February Newsletter - VP17 Registration Now Open and other Updates, New RDA Groups, Upcoming Webinars and more!

Virtual Plenary 17 Highlights

Virtual Plenary 17 - Registration Now Open!

Registration is available! As with VP16, a nominal fee will be charged to help offset the cost of the event, with reduced rates for students and those from lower and middle income countries. A lower, early bird rate is available until 2 April 2021. 

Upcoming webinar: RDA And Why You Should Attend Virtual Plenary 17
1 March 2021, 23:00 UTC

Not sure if you’ll be attending? Register for our upcoming webinar on 1 March titled “RDA And Why You Should Attend Virtual Plenary 17". This webinar will feature an interactive session where attendees can share their goals and expectations for VP17, as well as a panel discussion with Rachel Bruce (UKRI), Hugh Shanahan (Royal Holloway, University of London),  Helen Glaves (British Geological Survey) and Mervyn O'Luing (UCC), Robert Quick (Indiana University) and Frankie Stevens (AARNet). Find out more and register here! 

Programme Updates

• This past week, session acceptance notifications were sent to group chairs for group and joint meetings, as well as to members who proposed Birds of Feather sessions. More than seventy sessions were accepted, and at this time, the development of the schedule is underway. By 12 March, expect to see the draft programme with dates/times of all of these sessions published on the RDA website, as well as the list of co-located events.  For now,  view the tentative programme structure.

• Joint RDA/IDCC Unconference: Both IDCC and previous RDA plenaries have featured an unconference in previous years. On this occasion the two will combine to provide an event of interest to IDCC and RDA attendees. The Unconference will take place on Tuesday, 20 April. It will be an event for interactive and spontaneous discussion, based on topics suggested by participants.  Attendance is free for those registered to either (or both) events – join us for a rich discussion with a diverse audience!

• The topic of the panel session taking place on Wednesday 21 April has been announced: Facilitating Greater Data Reuse: Lessons and Examples from Practice. Watch this space as we announce more panelists!

• New to RDA?  Register for our upcoming Newcomers' Sessions next month (also see below for details).

Call for Posters

Now is the time to prepare your abstract! RDA VP17 will feature poster presentations on Tuesday 20 April 2021 and Thursday 22 April (view the tentative VP17 programme here).  Please prepare a single slide and be ready to discuss your work! To take full advantage of our virtual platform capabilities, please consider recording a five minute video presentation and further showcase your work! You can also pre-record a one-minute presentation to be included in Tuesday's poster session. More details to follow! 

To participate in the VP17 poster session, please submit an abstract no later than 26 March 2021. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out during w/c 29 March. Find out more about our poster sessions and how to submit your application. Please ensure your poster is ready for upload on the conference platform by 12 April 2021 at the latest.

Group Updates

RDA Welcomes two new groups: the Data Granularity Working Group and the Sensitive Data Interest Group. Both groups are in the Community Review phase and members are encouraged to review their Case Statement and Charter, provide feedback and/or become a member of them.

• Data Granularity Working Group Case Statement (deadline for comments is 5 March)
• Sensitive Data Interest Group Charter (deadline for comments is 23 March)

Learn more about creating and joining RDA interest and working groups.

International Data Week – Join us for a Webinar on 4 March

This webinar will cover all aspects of International Data Week, scheduled to take place 8–11 November 2021, Seoul, South Korea.  Presented in English, it will introduce IDW 2021, the hosts, themes, and programme components, as well as provide key information on calls for session proposals. Find out more. 

2021 Call for Council Nominations Open through 4 March 

Three open Council positions are open, with nominations being accepted through 4 March. Learn more about the role of Council and the details regarding the nomination process. Find out more.