Vera C. Rubin
LSST

Qualitative Research Project with Dr. Anissa Tanweer

Pranali, Dr. Anissa Tanweer
(tanweer@uw.edu)

overview

WHAT?

The LSST as a project is a scientific undertaking to survey the night sky and understand the workings of the universe.

WHY?

The study aimed to explore the astronomy community dynamics within the Rubin LSST astronomers, and data rights holders.

FOR?

I was part of Dr. Tanweer's research initiative at the eScience Institute at UW, and this project is part of her larger research goals.

HOW?

I was responsible for contributing to ethnographic research insights, research memos, and conducting a qualitative interview.

purpose

The purpose of this research was to understand the community dynamics and intricacies amongst the Rubin community. This ethnographic study was part of a larger research initiative by Dr. Anissa Taweer.

research questions

RQ1- What does the role of software in analyzing LSST mean for who gets included in the production of astronomical knowledge?

RQ2- How does LSST membership, access to LSST data, and access to software tools mediate the production of scientific knowledge across various kinds of teams, experts, and institutions?

RQ3- How does the availability of LSST data open up new directions of inquiry in astronomy, and what are the implications for how the field—and society more broadly—come to understand the universe?

process

Literature Review

Reviewed data in the form of academic publications, research journal articles, videos, LSST documents, to gain an understanding of the astronomy community, the LSST project, where it fits in the grand scheme of the exploration of the universe, and to form a rudimentary knowledge base of concepts related to astronomy and astrophysics.

Discussions

The review of the data led to group discussions with other contributors regarding the astronomy community, dynamics within it, and broadening of knowledge. This also facilitated the identification of themes with the potential to investigate further.

Memo Writing

The identification of themes enabled me to develop two detailed memos by analyzing these themes and other observations that I made. This facilitated in my exploration of the specific themes further.

Knowledge Mapping

This exercise using the Mira Board, helped me understand larger themes that other members of the research group came across as well. This specifically helped me identify an area of interest that I could leverage later for a deeper dive.

Actor Mapping

The actor mapping exercise was pivotal to identify all the relevant subjects and their roles in the broader space of the LSST project. This helped me connect a few dots about how major universities play a pivotal role in the larger space of the whole project. This led me to my decision to interview an astrophysicist from the University of Washington.

Interview

This interview was pivotal in my discovery and analysis for a crucial data rights question and also one which revolved around the larger astronomical community dynamics. This interview proved to be the backbone of my final memo for the research project and was a fulfilling experience in the research journey.

reflections

This project was an amazing learning experience and a window in to the world of the astronomy community. I spent hours reading in much detail about the fascinating concepts from the formation of stars, dark matter, and also extraterritorials! It was not only an enthralling academic experience, but I learned and could refine the valuable skills of knowledge formation, scripting interview guides, interviewing, qualitative coding, actor mapping, and memo writing that are helpful for a UX researcher. I thank Dr. Tanweer and her whole team for an unforgettable experience!

things i would do differently

If time was not a constraint, I would conduct more interviews to talk to more people from the community. Employing a focus group in order to discuss concepts that would help the larger research goals with astrophysicist and astronomers would also have been a great mine of resources for analysis.

Vera C. Rubin LSST