The IASTED International Conference on
Robotics
Robo 2010

November 24 – 26, 2010
Phuket, Thailand

TUTORIAL SESSION

Knowledge Management in Research Organization Using STREAM Tools

Prof. Alexander Mamishev
University of Washington, USA
mamishev@uw.edu

Duration

3 hours

Abstract

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Have you ever had to work in large teams to produce a complex document in a short deadline? Unless you and your collaborators have established common ground for utilizing a set of agreed upon strategies, you may lose precious time trying to create a plan of attack. Teams often waste days, creating document parameters like headings or spacing, agreeing on a preferred software package, or even manually typing out automatable text. Combine these inefficiencies with high pressure situations, and this can be the difference between selling a product or losing out to a focused competitor, submitting a research proposal or missing a deadline, having a journal paper accepted quickly or rejected after several review cycles.
Research documents, grant proposals, books, theses, and project reports require intensive collaboration, where a multitude of individuals come together to create a sellable product. When everyone on the team shares the same, predetermined set of practices that improve team dynamics, the process of collaboration speeds up immensely.
We have designed a system of best practices that address the shortcomings of team writing. We have a variety of proven techniques to reduce inefficiencies and save professionals money.

Objectives

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The STREAM Tools system is a growing community of professionals who adopt these practices and explore new ways to expand writing efficiency. By attending this tutorial, you will gain access to our growing collection of research templates that will save you time. We will teach you how to use these templates, and how they work into our comprehensive team-oriented framework.
We will also provide a convenient editorial table that reduces the amount of time it takes to correct grammatical errors when reviewing peer-written work.
To get most out of the workshop, bring your laptop for hands-on exercises.

Timeline

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* Comparison of LaTeX, and Microsoft Word, and Power Point for creation, preservation, and communication of technical information (30 minutes)
* How to completely automate numbering and formatting headings, figures, tables, equations and citations in Microsoft Word (30 minutes)
* Ways to conveniently share sources between multiple collaborators (30 minutes)
* How to maximize Microsoft Word, MathType and EndNote capabilities (30 minutes)
* Techniques to eliminate leap-frogging or version confusion (30 minutes)
* A system that efficiently makes use of legacy content to eliminate redundant text generation (30 minutes)

Target Audience

Graduate students, engineers, professors, technical and business managers: professionals in academia, industry, and government who frequently write long, complex documents among multiple collaborators. Although the workshop focuses on team-centered writing, individual writers will still find this presentation valuable and a much needed timesaver.
Complex documents can include: research proposals, academic journals, product write-ups, technical reports, patents, self-published work, and more.

Qualifications of the Instructor(s)

Tutorial Session Portrait

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Prof. Mamishev graduated with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT with a minor in Technology Commercialization and Management from Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington and Director of the Sensors, Energy and Automation Laboratory (SEAL) as well as the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC).

References

[1] 
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This workshop will follow the recently published book, "Technical Writing for Teams: The STREAM Tools Handbook", authored by Alexander Mamishev and Sean Williams.
[2] To learn more about STREAM Tools, visit www.streamtoolsonline.com