VCU Libraries has awarded a travel scholarship to OpenCon 2018, to be held in Toronto in November, to Nicholas D. Thomson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the VCU School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgical Services.

OpenCon seeks to bring together students and early career academic professionals from around the world to advance Open Access, Open Education, and Open Data. Conference attendees will develop critical skills, find collaborators, and catalyze action toward a more open system for sharing the world’s information—from scholarly and scientific research, to educational materials, to digital research data. The OpenCon community, with over 10,000 participants from over 176 countries, and conference attendees have the opportunity to remain engaged with this community year round.

Thomson’s interests in OpenCon include his work with VCU’s Injury and Violence Prevention Program, which works to reduce and prevent injuries through ongoing education, research and community outreach throughout the central Virginia region. As stated in his application:

“Open data promotes research transparency and credibility, and open access to research is a vital step in the transmission of scientific knowledge from research to practice. Fostering a culture where research is accessible encourages collaborative efforts, leading to important scientific breakthroughs and innovation. Being at the forefront of open access and open data builds on VCU’s reputation as a leader in violence prevention research.”