Research
Open Science Data Summit - First Day
WIP Data Initiative
Published November 12, 2025
6 Minute Read
Day 1: Open Science Data Summit
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Day 1 of the Wyoming Open Science Data Summit will begin with introductions and opening remarks to convenes researchers, educators, data professionals, and policymakers to advance an open, collaborative, and AI-ready future for Wyoming’s research data ecosystem. The summit seeks to build a sustained community of practice—and a center of influence—for open science standards, governance, and capacity across the state.
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Held at the UW Conference Center
Connected to the Hilton Garden Inn off 22nd & Grand. Click here for directions
***PLEASE NOTE: AGENDA IS TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
| Go to Monday's Presummit Schedule | Go to Open Science Data Summit | Home Page | Go to Wednesday's Summit Schedule |
| Time | Agenda Item | Speaker(s) |
Description | Moderator(s) | ||||||||||||||
| 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | Working Breakfast | A working breakfast for networking, and open, independent discussions. | ||||||||||||||||
| 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM | Welcoming Remarks |  |
Dr. Parag Chitnis, Vice President, Research & Economic Development, UW |
Welcome and opening Remarks | Dr. Jeff Hamerlinck,
Director of Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center. UW
Associate Director of the School of Computing, UW
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| 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM | Introduction & Opening Discussions |  |
Director of Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center. UW
Assoc. Director of the School of Computing, UW
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Introduction and Discussion on how the Open Science Data Summit began, what our plans
are, how we can move forward, and goals for the summit. Defining the "Unconference": How to introduce your own topic(s), how to vote for topics, and what to take away from it. Submit a topic here: https://PollEv.com/free_text_polls/F9sGTkGIHIZvN5wMfJ2S7/respond Then vote for your favorite(s) here: https://PollEv.com/multiple_choice_polls/P7Dd11FJp8A32rONpxuBY/respond |
Nicholas Case President of Wyoming Geospatial Organization (WYGEO) Assistant Lecturer UW School of Computing | Geospatial Information Sciences & Technology |
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| 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM | Break | |||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Data Governance, Compliance & Alignment |
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Panel:
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Discussions around governance, the challenges associated with data governance, sharing, large scale datasets, alignment and compliance. What are the biggest challenges, why it's necessary, and how can we improve. | Dr. Beth McMillan Interim Director | Institutional Professor UW School of Computing |
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| 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Navigating the Intersection Between State and Federal Data Requirements |
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Dr. Robert Baker, Ph.D National Data Scientist/Integrative Biologist Inventory & Montoring Division National Park Service Sarah Wright Data Scientist & Developer Mojave Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network National Park Service |
Dr. Jeff Hamerlinck,
Director of Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center. UW
Associate Director of the School of Computing, UW
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| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Lunch | |||||||||||||||||
| 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM | Decoding an Evolutionary Algorithm: A Crowdsourced Framework for Behavioral Data |  |
Dr. Qian-Quan Sun, Professor, Zoology & Physiology Director of Wyoming Sensory Biology Center, UW |
For the ethologist and the neuroscientist, "behavioral persistence" is the same core phenomenon, but their data speak different languages. Discover how a crowdsourced science initiative has built the first universal metrics, creating a common data schema to translate adaptive behavior into clinical insight. |
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| 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM | Data Workflows, Pipelines and Challenges: Large Scale Equipment and Datasets |
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Panel:
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A Panel discussion around data pipelines and workflows associated with the use of large scale equipment. How it relates to governance, associated challenges, sharing of data and equipment, production and management of large datasets, and compliance. | Dr. Katie Wagner Associate Professor Botany, UW |
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| 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM | Break | |||||||||||||||||
| 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM | Industry Partnerships |
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Panel:
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A panel discussion centered around public-industry partnerships, challenges, successes, and real-world cases. |
Associate Director of the School of Computing, UW
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| 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Statewide Partnerships: Collaboration between UW & CC |
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Panel:
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Panel discussion around statewide collaboration between the University of Wyoming, and Community Colleges. | (Benjamin) Jason Writer Geospatial Developer Wyoming Geographical Information Science Center, UW |
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| 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Networking & Reception | Reception at the UW Conference Center for networking and reflection on the day's events. | ||||||||||||||||
