Now more than ever, Memorial’s vice-president (research) is convinced the power of technology is bringing the university community closer together.

With the fall semester in full swing, Dr. Neil Bose asks researchers, staff members and students to harness online resources and plan events as part of Memorial’s third annual Research Week.

This year, Research Week is taking place Nov. 23-27.

Culture of collaboration

“By going virtual we’re making Research Week celebrations more accessible to all members of the Memorial community – on all of our campuses,” Dr. Bose told the Gazette.

“In the past it was challenging to attend sessions in different buildings or at another location. Moving Research Week online allows us to be more inclusive, giving attendees the flexibility to attend events they might have previously missed. This approach will help strengthen a culture of collaboration at our university.”

The goal of Research Week is to celebrate and raise awareness of Memorial’s world-class research expertise and encourage more multidisciplinary collaboration among the research community.

Dr. Bose says all members of the university can take part in this year’s virtual events.

“Consider this your personal invite to get involved in planning for Research Week 2020.”

He notes there are plenty of ways to get involved. Examples include virtual book readings or performances; guest lectures; lunch and learns; Facebook live conversations; podcasts; or webinars.

Webex advantage

Organizers are invited to learn more about Webex, the university’s enterprise solution for video conferencing.

Webex scales well for large sessions and can accommodate up to 1,000 participants in a single session through flexible conferencing options for meetings, training and events.

Several units have already used Webex to host virtual events and conferences.

“Use of Webex for remote sessions and events does not have to be limited to formal presentations and meetings, as it can also be an effective tool for hosting networking and social gatherings for attendees spread around the province, country and world,” said John Duff, systems officer, Office of Strategic Operations (Signal Hill Campus) and Conference Services.

“The recent introduction of Breakout Rooms allows a host to easily and randomly break a large group into multiple smaller group chats, ideal for icebreaker events.”

Submit your events

Anyone organizing an event should send the title of the session, date, time, virtual log-in instructions and a short description to vprfeedback@mun.ca no later than Nov. 9 in order to have details added to an online events calendar.

Further information about Research Week will be added, so check back for updates.