Doctoral student Andrea Thomer has been selected as a 2016 Fellow of the Research Data Alliance/US (RDA/US) Data Share early career engagement program. As an RDA Fellow, she will undertake a project to survey the completeness and coverage of existing natural history physical sample databases.
The objective of the RDA Data Share program is to encourage the adoption of best practices of data sharing established through RDA and to enhance early career engagement with the Alliance. Under the mentorship of RDA/US Advisory Committee members, RDA Data Share Fellows form a cohort, attend RDA plenary events, participate in working groups, and undertake work on their own special projects. Fellows receive stipends and travel support to attend bi-annual plenary meetings and an orientation event.
Thomer's research interests include biodiversity and natural history museum informatics; long-term data and database curation, particularly in a research or museum setting; and bridging gaps between biology, geology, and informatics. She is a research assistant in the Center for Informatics Research in Science and Scholarship.