As a GSLIS student specializing in data curation, Lynn Yarmey completed an internship at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The position led to a job offer following her graduation, and today Yarmey holds leadership roles on multiple research projects. She will talk more about her experiences as a student and professional during the Data Curation Alumni Panel event on April 22.
Where do you work and what is your role?
I am lead data curator at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado and a member of the NSIDC Informatics Team. I am a co-investigator on the NSF-funded Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service (ACADIS) project and agile product owner for the metadata brokering Arctic Data Explorer project.
What do you like best about your job?
I love the diversity of work I do on a day-to-day basis! I could be writing proposals, editing web text, working with my development team on metadata brokering challenges, managing project budgets, planning with the Informatics Team on big picture placement issues, coordinating with our internal and external partners, researching metadata mapping issues, and supervising my curator team, among other tasks.
How did GSLIS, and specifically the Specialization in Data Curation, help you get to where you are today?
Through the GSLIS Data Curation Education Program, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be a data curator intern at NSIDC. Not two years later, I was hired on full time at the center. I am grateful for the LIS fundamentals, perspective, connections, and friends I carry with me from my time at GSLIS.
What advice would you like to share with GSLIS students?
For anyone looking to join the research data community, I would highly recommend getting as much face time with domain groups and even hands-on domain research experience as possible. Try attending domain group talks, going to science conferences, and my favorite, volunteering for field or lab work. You will quickly start to hear the diverging ways different groups understand, talk about, and represent their data and their science. Understanding these diverse perspectives is an important part of data work, from metadata creation and standards to preservation system development.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
To be honest, I haven't had all that much spare time lately! When I do get some time away, I like going for walks with my husband and dogs around our new neighborhood, playing board games with friends, and traveling.
What’s next for you?
I just accepted a seat on the SciDataCon2014 International Scientific Programme Committee for the November conference in New Delhi, an exciting opportunity. Generally, my fingers are crossed that a few of my current proposals will be funded and I will soon complete my transition from staff to principal investigator. Wish me luck!