Congratulations to board members Katherine Leonard and Nick Bodanza for receiving the 2021 NEASIS&T Conference Support Recipient! We’re proud of our Simmons students for being 2 of the 3 award recipients for this year. We asked Katherine and Nick a few questions to get their thoughts on the upcoming conference. Check out their responses to learn more about what the ASIS&T Annual Conference has to offer.
What are you most excited about for the 2021 ASIS&T Conference?
Nick: Attending the ASIS&T annual meeting will provide the opportunity to connect and engage with fellow students and professionals. I am eager to learn what others have been researching and contribute as an attendee.
Katherine: As I begin my final year of graduate school, I hope to see some of the subjects I’ve explored in coursework and internships from the real-world practitioner’s perspective. I look forward to attending sessions related to my career path of knowledge management, data governance, and taxonomy. I’m also excited to check out the many presentations and posters from Simmons faculty and students.
As a student, how do you hope the conference will help you move forward in your career?
Nick: As a student, the conference offers insight into the current state of the discipline. I anticipate the experience will prompt new ideas and allow me to gain new knowledge, which I will apply at Simmons and in my work.
Katherine: I’ve gained so much from my year as Marketing Chair for ASIS&T Simmons, from getting to know fellow board members and faculty advisors to all the practical career advice I heard from alumni panelists and at the NEASIS&T Conference. I imagine that the Annual Meeting will provide a similar experience, but on an even larger scale.
What panels, workshops, and events are you planning to attend?
Nick: Sessions I am looking forward to include the Opening Plenary Keynote by Professor Luciano Floridi, Paper Session 05: Trust in Technology, and Career Development in Knowledge Management (SIG-KM).
Katherine: I have a long list of panels to attend, but here are a few at the top of my list: “Data Discovery and Reuse in Data Service Practices: A Global Perspective,” “Career Development in Knowledge Management,” and “Quality, Reuse, and Governance of Open Data.”
On the workshop side, I’m looking forward to “The Serious Leisure Perspective Round-Up,” which looks at the study of information in everyday life and leisure contexts. As part of a group project for LIS 484, a few classmates and I interviewed one of the speakers, Dr. Jenna Hartel, from the University of Toronto, and her research on this topic is fascinating.
Thank you, Nick and Katherine!
The ASIS&T Annual Conference is a great opportunity for students to learn more about work and research in information science and technology, as well as to network with professionals in the field. This year’s conference will be held both virtually and online from October 30th to November 2nd, with the theme “Information: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Justice, and Relevance.” If you’d like to attend, you can learn more about it and register on the 2021 ASIS&T Annual Meeting webpage. Don’t miss the early bird rate, available until August 13.