovations in Libraries and Impact Measurement

-             Development and Assessment of Digital Repositories

-             Development of Information and Knowledge Services

-             IPR and its Impact

-             Economic Co-operation and Development

-             Historical and Comparative case studies related to Librarianship

D. Change Management

-             Change of Libraries and Managerial techniques

-             Changes in Learning, Research and Information needs

 

COLLNET and WIS History (WIS: Webometrics, Informetrics, Scientometrics)

COLLNET is a global interdisciplinary research network of scholars who are concerned to study aspects of collaboration in science and in technology (see COLLNET web site at: http://www.collnet.de/). This network of interdisciplinary scholars was established in January 2000 in Berlin with Hildrun Kretschmer as coordinator. Since that time there have been thirteen meetings: 

 

the first in Berlin, September 2000, the 2nd in New Delhi, February 2001 and the 3rd in Sydney (in association with the 8th ISSI Conference), July 2001. The 4th COLLNET Meeting took place on August 29th in 2003 in Beijing in conjunction with the 9th International ISSI Conference; the First International Workshop on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics (WIS)and 5th COLLNET Meeting in Roorkee, India, in March 2004. The 6th COLLNET Meeting took place in association with the 10th ISSI Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, in July 2005. The Second International Workshop on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics(WIS) and 7th COLLNET Meeting was organized in Nancy, France, in May 2006. The Third International Conference on WISand Science and Society & Eighth COLLNET Meeting took place in New Delhi, India, in March 2007 (http://www.collnet-delhi.de), the Fourth International Conference on WIS&Ninth COLLNET Meeting in Berlin, Germany in July 2008 (http://www.collnet-berlin.de) and the Fifth International Conference on WIS& Tenth COLLNET Meeting in Dalian, China, in September 2009 (http://www.wiselab.cn/collnet-dalian/).The Sixth International Conference on WIS&Eleventh COLLNET Meeting took place in Mysore, India, in October 2010,the Seventh International Conference on WIS&Twelfth COLLNET Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, in September 2011 (http://collnet.cs.bilgi.edu.tr/), the 8thInternational Conference on WIS&13thCOLLNET Meeting in Seoul, Korea, October, 2012, Seoul, Korea, http://collnet2012.ndsl.kr; the 9thInternational Conference on WIS&14thCOLLNET Meeting, August, 2013in Tartu, Estonia, http://www.etag.ee/international-research-cooperation/collnet-2013/?lang=en, September 3-5, 2014 in Ilmenau, Germanyhttp://www.tu-ilmenau.de/collnet2014

 

 

Registration Fee

                       Early Bird Registration                      1st September 2015 onwards

                       Till 31st August 2015

 

Indian Delegates               Rs.3500/-                                           Rs.4000/-

Other countries

Delegates                      € 200 or US$ 300                              € 225 or US $325

SAARC countries

Delegates                         US$ 100                                             US$ 125

 

*Students, SLA members, accompanied persons, retired professionals and additional participants from the same organization can avail 20% discount.

 

Registration fee covers

•         All Conference sessions

•         Conference bag and materials

•         Catering: Lunches (3 days), tea/ coffee breaks (3 days) and Dinner

•         Conference social programme and City tour

 

Brochure is attached

 

Contact Person:

Dr. P K Jain

Institute of Economic Growth

University of Delhi Enclave

Delhi- 110007. India

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hildrun Kretschmer

PD, Dr. sc. phil., Dr. oec., Dipl.-psych.

Honorary Professor, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China

Former Professor at the Dalian University of Technology, China

Honorary Director and Special Fellow of WISELAB of the

Dalian University of Technology, China

COLLNET Co-ordinator (www.collnet.de)

Editor, COLLNET Journal of Scientometrics and Information Management