Author Archives: Amy Koshoffer

Join your research peers at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community 

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box of donuts

Do you have summer plans yet?  We would love for you to join us in the library for research fun and skills.  The 2026 Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community is a great way to learn about research, acquire research skills and meet other undergraduates either interested in or currently doing research.  This year the community will run from June 3 to July 22 and meet every Wednesday morning from 9:30 am to 11 am.  The first session will include a celebratory meal and networking to kick off the 8 weeks of skills, friends and fun.  Each session will be facilitated by a mentor engaged in undergraduate research support and will be offered as both in-person and virtually via zoom.  In-person sessions will also have donuts and coffee. The final session will be in-person and feature an Opportunities Fair and more networking time. Attendees of at least 5 sessions will get a digital certificate of attendance which will look great on your LinkedIN profile. You can register and learn more information about the program and weekly topics by visiting the URSLC webpage.  Email askdata@uc.edu for more information and if you have any questions.   

Classroom of students. They sit in groups at tables that each have a computer monitor at the wall near them

The URSLC is sponsored by UC Libraries and is offered in collaboration with the TRIO McNair Scholars, University Honors Discover program, and the CEAS Office of Professional Development & Community Impact.  The program is free and open to any undergraduate (UC and beyond) interested in research. 

Significant Changes to the NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan requirements starting in May

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Starting May 25, 2026 the NIH will require researchers to submit a data management and sharing plan based on updated elements. See for more details – NOT-OD-26-046. 

The background for the changes as listed in the guide is “to clarify common areas of confusion in the research community while streamlining and simplifying DMS Plans. Since the DMS Policy went into effect in 2023, NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices have evaluated over 1,100 DMS Plans and found that while the majority were acceptable either initially or after minor revisions, many included extraneous details and exceeded the recommended DMS Plan length. NIH is revising DMS Plan elements and requiring the use of the corresponding format page to aid compliance monitoring.”

If you have questions about the new format or general data management questions, email askdata@uc.edu.

Here is a comparison of the current and the updated version questions.

2020 versionAfter May 25, 2026 version
Data Type: briefly describe the scientific data to be managed, preserved, and shared[100 words max] Asks for the key types of scientific data anticipated to be generated during the project to be included in a table, along with information on the repository (or an example repository) where the scientific data may be managed and shared.  
Related Tools, Software and/or Code: specify if needed 
Standards: indicate what standards will be applied to the scientific data and associated metadata  
Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines:  describe what repository will be used, persistent identifiers to use, and when the data will be available.Element 1. Answer Yes or No: Will there be maximum appropriate sharing of scientific data underlying peer-reviewed publications and other findings resulting from the work supported by this award (including preprints, refereed papers reported at conferences, and other findings)?  
Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations: describe any applicable factors affecting subsequent access, distribution, or reuse of scientific dataElement 2. Answer Yes or No: Will the scientific data underlying peer-reviewed publications be shared by the time of publication or, for other findings, by the end of the period of performance, which includes no-cost extensions?   Element 3. Answer Yes or No: Will shared scientific data be made available for at least as long as required by applicable data repository policies and/or journal policies?
New Element for 2026 – Element 4: [300 words maximum] If you answered “NO” to elements 1, 2, or 3, or if you anticipate that sharing will be limited in some other way, please describe these limitations and the ethical, legal, or technical factors for them (see for example FAQ B.5 and other relevant FAQs). Your response should specify a particular reason(s) for limiting sharing.
Oversight of Data Management and Sharing: indicate how compliance with the Plan will be monitored and managed, frequency of oversight, and by whom (e.g., titles, roles).Answer Yes or No: If scientific data derived from human research participants will be shared, will privacy, rights, and confidentiality of participants be protected as outlined in NOT-OD-22-213, including whether any scientific data will be shared using access controls? 
New Element for 2026 – For studies subject to the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy (GDS) (e.g., using NIH funds to generate large-scale human genomic data): Answer Yes, No, or Not Applicable: Will you share all large-scale human genomic and associated data in a NIH-designated repository according to the accelerated timelines expected in the GDS Policy?. If “no,” address in element 4. If “no,” address in element 4. Answer Yes, No, or Not Applicable: Do you anticipate that when sharing large-scale human genomic data that you will be able to meet the expectations of the Institutional Certification in the GDS Policy (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-124.html; IV.C.5)? If “no,” address in element 4.

UC Libraries GIS Services attends the Urbanism Club Meeting

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a slide from the introduction to GIS workshop offered by the urbanism club The title of the slide is GIS Tips, Tricks, and secret tools followed by a GIS help session.

The UC Libraries GIS research consultants attended the Urbanism Club in support of the club’s Introduction to GIS session. GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems and is the process of collecting, analyzing, and managing data with spatial attributes. Fenley Jones, Kayra Koprulu, and Jaclyn Mauro were great hosts and put on an incredibly informative session that covered access to software, how to increase your knowledge base through trainings, and how they personally use different tools. It was really great to see the various ways students are using GIS resources and how the club supports students who are interested in learning more about GIS. To find out more about the club, visit their campuslink page. And the club will be offering additional GIS sessions on March 9th and April 13th.

Weiye (in grey sweater) and Andrew Ho (in red shirt), UC Libraries GIS Research Consultants

The UC Libraries GIS services is available to help students and researchers plan GIS projects, access software, understand how create visualizations such as maps and analyze spatial data. The lab is located in 412 Langsam and is open in the spring during the following hours:

  • Mon 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM 
  • Tues 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM 
  • Wed 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM 
  • Thurs 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM 
  • Fri 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM 

Weiye Li (Left – Phd student – Geography & GIS) and Andrew Ho (Right – Undergraduate – Planning) look forward to meeting you and learning about your GIS interests.

Welcome Weiye Li, GIS Research Consultant for Research and Data Services

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Weiye is a PhD candidate in Geography at the University of Cincinnati. Originally from Shenzhen, China, he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Land Resource Management at China University of Geosciences.

His research focuses on geospatial data science, socio-environmental sustainability, and health geography, with a particular interest in applying advanced modeling and algorithms to understand human–environment interactions. He has contributed to several projects including land management, nature-based climate solutions, and urban perception analysis using street-view imagery, and has presented his work at academic conferences such as the American Association of Geographers (AAG) annual meeting.

As a GIS Collab consultant, Weiye looks forward to supporting others while continuing to expand his analytical toolkit in GIS-related analysis. He can share information, offer advice, and even partner on certain projects (on a case by case basis).

The Data & GIS collab is located in 412 Langsam with the hours of

Monday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Tuesday: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Wednesday: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

Thursday: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Friday: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

Updates for Data Sharing at UC

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The UC Office of Research supported repository  UCFigshare is now available for data deposits resulting from any Federal Funder.  If you are funded by any of the 15 federal agencies such as NIH or NSF which have a data sharing requirement as part of the grant, you can contact the UCFigshare team and request access to deposit.  The UCFigshare website provides instructions on how to request storage, upload datasets, and use the system. It also provides important budget considerations.

Research data sharing has been encouraged as a part of grant funding since the publication of the 2013 Holdren memorandum entitled “Expanding Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research”.  The 2022 Nelson OSTP memorandum accelerated the timeline and included required sharing the article and the data supporting without embargo as soon as the grant period ends.  Under the recent May 2025 executive order entitled Restoring Gold Standard Science, this is still the case that federally funded research data needs to be shared per the agency policy (1). It is now required to indicate the repository where you will share the data as part of the data management and sharing plan (DMSP). 

Agencies with Updated Policies in Effect

AHRQ | CDC | Ed | DOE | EPA | FDA | IMLS | NASA SMD | NEH | NIH | Smithsonian

Agencies with Updated Policies Published but not yet in Effect

ACF | ACL | Census | CMS | CPSC

Even if your research is not funded by a federal agency, sharing research data can benefit a researcher greatly.  Research data sharing accelerates research discovery, facilitates research reproducibility, helps identify issues with the data, and increases research impact.  Sharing the data and other research outputs such as registrations, protocols, code, and preprints helps the next generation of researchers better understand and reuse the outputs. Data sharing comes with the cost of extra time invested to create good documentation and uploading the data and other project associated research outputs to the designated repository.  Planning from the start of any project can help ease this additional labor.  These planning steps are also part of writing the DMSP accompanying a grant application.  Some recommended steps (2) are:

  • Identify a data repository as early as possible for the informed consent forms and to specify in the DMSP
  • Establish a file naming convention and organization
  • Include file-level Information
  • Keep track of sensitive information
  • Keep memos about analytic decisions
  • Create a “data narrative” and a readme file
  • Prepare your data for sharing
  • Make a human readable form and a raw / machine readable form
  • Promote your data  

UC researchers have several platforms for data sharing including the Office of Research managed UCFigshare, and UC Libraries managed repositories such as the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR), Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), the Open Science Framework (OSF), and Scholar@UC. UC Libraries Research and Data Services unit can advise researchers on data management and sharing plans, metadata, and workflows. Email askdata@uc.edu if you have questions, need assistance, or want to learn more about university resources. 

References

(1) Badger, K., Biszaha, A. Sadvari, S., and Walsh, M., 2025 Federal Sponsor Updates to Article and Data Sharing [Webinar]. Ohio State University Library. 12-11-2025. Personal communication.

(2) Karcher, Sebastian; Kirilova, Dessi; and Page, Christiane, “Sharing and Managing Qualitative Data” (2019). Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. 2. https://surface.syr.edu/miga/2

Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community has started

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Summer is here and that means the Undergraduate Research Summer Learning Community (URSLC)has begun.  The kick-off session, held June 4th on the 4th Floor of Langsam brought together students from 55 different research areas for networking and community.  The students discussed their research interests and upcoming opportunities over wonderful food featuring egg bake, potatoes, and homemade pastries provided by local business and award winning Pierre Entities Catering. 

The 4th floor area of Langsam with many students sitting at the tables

After an overview of the program, Graduate Students and Presidential Fellows Adair McWilliams (Epidemiology), Damilola Odula (Philosophy), and Henry Levesque (Regional and Urban Planning) provided insight into their early days of research and how they thrive in the research environment.  Research results in new knowledge, innovations and improved lives and requires a love of exploring the unknown, perseverance, passion, and embracing both failure and success.  The graduate students encouraged the audience to dive into the passion, make time for processing information, and especially to make sure they also take care of themselves through the research experience. 

The community meets Wednesdays in June and July from 9:30 to 11 am both in-person and via zoom. The upcoming sessions will cover mentorship, data management, ethics, ownership, presentations and research methods.  If you are interested to participate, you can still register.  More information can be found on the UC Libraries website.

Image of Don Wittrock presenting to students with the triceracopter in the background

The URSLC is sponsored by UC Libraries and in collaboration with the TRIO McNair Scholars, University Honors Discover program, NSF Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, and CCPS Undergraduate Research Program. The program is free and open to any undergraduate interested in research.

head shots of six people who are the facilitators of the program

Welcome Debao Chen, GIS research consultant for Research and Data Services

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UC Libraries welcomes Debal Chen, PhD student in Geography & GIS as our new GIS research consultant.

Debao is a PhD candidate in Geography at the University of Cincinnati. Originally from Hunan province, China, he earned his master’s degree in Human Geography from Guangzhou University. His research focuses on crime geography and spatial analysis of crime, with particular interests in the dynamics between gentrification, Google Street View imagery, and the life cycles of urban retail stores.

Also, Debao has published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Applied Geography, and Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. As a GIS Collab consultant, he looks forward to supporting others while continuing to expand his analytical toolkit in GIS-related analysis.

Check out his ORCID and Google Scholar profiles

The Data & GIS collab is now located in 460 Langsam due to renovations in the new Science Library.

Debao’s hours will be

  • Tuesday 11 am – 4 pm
  • Wednesday 11 am – 4 pm
  • Thursday 11 am – 4 pm

Open Scholarship Trainings from Center for Open Science

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UC Libraries is collaborating with the College of Allied Health Sciences Open Science Community of Practice to host the seven-module Center for Open Science trainings from January 22 to June 4, 2025. All are welcome to join and encouraged to share with contacts that might be interested to attend.

Open Scholarship, which includes concepts such as Open Science, Open Research, Open Data, and Open Access, is a research approach that strives to make the research process as transparent and reproducible as possible. These trainings cover topics such as reproducible methods, data management and sharing, research collaborations and specific techniques such as preregistration, registered reports, preprints and teaching open scholarship. 

We invite colleagues to register for the workshops facilitated by the Center for Open Science trainers as well as working sessions for a hands-on experience facilitated by UC Libraries focused on topics discussed in the trainings. The sessions will be both in-person and hybrid with light refreshments for the in-person sessions. Per the request of the COS facilitators, the sessions will be capped at 40 participants maximum. Given the cap, please ensure you can attend the sessions when registering. The faculty one stop instance will direct you to a MS form for registration.

Registration Link – https://ce.uc.edu/FacDev/Workshops/Details/19940.  The sessions will be held both in-person in the Visualization Lab 240H Braunstein in the Geology-Math-Physics Library and virtually.  

The curriculum and dates for the trainings are:

COS Module 1: Introduction to Open Scholarship – Jan 22

COS Module 2: Management and Sharing – Jan 29

UC working session – Feb 5

COS Module 3: Reproducible Methods – Feb 26

UC working session – March 5

COS Module 4: Research Collaboration on the Open Science Framework (OSF) – March 26

UC working session – April 9

COS Module 5: Research Sharing – April 23

UC working session – May 7

COS Module 6: Preregistration and Registered Reports – May 14

UC working session – May 28

COS Module 7: Teaching about Open Scholarship – June 4

Please contact AskData@UC.Edu if you have any questions about the trainings or the Center for Open Science.

Welcome to the New GIS Research Consultants

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The Data and GIS Collab is pleased to welcome two new research consultants. 

Andrew Ho, GIS research consultant

Andrew is a current student pursuing a Bachelor of Urban Planning at DAAP. Andrew was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, or more commonly called as Saigon, in the tropical land of Vietnam. There, a vibrant fusion of French and East Asian architecture created a facade against the tree-lined boulevards, where modern skyscrapers clashed against centuries-old landmarks. That is also where he developed a loving passion for the urban environment.

Andrew previously worked as an intern at the Department of Planning and Architecture at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Along with planning and design, he got hands-on experience with GIS by working on research with logistical models and transportation networks. He hopes to continually enhance his skills while also helping others with GIS.

Andrew is in the Lab until December 2024 and will return in summer 2025 after his co-op.

Jenna Suhltz, GIS research consultant

Jenna Shultz is a 4th year Civil Engineering student. Jenna has previous GIS work experience through several traffic engineering co-ops and is considering getting a masters in Community Planning.  Jenna is currently on co-op and will be in the Collab starting in January 2025. 

The Data and GIS Collab

The Data and GIS Collab provides information and consultations on GIS, software, research projects involving spatial data, and workshops on topics such as Esri Storymaps and ArcGIS Online.

The Fall 2024 lab hours are:

DayMorningAfternoon
Monday9:00 am – 11:00 am2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Tuesday8:50 am – 10:50 am 
Wednesday9:00 am – 12:00 pm2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Thursday8:50 am – 10:50 am 
Friday10:00 am – 12:00 pm2:00 pm – 3:20 pm
Data & GIS Collab Fall 2024 hours

Questions? Email Askdata@uc.edu

A place to find UC Research Resources

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Our research ecosystem at UC is spread across many departments and it can be a challenge to find the help you are looking for.  UC Libraries Research and Data Services team has a webpage with links to many of the resources that can help you find the right person to answer your questions and connect you to the tools that enhance your research.

Visit our updated Research & Data Resources page Research & Data Resources | University of Cincinnati (uc.edu) for resources and contacts through all stages in the research lifecycle.

If you are a UC research resource provider and would like to add your information, please contact askdata@uc.edu.