The HCAR KnowledgeMesh™: Connecting the Dots
What is the HCAR KnowledgeMesh™?
The HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ is a social networking and scientific mapping online community that is providing a platform and environment for life sciences and high technology professionals who represent industry, academia, government, investment, workforce, and support organizations to have quality interactions, thereby advancing R&D in the global community.
Similar to LinkedIn™ and Facebook™, the HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ is user-driven and is designed to organically grow and develop overtime.
The HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ houses communities where people from around the globe can interact and collaborate on topics that are important to them. Features of the HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ include communities that are focused on particular research areas like oncology, clean technology, nanotechnology, and many other areas, as well as places and tools for the posting of individual and company profiles, events, blogs, bookmarks on scientific papers, presentations, and podcasts, to name a few.
How does it benefit users?
The HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ provides users with access to new information, ideas, contacts, projects, academic papers, technologies, investment options and many other opportunities that in some way touch the research park. Through this community users will have the opportunity to advance their research and development or their business model and their overall knowledge of the industry.
How does it benefit HCAR?
The HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ is designed to build awareness about the Hershey Center for Applied Research with the ultimate goal of encouraging new companies and research organizations to collaborate with the research park.
When did it go live?
HCAR hosted an event on May 14, 2008 where it launched the HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ at the research park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The keynote speaker was Simon Revell, Manager of Enterprise 2.0 Technology Development at Pfizer who is recognized internationally for successfully developing and implementing Web 2.0 inspired technologies and approaches for internal use within the company. Simon has responsibility for the Pfizer-wide wiki, 'Pfizerpedia', as well as development of standards and guidelines around the use of blogging for internal communication and collaboration purposes, and implementation of RSS within the company.
What does the 'Mesh' in 'KnowledgeMesh' mean?
To "mesh", when used as a verb means: to fit in, to come together. A mesh is similar to fabric or a web in that it has many connected or weaved pieces. The term mesh has been extended to many fields, including telecommunications. An example being the use of the term wireless mesh network, or a communications network made up of radio nodes in which there are at least two pathways of communication to each node.
The HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ is a virtual communications platform that will advance science and technology. Each node in the mesh represents an area of research expertise, investment preference, or business model, to name a few. The HCAR KnowledgeMesh™ has been built to encourage communication between those nodes to facilitate the sharing of experience, key findings, and unique expertise.
The present participle of "to mesh" is "meshing" which is what we hope you choose to do by joining HCAR KnowledgeMesh™.
What is the Hershey Center for Applied Research?
The Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR) is south central Pennsylvania's premier life sciences research park located adjacent to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine. The park offers state-of-the-art wet lab and dry lab facilities and office space to life sciences researchers and companies at all phases of the business life cycle. In addition, the research park offers access to business services and research resources that escalate the growth of its resident organizations. The first building of the park, which is 80,000 square feet, opened in May of 2007. The Penn State Department of Pharmacology and Comparative Medicine are the anchor tenants of Building One. The park is master planned for 12 buildings totaling 1.2 million square feet. For more information on the Hershey Center for Applied Research please visit: www.HersheyResearch.com.
For more information, please contact:
Laura J. Butcher
Executive Director
Hershey Center for Applied Research
1214 Research Blvd.
Hershey, PA 17033
717-566-8900
lbutcher@HersheyResearch.com