New videos showing how JISC is helping researchers achieve faster, better and different research through virtual research environments have just been released at http://www.youtube.com/user/JISCmedia
The videos feature projects from JISC’s virtual research environment (VRE) programme, which is trying to find ways to connect people and speed up research processes across disciplines. These include astronomy, physics, electronics, chemistry and the study of ancient documents.
Case studies from the e-infrastructure programme are also online, showing how normal it is for researchers to use advanced internet technology when they work with other institutions and internationally.
Dr Mike Fraser of Oxford University, who led the e-infrastructure project, said: “We have used story-telling and videos to remove the mystery from e-infrastructure and demonstrate that its use can now be considered normal within many subject areas.”
JISC’s VRE programme manager Frederique van Till explained: “Virtual research environments really speed up the whole chain, and in some ways that makes the work for researchers much faster because it’s easier to get to the resources and the people. It also allows them to branch out into areas they could never have done before by using this new technology.”
Projects featured in the videos include VRE’s in archaeology, the study of documents and manuscripts, collaborative research events on the web and the MyExperiment social networking site for scientists.
Professor Mike Fulford from Reading University, who features in two of the videos, describes the impact of JISC’s work in archaeology project as “simply a revolution.”
He said: “I used to be a Luddite; the technology was all new to me. But now it’s like an umbilical cord – I can’t do without it.”
The VRE programme is now entering its third phase with a more modular approach aimed at making VRE’s work more effectively between different universities and colleges.
