Prof. Dr Geoffrey Boulton
International Science Council and University of Edinburgh
Geoffrey Boulton is Regius Professor of Geology Emeritus and former Vice Principal at the University of Edinburgh. He chaired the Royal Society’s report on “Science as an Open Enterprise” and the International Science Council’s Report Opening the Record of Science: making scholarly publishing work for science in the digital era. Until recently was a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology and President of the Commission on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA). His research, for which he has received many national and international awards, is in the fields of environmental geology and glaciology.
All OAI12 Sessions by Prof. Dr Geoffrey Boulton
How do we put research and social priorities at the centre of Open Science?
The open science movement grew from actions on the outside of conventional practice. It has focused on the impediments to the flow of information and on challenging the systems and culture around them. As the movement matures to being the driver of new systems and a more open culture, it’s time to look at how well these are meeting the needs of research and of wider society. Both access to and the creation of research information and data have expanded rapidly, while researchers and research users complain of information overload. Will we revert to known networks and prestige to judge what’s worthy of attention? How can research outputs avoid being a ‘data exhaust’: what are the quality and usability gateways? And how do we ensure that society at large is better served in the formulation of questions and the generation of answers? In this session we will discuss an open science future that is responsive and purposeful and the source of meaningful change