Amanda Whitmire
Data Management Specialist, Assistant Professor
Data management (DM) plans & planning, DM best practices including: recommendations on storage and backup of working data, documentation and creation of metadata, sharing of data & results, and stewardship & archiving of final data.
Brief CV
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2008 | Ph.D. in Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Dissertation: The spectral backscattering properties of marine particles, available at ScholarsArchive@OSU
2000 | B.S. in Aquatic Biology, Honors, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Work Experience
Sept. 2012 - present | Assistant Professor, Data Management Specialist, Oregon State University Libraries, Corvallis, OR USA
2008 - 2012 | Postdoctoral Research Associate, College of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR USA
2004 - 2007 | Research Consultant, Sequoia Scientific, Inc., Bellevue, WA USA
1999 - 2001 | Laboratory Technician, University of California at Santa Barbara Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara, CA USA
MY ROLE
I collaborate with faculty, graduate students, academic units and research center personnel to identify, manage, describe, preserve and make research data available and accessible to appropriate audiences. I identify and recommend appropriate methods for data storage and retrieval, and assist with using online digital repository systems including ScholarsArchive@OSU. I am happy to provide one-on-one consultation on anything related to data management. I commonly get questions related to agency mandates for data management plans, how to "publish," share, and cite datasets, how to keep a lab notebook, etc.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Assessment
Right now my research interests focus on assessing:
1. the current scope and efficacy of the data management process of faculty and graduate students on campus
2. the extent to which faculty and graduate students view the Library as a source of support and guidance in their data management process
3. how the Library can improve our services, and facilitate improvement in the quality of research data management campus-wide
Researcher HabitsI'd like to develop a research program that is focused on assessing how we (OSU Libraries) can better improve the outreach and impact of research activities at OSU. For example, what is our role in helping faculty share and promote their data with the larger scientific community? Can we create or improve tools for data citation and discovery? What needs do researchers have in this area?
Data Management Plans
Data management plans (DMP) provide a window into the detailed individual data management habits, capabilities and needs of faculty and their graduate students. Structured analysis of DMPs can provide insight into the kinds of data researchers are generating, and how they are managing those data in current and future projects. From the library's perspective, this information is fundamental to providing research data support services that are tailored to the needs of the faculty and students we aim to support. I am currently working to gain access to DMPs submitted by faculty at OSU so that I can use the information to inform the development and expansion of our data services.
Research Data Management for Graduate Students
I am currently working with colleagues in the Library, Graduate School and Research office to develop a credit-bearing course in research data management for graduate students. This 2-credit course will be targeted for first- and second-year graduate students from all disciplines who will be participating in data-driven research. The course will be first available as a typical on-campus course, but we will offer hybrid and E-Campus versions as quickly as we can. We are also exploring the idea of offering intensive summer course options. Our goal in developing these courses is to create an outstanding, nationally recognized education program in research data management for graduate students.
Research data management web page redesignBehind the scenes, I am working hard to gather and organize content for a complete overhaul of our research data management web page. My goal is to offer complete, up-to-date information on data management best practices, including links to outside resources like DMPTool and DataONE.
Sept. - Dec. 2012: DuraSpace E-Science Institute
The E-Science Institute is designed to help academic and research libraries develop a strategic agenda for e-research support, with a particular focus on the sciences. The Institute consists of a series of interactive modules that take small teams of individuals from academic institutions through a dynamic learning process to strengthen and advance their strategy for supporting computational scientific research. The coursework begins with a series of exercises for teams to complete at their institutions, and culminates with an in-person workshop. Local institution assignments help staff establish a high level understanding of research support background needs and issues.
Publications and More
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Whitmire, A. L. (submitted), “Thoughts on e-Science: a Scientist’s Perspective,” Journal of EScience Librarianship.
Manuscripts 2004 - 2010 B.L. (before library)
Whitmire, A. L., W. S. Pegau, L. Karp-Boss, E. Boss, and T. J. Cowles (2010), “Spectral backscattering properties of marine phytoplankton cultures,” Opt. Express 18, 15073-15093. (link to article)
Whitmire, A. L., R. M. Letelier, V. Villagran, and O. Ulloa (2009), “Autonomous observations of in vivo fluorescence and backscattering in an oceanic oxygen minimum zone,“ Opt. Express 17, 21992-22004. (link to article)
Chang, G. and A. L. Whitmire (2009), "Effects of bulk particle characteristics on backscattering and optical closure," Opt. Express 17, 2132-2142. (link to article)
Agrawal, Y.C., A. Whitmire, O. A. Mikkelsen, and H. C. Pottsmith (2008),”Light scattering by random shaped particles and consequences on measuring suspended sediments by laser diffraction,” J. Geophys. Res., 113, C04023, doi:10.1029/2007JC004403. (link to article)
Whitmire, A.L., Boss, E., Cowles, T. J., Pegau, W. S., (2007) “Spectral variability of particulate backscattering ratio,” Optics Express, 15, 7019-7031. (link to article)
Chang, G. C., K. Mahoney, A. Briggs-Whitmire, D. Kohler, C. Mobley, M. Moline, M. Lewis, E. Boss, M. Kim, W. Philpot, and T. Dickey (2004) “The New Age of Hyperspectral Oceanography,” Oceanography, 17(2), 22-29, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2004.43. (link to article)
Wirz, J., A.L. Whitmire, “Science is a Moving Target: eScience, Team Science, the Data Deluge and More,” Online Northwest, Corvallis, OR, February 2013.
Poster Presentations
Whitmire, A.L., "Training the next generation: the essential role of academic libraries in educating graduate students in research data management" (PDF), ACRL Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, April 2013. (30% acceptance rate)
Committees
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Metadata Working GroupResearch and Writing Group
- ALA | ACRL | STS | Science Resources: Discovery & Access Committee (member; July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2015)
- ALA | ACRL | Digital Curation Interest Group (member)
- OSU Libraries Faculty Research Dissemination Task Force (Chair; April 2013 - )
- OSU Libraries Awards Committee (member; 2013)
- OSU Libraries Poster Gallery Implementation Task Force (member; December 2012 - )
Professional Memberships
- American Libraries Association (ALA)
- Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
- The Oceanography Society (TOS)
- American Association of University Women (AAUW)
