Get to Know the RDS Team: Erin Carrillo

In this series, we introduce the team members who make up Research Data Services (RDS). This interview is with Erin Carrillo, RDS team member and Information Services Librarian at Steenbock Memorial Library.

Describe your role at Steenbock Library.

I’m an information services librarian, so I answer questions, teach library instruction sessions, and am the library liaison to Plant Sciences, Nelson Institute, Zoology,  Botany, Plant Pathology, and Entomology.

What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on recently?

In November, RDS held a two day data management workshop for graduate student researchers. Participants were from several departments across campus, including Limnology, Entomology, Forest and Wildlife Ecology, Geography, and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and were part of a cohort of graduate students doing research in the area of biodiversity conservation, funded by an NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship grant. We planned the workshop with two graduate students, who saw a need to provide new researchers with the knowledge and skills to navigate the changing research data landscape. The workshop addressed several broad topics within data management, but content was tailored to the specific needs of the group.

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What excites you about supporting research data management on campus?

I’m excited that funders and publishers are increasingly requiring data sharing and open data. There are so many benefits to sharing data to both researchers and the public, such as increasing recognition and visibility, and accelerating discovery. I enjoy advocating for data sharing, and helping researchers make their data available for reuse.

If you had an unlimited budget, what would you institute on campus?

A for-credit data management course that all incoming graduate students are required to take. From funder and publisher requirements for data management plans and data sharing, to the ongoing development of metadata standards and discipline-specific data repositories, researchers need to be aware of trends within their discipline and practice good data management from the outset.

Do you have a favorite UW building or landmark?

I love the Allen Centennial Gardens during the spring and summer. It’s relaxing to sit and watch the koi swim around the pond.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to run, sew, and binge watch tv shows on Netflix. I also recently started taking trapeze classes. My photo shows me running my first Ragnar Relay from Madison to Chicago.

Do you have a question for Erin or the rest of the RDS team? Contact us today.