NESCent closed in June 2015 and we are therefore no longer accepting whitepapers.

Call for Whitepapers

In order to be responsive to user needs and tap into the expertise and creativity of the evolutionary biology community, NESCent is soliciting short whitepapers on potential initiatives to be undertaken by the center in the area of informatics (including, but not limited to, training, software development, hackathons, and coordination of data standards). The scale of the proposed work may vary widely. Those who submit whitepapers are making no commitment to participate in a project but would be welcome to do so.

Format

Whitepapers are expected to be 2-6 pages in length. Please include the following: a Project Description (including use cases), Relevant or Related Projects, Major Technical Considerations, and People and Organizations (either potential participants or experts that could be consulted for more information).

We have also created more specific guidelines for proposing hackathons and similar one-time cyberinfrastructure events.

Evaluation

Whitepapers will be evaluated and followed up on a case-by-case basis, considering the following factors:
  • The perceived need within the evolutionary biology community.
  • The anticipated impact on facilitating evolutionary synthesis.
  • The disciplinary diversity of the scientific communities that are affected.
  • Feasibility and cost-effectiveness.
  • The strength of the match to the informatics capabilities of the center.
  • The extent to which the success of the initiative would depend on the participation of the center.
The evaluation criteria for hackathons include a few additional factors that are pertinent only to that format.

Submission

Whitepapers are reviewed on an ongoing basis; there are no deadlines. Please submit final documents to whitepapers@nescent.org. For questions, or to discuss potential ideas, please contact Todd Vision.