Advancing science through communication of cutting-edge research strategies
With support from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, the ORNL Biological and Environmental Research Information System has been the primary technical communication resource supporting the genomic science area of DOE’s Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program since 1989. The group’s scope expanded to include BER’s research program more broadly in 2009.
Integrating the many facets of biological and environmental research is critical for spurring innovation at the most rapid pace and at the lowest cost. Moreover, scientific research involves a wide array of technologies, many just emerging, generating new types of datasets that must be available to a larger, interdisciplinary research community. As such, BERIS seeks to facilitate and accelerate this integration and access through technical communication that spans diverse research areas and encompasses many research audiences.
Communication products help link disparate disciplinary scientists whose talents are needed to achieve the productive discourse and scientific results that will ensure timely fulfillment of pressing DOE missions in energy and environment. In addition, this communication ultimately helps foster growth in the industrial and environmental sectors of the biotechnology industry, which, in turn, benefits DOE research.
The group works with DOE staff and the scientific community to write and disseminate information about biological and environmental science challenges and research results to help stimulate advances at interdisciplinary interfaces; facilitate programmatic planning, research, and communication; democratize access to the growing bounty of resources and data; and to help drive more-informed scientific and societal discourse.