Natural History Museum of Crete

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MOBILISE blended Training School (TS

Digitisation and data management challenges in small collections

MOBILISE COST Action 17106: “Mobilising Data, Policies and Experts in Scientific Collections”, in cooperation with GBIF https://www.gbif.org, CETAF-DEST https://cetaf.org/explore/dest-distributed-school-of-european-taxonomy,  and DISSCo https://dissco.eu, organises its blended Training School (TS) on the digitisation and management of biological and geological collections. 

This blended training course (both online and face to face) will give the opportunity to Natural History Institutions holding small collections to get informed and exercised on the digitisation and management of their collections. The online part of the TS will be on the 6th of May 2022 14.00-17.00 CET, via zoom. Its face to face part will be held in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, the 17th (noon) – 18th (noon) of May 2022, hosted by the Natural History Museum of Crete-University of Crete https://www.nhmc.uoc.gr

Deadline for applications is the 19th of March 2022. Selected trainees will be duly informed individually. They will receive a COST Trainee Grant for their stay and travel costs, during the face to face part in Crete (more details below). 

 

OVERVIEW AND TIME SCHEDULE

The Training School (TS) Digitisation and data management challenges in small collections will target the following basic but important steps of the digitisation process of biological and geological collections:

The data quality issue, for ensuring the maximum quality when digitising taxonomic, geographical, collection and descriptive data such as specimens and materials, literature data, field work notes, occurrence data, remote sensing data, etc. The data cleaning in order to further improve the quality of data and make them “fit-for-use” by defining and determining error types, search and identify error instances, correct the errors, document error instances and error types and modify data entry procedures to reduce future errors. The data visualisation focusing in applying visualisation techniques in clean data.

The online session of the TS will be held the 6th of May 2022 14.00-17.00 CET, via zoom (see the program below). Its face to face part will be held in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, the 17th (noon) – 18th (noon) of May 2022, hosted by the Natural History Museum of Crete-University of Crete.  

Download the program: MOBILISE TS PROGRAM

According to their program, , the online part will include all the theoretical presentations. The face to face part, will be a hands-on training, dedicated only to exercises on the theoretical topics of the online part. All resources will be send by e-mail to the selected trainees before the 6th of May 2022. In order to get the TS certificate, the trainees have to attend both sessions, the online as well as the face to face one.

Group work will ensure and motivate interaction between the trainees and the skilled trainers of the TS and foster lively discussions. Moreover, trainees will have the possibility to bring sample(s) of their institutional biodiversity and geodiversity digital database and exercise on them. 

WHO CAN APPLY

The Training School “Digitisation and data management challenges in small collections” is addressed to everyone who is engaged in biological and geological collections and their data, such as Curators and Collections’ managers, Directors/Senior managers, Collections’ Digitization managers/officers, Scientists on bio- or geo informatics, Early Career Investigators (individuals who are within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate in full-time equivalent), Students (Post graduates, MSc, PhD), Technicians of collections. They must be engaged in an official research programme as a PhD Student or postdoctoral fellow or can be employed by, or affiliated to, an institution, organisation or legal entity which has within its remit a clear association with performing research (more details in https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2022/02/COST-094-21-Annotated-Rules-for-COST-Actions-Level-C-2022-02-15.pdf )

Trainees eligible for reimbursement: 

1. Trainees from COST Full Members / COST Cooperating Member. 

2. Action MC Observer from NNC. 

3. Trainees from Approved European RTD Organisations. 

Trainees not eligible to be reimbursed:

1. Trainees from COST Partner Members.

2. Action MC Observers from IPC. 

3. Trainees from Approved IO, EU Commission, Bodies, Offices and Agencies.

4. Other Trainees not specifically mentioned as being eligible.

APPLICATION DEADLINE AND GRANTS

Application deadline for the Training School is the 19th of March 2022. Applicants need to register in the link https://form.jotformeu.com/93101915980356 and upload, in the same link, a short CV of one page (showing in parallel their experience on the TS topics) and a very short motivation letter. The Training School is open to 24 trainees. No fees apply to the Training School.

Successful applicants will be notified until the 25th of March 2022 and will receive a COST Grant (Trainee Grant) amounting to 300 euros for accommodation and meal expenses of the grantee during the face to face part in Crete only, plus an amount covering their flight travel costs to Crete. The COST Grant won’t cover the online part. Trainee Grants do not necessarily cover all expenses related to attending the Training School. The Trainee Grant is a contribution to the overall travel and accommodation expenses and will be transferred to the trainee after the implementation of the Training School.

Each successful applicant, after the 25th of March 2022, must register for an e-COST profile at https://e-services.cost.eu – and must add his/her bank details to his/her e-COST profile in order to receive, afterwards, his/her e-COST invitation to attend the Training School.

COST

COST is an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in Science and Technology established to initiate networking and coordination of nationally funded research activities on a European level. It was established in 1971 by 19 member countries and currently includes 35 member countries across Europe, and Israel as a cooperating state. It facilitates bringing scientists together under light strategic guidance based on networks, called COST Actions, centred on research projects in fields that are of interest both to COST countries and cooperating countries. COST policies on gender balance, involvement of Early Career Investigators, and geographical inclusiveness will be followed.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this TS, trainees will have the knowledge, skills, behaviours and competences in order to: 

  • Ensure the maximum quality when digitising taxonomic, geographical, collection and descriptive data
  • Improve the quality of data
  • Define and determine error types
  • Search and identify error instances
  • Correct the errors
  • Document error instances and error types
  • Modify data entry procedures to reduce future errors
  • Visualise data entries

 

CERTIFICATE

At the end of the TS, trainees who have followed both parts, the online as well as the face to face part, will obtain the MOBILISE COST Action Certificate with ECVET credits (European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training).

 

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

In order to follow the TS, trainees need a CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) B1 level of English, as the formal language of the TS is English.

TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Trainees are required to bring their own laptops. They are also recommended to bring sample(s) of their institutional biodiversity and geodiversity digital database in order to be exercised on them.

 

 

MOBILISE blended Training School (TS)  “Digitisation and data management challenges in small collections”