DGOnline Newsletter

Volume 20: September 2008

Welcome to dgOnline, the electronic newsletter of the Digital Government Society of North America. dgOnline is a monthly summary of news and events of interest to the DG community.  To submit material for inclusion in future issues, please send email to Meelis Kitsing at newsletter@dgsociety.org .

In this Issue:

• Free Journal Offer
• Conferences, Workshops and Calls for Papers
• Grant Opportunities, Awards and Announcements

Free Journal Offer

Dear DGSNA member,

I am delighted to inform you of a free trial offer, for the next 10 days, from Emerald, the publishers of several journals you might find of interest.

Until Oct 5, members of DGSNA can access, FREE OF CHARGE, any article that has appeared in the following six journals:  International Journal of Public Sector Management, Information Management & Computer Security, Information Technology & People, Journal of Information Communication and Ethics in Society, Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, Journal of Enterprise Information Management.

For access, please visit  www.emeraldinsight.com and login by using username: EGOV2008 and password: Emerald. Having logged in, look on the left, under Search and Browse. Pick the journal you want to view. You can browse any of these five journals, select any year, any article, and view the full article, or just its summary.

Why are we doing this? We are trying to arrange for you special reduced subscription rates for these journals. Emerald needs to determine how actively we, the members of DGSNA, might make use of their journals.

A request to you: please, in the next 10 days (starting right now, why not?), visit the Emerald site and look around. Download a few articles of interest. Do this every day before you start work! The more activity we show on the website, the better our eventual subscription discount.

For any queries please contact Ms. Holly Shukla at hshukla@emeraldinsight.com or Dr. Kelly Pycroft at kpycroft@emeraldinsight.com.

Regards,
Eduard Hovy
President, DGSNA

Conferences, Workshops and Calls for Papers

Call for AMCIS2009 e-government minitracks
E-government related Minitrack Proposals can be submitted for AMCIS 2009. Governments from everywhere in the world is looking for ways to benefit from advancements in information and communication technology. E-government influences every aspect of daily life and covers a broad
range of topics from service delivery to constituent participation and technology adoption to electronic governance. Research in the field of e-government will continue to have a major impact on IS theory and government practice. Please submit a 1-2 page document that indicates the importance of the proposed minitrack to the field of e-government and include potential topics to be addressed in the mini-track. Submission deadline is on October 2, 2008 and notification of acceptance will be sent by October 15, 2008. Proposals can be submitted at the following website: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/amcis2009

MPSA Call for Papers

Midwest Political Science Association meeting will be held on April 2-5, 2009, in the beautiful Palmer House in Chicago. The Information Technology and Politics (ITP) section of the MPSA welcomes paper, panel, roundtable, and poster session proposals that contribute to our understanding of the impact of IT on politics and policy (and vice-versa). We also welcome proposals that apply or evaluate IT in innovative ways as an instrument for teaching, data collection and dissemination, and statistical/information visualization and analysis. Proposals for the 2009 meeting are due October 10 and more invormation is available at http://www.mpsanet.org/~mpsa/index.html.

European Dialogue on Internet Governance

European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG.org) will take place in Strasbourg on October 20-21, 2008. The conference location is at the Council of Europe Room G03, AGORABuilding, Strasbourg. The conference serves as a platform to discuss and shape European multi-stakeholder perspectives on Internet governance (universal access, security, privacy and openness on the Internet, critical Internet resources).  Priority will be given to moderated audience-led discussion among all stakeholders.  Conference aims at iinking of different European initiatives related to Internet governance, including planned European-led workshops held at the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2008 in Hyderabad, India and reaching out to/for European actors who will not be able to participate in the 2008 IGF in India. The event offers an opportunity to discuss future plans and initiatives for European dialogue on Internet governance. The conclusions will be reported to the 2008 IGF in India about European perspectives and initiatives. There is no conference fee but participants should register now under www.eurodig.org

Panel on Digital Divide at UMass Amherst

The Center for Public Policy and Administration at UMass Amherst is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4, 2008. The conference will feature a panel on the "Digital Divide" at 2:45-3:45 pm on Friday (October 3). Speakers include Representative John Scibak (Massachusetts), Jane Fountain (UMass Political Science & Public Policy) and Martha Fuentes-Bautista (UMass Communication & Public Policy). This panel will address policy-related questions in regard to ICTs, including:  Who benefits most from ICTs, and is access to these technologies significantly influenced by variables such as race, class and gender?  Regardless of their present effects, are ICTs capable of shrinking economic inequalities and enhancing citizen participation in policymaking?  What is the role of ICTs in producing greater convergence between the economies of developing and industrialized countries?  Will investments in greater access—such as the $40 million legislation signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick to create the Massachusetts Broadband Institute—be enough to mitigate the digital divide in our state?  What other public policies are required to ensure that the potential benefits of ICTs extend to all citizens? The panel takes place in Campus Center Room 904. More information is available at http://www.masspolicy.org.

SIG GlobDev Workshop on ICT in Global Development
Association for Information Systems Special Interest Group for ICT in Global Development (SIG GlobDev) seeks proposals for its First Annual Workshop on ICT in Global Development at ESCP-EAP University, Paris on Saturday, December 13, 2008. The workshop provides a forum for discussion of practical experience and research related to the diffusion and use and of information and communication technologies (ICT) in developing regions of the world. The workshop will provide a forum for presentation and discussion of actual development projects. Organizers invite research papers, panel session proposals, and field studies that can inform theory and provide guidelines to field workers in developing economies. Submission deadline is on September 30, 2008 and authors will be notified by October 22, 2008. Deadline for submitting final paper is on November 15, 2008. More information is available at
http://www.globdev.org

Pre-ICIS Workshop on eGovernment Research
Scholars are invited to submit a paper for presentation and discussion at the pre-ICIS 2007 SIG eGovernment to be held from 09:30 to 16:00 on December  14, 2008, in Paris France. The field of eGovernment has seen a rapid growth both in the amount of research done and the number of issues studied.SIG eGovernment is an interest organization for eGovernment researchers and seeks submissions for a "white paper" or "position paper" on "What are the most important issues in eGovernment research and Practice today?" Submissions are due on October 1. For more information, please contact workshop co-chairs: Åke Grönlund, Örebro University (ake.gronlund@oru.se) or Maung Kyaw Sein, University of Agder (maung.k.sein@hia.no) The workshop is sponsored by AIS SIG eGovernment (http://sigegov.org)

TURKSAT eGovernment Conference

The First International Conference on eGovernment and eGovernance" of  TURKSAT (Turksat Satellite Communication Cable TV and Operation  Inc.) organized by SoSReS (Social Sciences Research Society).  This  major international event is going to be held in  Ankara, Turkey  between 12-13 March 2009. Please visit for more information:http://www.icegov.info/

Security 2008 Conference & Exhibition
The conference is taking place unde theme "Information Assurance and Enabling Identity Management" on November 20-21, 2008,  Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, DC. The 9th Annual Security Conference will focus on topics that transcend the government transition, with particular emphasis on programs and priorities that must be sustained to protect public sector assets-people, information, and facilities. Participants wi'll learn directly from security professionals in government and industry about pending and current security policies that impact daily operations, as well as priority programs underway and planned for 2009 - 2010.  For more information, please visit www.SecurityITConference.com


 Call for Papers: "YouTube and the 2008 Election Cycle in the United States"
The conference will take place on April 3 & 4, 2009, at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The keynote speakers are Richard Rogers, Professor in New Media & Digital Culture at the

University of Amsterdam and Director of govcom.org and Noshir Contractor, Northwestern

University, the Jane S. & William J. White Professor of Behavioral Sciences in the School of

Engineering, School of Communication and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern

University. Authors are invited to prepare and submit to JITP a manuscript following one of the

six submission formats by January 7, 2009. These formats include research papers,

policy viewpoints, workbench notes, review essays, book reviews, and papers on teaching innovation. The social network and call for papers of the conference is available at

http://youtube08election.crowdvine.com/

Call for Papers: dg.o 2009 Conference

The 10th International Digital Government Research Conference (dg.o 2009) titled "Social Networks: Making Connections between Citizens, Data & Government"  will take place in Puebla, Mexico on May 17-20, 2009. The conference website and the call for papers are available at: http://www.dgo2009.or The dg.o 2009 social networking space at Crowdvine is http://dgo2009.crowdvine.com/ . The site is allows uploading a picture, telling about your projects, linking to your website, invite others to join and review the call for papers.

HICSS 2009

Call for Papers: Electronic Government Track at the 42nd Hawaii International Conference on

System Sciences January 5 to 8, 2009 Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort Waikoloa, Big Island, Hawaii.

HICSS conferences are devoted to the most relevant advances in the information, computer, and

system sciences, and encompass developments in both theory and practice. Accepted papers

may be theoretical, conceptual, tutorial or descriptive in nature. Those selected for presentation

will be published in the Conference Proceedings published by the IEEE Computer Society.

For more information, please visit http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu/hicss_42/42tracks.htm#EGOV

NSF Regional Grants Conference

The conference will be held in Omaha, NE, and hosted by the University of Nebraska Lincoln on

October 20-21, 2008. Key representatives from the National Science Foundation as well as your

colleagues - faculty, researchers and grant administrators - representing colleges and universities

from around the US will participate. This two-day conference is a must, especially for new faculty,

researchers and administrators who want to gain key insight into a wide range of current issues at

NSF including the state of current funding; new and current policies and procedures; and pertinent

administrative issues. NSF program officers representing each NSF directorate will be on hand to

provide up-to-date information about specific funding opportunities and answer your questions.

More information is available at

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/rgcoctober08.pdf?govDel=USNSF_80

Call for Papers: Transforming Government

The journal publishes leading scholarly and practitioner research on the subject of transforming

government through its people, processes and policy. Unique and progressive in its approach,

the journal seeks to recognise both the multidisciplinary and the interdisciplinary perspectives

of e-Government, and encourages both pure and applied research that impacts central and local

Government, with international perspectives also welcome. It will also be interested in exploring

how research carried out in the private sector can be applied to the public sector as a means of

improving efficiency and effectiveness. Coverage is international and focused on original research

in e-Government ICT, service chain issues, public sector management, policy implications of

developing environments, and organizational and human resource issues. To submit an article,

please go to the journal homepage at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/tg.htm, or contact:

The Editor, Professor Zahir Irani, Brunel University, UK E-mail: Zahir.Irani@Brunel.ac.uk,

or the publisher, Kelly Pycroft, E-mail: kpycroft@emeraldinsight.com 

Call for Papers: International Journal of Electronic Governance

International Journal of Electronic Governance (IJEG) is an academic journal focusing on interdisciplinary issues of electronic governance and digital collaboration in the domains of administrative, political and social interaction world-wide. IJEG is published in english by Inderscience Publishers and all submitted manuscripts are subject to a double-blind review process. Full text of the IJEG inaugural and the second issues available from http://www.inderscience.com/ijeg

Information Polity: Call for Papers

Authors who wish to write articles for future editions of Information Polity are requested to submit their manuscripts electronically to the Editorial Assistant: Dr Alasdair Marshall, email: amar2@gcal.ac.uk. For more detailed instructions please refer to the Authors Corner on the IOS Press website: www.iospress.nl

GOSCON 2008 and International Open ICT Summit

Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON) 2008, and International Open ICT
Summit titled “Transforming the delivery of government services” will take place on October 20-23

at Crowne Plaza Hotel and Portland Downtown-Convention Center in Portland, Oregon,  USA.

GOSCON 2008 and the International Open ICT Summit provide an educational forum for government IT executives to understand both the business case and real-world applications for open source methods and tools to transform the delivery of government services. Attendees will have an opportunity to hear lessons learned in the development and integration of open source solutions into production environments, and to establish communities for collaboration around common interests. Early registration closes on September 26, 2008. For more information please visit www.goscon.org

Third Annual GigaNet Symposium
The symposium will take place on December 2, 2008  in Hyderabad, India. The Global Internet

Governance Academic Network (GigaNet) is a scholarly community that promotes the

development of Internet governance as a recognized, interdisciplinary field of study and facilitates

informed dialogue on policy issues and related matters between scholars and governments,

international organizations, the private sector, and civil society. Each year, GigaNet organizes

a one-day research symposium in conjunction with the United Nations Internet Governance Forum

(IGF) and in the same premises. Attendance at the Symposium will be open to all and free of charge. The Symposium will be at the same location as the IGF and registration with the UN as an IGF participant may be necessary to gain entry to the building. More information is available by sending an email to Dr. Meryem Marzouki, at Meryem.Marzouki@lip6.fr

CANS 2008
Complexity and Intelligence of the Artificial and Natural Complex Systems. Medical Applications of

the Complex Systems. Biomedical Computing will take place in Tg. Mures, Romania on November

8-10, 2008. The conference is organized by Romanian Academy, Bucharest and Petru Maior University, Tg. Mures. The website is http://davos.science.uttgm.ro/complex_systems/ 
 
BICS 2008
Bio-Inspired Computational Methods Used for Difficult Problems Solving.  Development of Intelligent and Complex Systems will take place in Tg. Mures, Romania on November 5-7, 2008. The conference is organized by Romanian Academy, Bucharest and Petru Maior University, Tg. Mures
http://davos.science.uttgm.ro/bio_computation/

PISTA 2009

The 7th International Conference on Politics and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications: PISTA 2009 will take place in Orlando, Florida, USA, on July 10th – 13th, 2009. The deadline for submissions is on October 14, 2008. The notifications of acceptance will be sent out by December 8, 2008 and the final version of the paper must be submitted by February 18, 2009. More information is available at the following website: http://www.2009iiisconferences.org/PISTA

RMCI 2009

Researchers are invited to submit a paper/abstract to The 6th International Symposium on Risk Management and Cyber-Informatics: RMCI 2009. It will take place in Orlando, Florida, USA, on July 10th – 13th, 2009. The deadline for submissions is October 7th, 2008. More information is available at http://www.2009iiisconferences.org/RMCI.

Grant Opportunities, Awards and Announcements

NSF and DoD Call for Proposals

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Defense (DoD) are initiating a

university-based social and behavioral science research activity, as part of The Minerva Initiative

launched by the Secretary of Defense, that focuses on areas of strategic importance to U.S. national

security policy. NSF and DoD intend: 1) to develop the DoD's social and human science intellectual

capital in order to enhance its ability to address future challenges; 2) to enhance the DoD's engagement with the social science community; and 3) to deepen the understanding of the social and behavioral dimensions of national security issues. In pursuit of these objectives, NSF and DoD will bring together universities, research institutions, and individual scholars and will support disciplinary, interdisciplinary and collaborative projects addressing areas of strategic importance to national security policy. Proposals are to be submitted directly to NSF as described in the solicitation.  More information is available at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503294&org=SBE&from=home If you have any questions, feel free to contact the two people listed on that webpage, or you can contact Brian Humes, Political Science Program Officer, at bhumes@nsf.gov or at 703.292.7284.

NSF Call for Proposals:Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI)

Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI) is NSF’s bold five-year initiative to create revolutionary science and engineering research outcomes made possible by innovations and advances in computational thinking.  Computational thinking is defined comprehensively to encompass computational concepts, methods, models, algorithms, and tools.   Applied in challenging science and engineering research and education contexts, computational thinking promises a profound impact on the Nation’s ability to generate and apply new knowledge.  Collectively, CDI research outcomes are expected to produce paradigm shifts in our understanding of a wide range of science and engineering phenomena and socio-technical innovations that create new wealth and enhance the national quality of life. More information is available at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08604/nsf08604.htm?govDel=USNSF_25

Special Deal for DGSNA Members: Discount on Information Polity
IOS Press, the publishers of the highly regarded journal Information Polity, has reached an agreement with the DGSNA Board. Individual members of DGSNA can obtain copies of the 2007 editions of the journal entirely free.  Starting with the 2008 editions, individual members can subscribe to the journal for a discounted rate of US$75 per year (print copy) and US$25 per year (online copy). Student members receive a discounted rate of US$15 per year (online copy).  This special deal starts with the 2008 issues and continues for 2009 and beyond. To subscribe, please send an email message to dg-subscribe@dgsna.org and give your name, address, and indicate desire to subscribe to Information Polity.  We will then be in touch with you. The journal's website is
http://www.iospress.nl/loadtop/load.php?isbn=15701255.

NSF Call for Proposals: Partnership for Innovation (PFI)

The goals of the Partnerships for Innovation Program are to: 1) stimulate the transformation of knowledge created by the research and education enterprise into innovations that create new wealth; build strong local, regional and national economies; and improve the national well-being; 2) broaden the participation of all types of academic institutions and all citizens in activities to meet the diverse workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise; and 3) catalyze or enhance enabling infrastructure that is necessary to foster and sustain innovation in the long-term. To develop a set of ideas for pursuing these goals, this competition will support 12-15 promising partnerships among academe, the private sector, and state/local/ federal government that will explore new approaches to support and sustain innovation. The deadline for proposasl is October 31, 2008. More information is available at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08583/nsf08583.htm?govDel=USNSF_25

NSF Call for Proposals: EPSCoR
The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is a program designed to fulfill the National Science Foundation's (NSF) mandate to promote scientific progress nationwide. The EPSCoR program is directed at those jurisdictions that have historically received lesser amounts of NSF Research and Development (R&D) funding. Twenty-five states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands currently participate. Full Proposal Deadline Date: October 21, 2008. More information is available at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5672&govDel=USNSF_39

NSF Call for Proposals: Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)

CISE’s Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in three core programs: The Human-Centered Computing program; The Information Integration and Informatics program; and The Robust Intelligence program. Proposers are invited to submit proposals in three project classes, which are defined as follows: Small Projects - up to $500,000 total budget with durations up to three years; Medium Projects - $500,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years; and Large Projects - $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 total budget with durations up to five years.More information is available at

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13707&org=CISE&from=home

NSF Call for Proposals: CISE Cross-Cutting Programs

This solicitation seeks proposals in cross-cutting areas that are scientifically timely, and that benefit

from the intellectual contributions of researchers with expertise in a number of computing fields and/or sub-fields.   The cross-cutting programs for FY 2009 and 2010 are: Data-intensive Computing; Network Science and Engineering; and Trustworthy Computing.Proposers are invited to submit proposals in three project classes, which are defined as follows: Small Projects - up to $500,000 total budget with durations up to three years;  Medium Projects - $500,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years; and Large Projects - $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 total budget with durations up to five years.More information is available at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13451&org=NSF&from=home

NSF Call for Proposals: The Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships

The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports innovative,

potentially transformative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale,

long-term awards. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among academic institutions, national laboratories, industrial organizations, and/or other public/private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake important investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or fresh approaches within disciplines. STC investments support the NSF vision of advancing discovery, innovation and education beyond the frontiers of current knowledge, and empowering future generations in science and engineering. Preliminary Proposal Deadline Date: October 14, 2008. More information is available at

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5541&org=CISE&from=home

NSF Call for Proposals: Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program

The Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC) program develops long-term partnerships among industry, academe, and government. The centers are catalyzed by a small investment from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and are primarily supported by industry center members, with NSF taking a supporting role in their development and evolution. Each center is established to conduct research that is of interest to both the industry and the center. An I/UCRC not only contributes to the Nation's research infrastructure base and enhances the intellectual capacity of the engineering and science workforce through the integration of research and education, but also encourages and fosters international cooperation and collaborative projects. More information is available at

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08591/nsf08591.htm?govDel=USNSF_25

NSF Call for Proposals: Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF): Core Programs

CISE’s Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF) supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in three core programs: The Algorithmic Foundations program; The Communications and Information Foundations program; and The Software and Hardware Foundations program. Proposers are invited to submit proposals in three project classes, which are defined as follows: Small Projects - up to $500,000 total budget with durations up to three years; Medium Projects - $500,001 to $1,200,000 total budget with durations up to four years; and Large Projects - $1,200,001 to $3,000,000 total budget with durations up to five years. More information is available at

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08577/nsf08577.htm?govDel=USNSF_124

NSF Call for Proposals: Science of Science and Innovation Policy

The Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to foster the development of the knowledge, theories, data, tools, and human capital needed to cultivate a new Science of Science and Innovation Policy (SciSIP). The SciSIP program underwrites fundamental research that creates new explanatory models, analytic tools and datasets designed to inform the nation’s public and private sectors about the processes through which investments in science and engineering (S&E) research are transformed into social and economic outcomes. SciSIP’s goals are to understand the contexts, structures and processes of S&E research, to evaluate reliably the tangible and intangible returns from investments in research and development (R&D), and to predict the likely returns from future R&D investments within tolerable margins of error and with attention to the full spectrum of potential consequences. More information is available at

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08586/nsf08586.htm?govDel=USNSF_25

NSF Call for Proposals: The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)

The program isdesigned to fulfill the National Science Foundation's (NSF) mandate to promote scientific progress nationwide. The EPSCoR program is directed at those jurisdictions that have historically received lesser amounts of NSF Research and Development (R&D) funding. Twenty-five states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands currently participate. Through this program, NSF establishes partnerships with government, higher education and industry that are designed to effect lasting improvements in a state’s or region’s research infrastructure, R&D capacity and hence, its national R&D competitiveness. Research Infrastructure Improvement Program:  Track-2 (RII Track-2) awards provide up to $2 million per year for up to 3 years to consortia of EPSCoR jurisdictions to support innovation-enabling cyberinfrastructure of regional, thematic, or technological importance. A successful RII Track-2 proposal must describe a clear, comprehensive, and integrated cyberinfrastructure vision to drive discovery, and provide collective solutions to cyberinfrastructure challenges of regional and national importance. More information is available at

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08595/nsf08595.htm?govDel=USNSF_25

A New Version of the e-Gov EndNote library
The most recent version (3.2 - July 2008) of the popular master reference library of e-Government related literature (predominantly English-language, peer reviewed) is now available for downloading at http://tinyurl.com/ysglpg ( https://catalysttools.washington.edu/webq/survey/jscholl/22768 ) The references come as a zipped EndNote XML document for easy import into EndNote library versions capable of importing those documents. The current version contains 2,537 references. We are asking authors to check their entries and report on errors or omissions.

Harvard American Government Award

Harvard University invites you to apply for the $100,000 Innovations in American Government Award,

given annually to programs that serve as the best examples of creative and effective government.

All levels of government are eligible to apply. Applications are due September 30, 2008. For selection criteria and simple application, please visit http://www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu

SSRC Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF)
The Social Science Research Council, with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is pleased to announce a call to faculty for interdisciplinary research field proposals for the 2009 Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) program.  Established in 2006, the DPDF combines financial support and workshop experience for early-stage graduate students engaged in predissertation research and developing their dissertation proposals. The DPDF program is designed to intervene at a critical moment in the career development of graduate students in the humanities and social sciences by aiding their transition from students to researchers. It provides complementary interdisciplinary perspectives to students across the disciplines of the social sciences and humanities. Faculty applicants must be tenured at different doctoral degree-granting programs at US universities and apply in teams of two. DPDF Research Directors lead groups of 12 graduate student fellows in two four-day workshops Research directors receive a stipend of $10,000 each. More information about the program may be found at: http://programs.ssrc.org/dpdf

Postdoctoral Fellowships on the Societal Aspects of Emerging Technologies

The NSF-funded Center for Nanotechnology and Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara announces three new postdoctoral fellowships to conduct research on the societal aspects of emerging technologies, with a particular focus on nanotechnology.  The CNS-UCSB invites applications from scholars from a wide range of disciplines whose research interests intersect with projects and topics in ongoing Center research. Examples include but are not limited to:  public and expert risk perception; public deliberation and participation; technologies and the public sphere; science policy/public policy; the historical context of emerging technologies; the technology innovation system; and globalization and technology development issues. Two of the fellowships are open with regard to interest and specialization; one is to participate in a qualitative research project on gender and race in nanotech public participation and requires relevant experience. Prospective applicants are encouraged to examine the CNS-UCSB research portfolio at www.cns.ucsb.edu. 

Ohio State Report on Building Democracy Through Online Consultation

A report entitled, "Building Democracy Through Online Citizen Consultation:  A Framework for Action," has emerged from an Ohio State University conference of the same name.  The document is intended as a brief practical guide to public officials who are wondering (a) what e-democracy is and (b) what sorts of issues need to be considered if an online consultation is to be staged successfully.  Helpful nuggets in the report include Alexandra Samuel's hints for keeping online discussions on track and a summary of a discussion she led of how to plan such an initiative, Lars Hasselblad Torres's ideas for attracting and sustaining participation, Jerry Kosicki's thoughts on achieving a representative sample of citizen opinion, and a review of the respective pluses and minuses of online versus face-to-face consultation (although doing one does not exclude doing the other!).  To get a copy of the report, go to http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/pldd/initiatives.php, and click the word "here" at the end of the paragraph entitled, "Building Democracy Through Online Citizen Consultation."

NSF Report on Cyberlearning

NSF Task Force on Cyberlearning has published its report titled "Fosterning Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge". The report is available at the following website: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08204/nsf08204.pdf?govDel=USNSF_124

Contact Meelis Kitsing at newsletter@dgsociety.org for questions or to submit material for future newsletters.

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive future issues of dgOnline.