“Making Sense of Science”

Rapid changes occurring in scientific fields such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology increase the challenges technology managers and science policy makers alike face when determining the best course for research program strategy, management, and evaluation.  Among other things, it is increasingly important to understand relationships, both cognitive and social, among research domains. In this panel, GaTech presenters discuss how using text-mining tools to analyze large sets of science and technology information provides indicators and insights into these critical questions.

 Panelists & their topics:

• Studying Collaboration: Survey Based Social Network Methods & Bibliometrics

             Julia Melkers, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy

• Measuring Interdisciplinarity in the Area of Emerging Technologies

             Fang Xiao, School of Public Policy, PhD Program

• Diffusion: Measuring the Impact of Scientific Research Within and Outside a Field

             Stephen Carley, School of Public Policy, PhD Program

• Science Overlay Mapping for Benchmarking,  Complementarities, and Possible Collaborations 

            Alan Porter, Professor Emeritus of the School of Public Policy, and of Industrial             & Systems Engineering (IsyE), Co-Director, Technology Policy & Assessment Center