Open research data sharing is like a double edge knife. It has a lot of features and benefits of transparency and collaboration. However, it may bring other issues of ownership, license, and other trust challenges. Many scientists are divided over the pros and cons of open research data. I had those thoughts when I decided to come to the RDAP Summit 2022. RDAP Summit 2022 is my first conference that has focused on research data management (RDM). I’m currently in the process of writing my dissertation on open research data in health sciences research. Therefore, an event like RDAP Summit 2022 helps me to understand research data management, open data, and data sharing in various fields. RDAP Summit 2022 presented the dynamics of open research data in various environments. RDAP Summit 2022 was not only about serious discussions, however, but also loaded with some social and games events to make the event more fun and enjoyable.
From the very beginning, the RDAP summit 2022 hooked the audience and me with interesting talks and presentations. RDAP Summit 2022 is a single-track summit with some parallel sessions. On day 1, I joined the workshop “Workshop 1: Open Science Data Curation, Preservation, and Access by Libraries.” This workshop guided us on how to use the Internet Archive, which is a very easy-to-use platform for archiving and sharing data.
On the second day of RDAP Summit 2022 I found the first session interesting, learning about capacity building and skills needed for data professionals. I appreciated the new member event, where new members can join and have a chance to know RDAP better. This was useful to me since I’m new to the Summit, and I got to know the people behind RDAP, the committee, and other professionals and scholars who have similar interests as mine. We also played some games and quizzes about many things. Even though I was lost, it was super fun!
The third day of the summit was packed with even more interesting talks and discussions. The presentation was full of new interesting info and knowledge. The sessions were fruitful for me as I can learn a lot from experienced presenters who were doing a great job sharing that knowledge with the audience. All presentations in the second session Track A (Woodbrook, Wood, Hahn, and Loera) left me with the good impression that data management is also about community. How libraries support communities and individuals whom they served. The poster sessions are also as interesting as finished study presentations. The other sessions on the third day are also about increasing and expanding access to minority and bigger-scope audiences.
The fourth day is the last day of the RDAP Summit 2022. It starts with a social event to let participants get to know each other better with light everyday topics. The session was followed by the second poster session. This is where I learned a lot from one of the poster presenters, Andrew McKenna-Fosterone’s presentation of “State of Open Data 2021: Focus on Motivations for Sharing and Credibility of Open Data.” This study helps me with what is going on with open data, which is related to my dissertation study. The last session was the talk discussing the need for data support services.
I can’t believe the RDAP Summit 2022 ended so fast. I learned a lot from the presenters. Next time I go to the RDAP Summit, I would like to present as an author of a paper or as a poster sharing my ideas, thoughts, and even publications.
