The Geneseo chapter of Phi Beta Kappa will be hosting Daina Bouquin as the Visiting Lecturer on April 4, 2024, 3:30 p.m., at SUNY Geneseo, Newton 202. Bouquin will present “Metadata, Meaning, and Erasure in Astronomy.”

Foreground: Daina Bouquin, head librarian at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Background: A set of small satellites, known as “smallsats” or “cubesats”, is ejected from the Japanese Small Satellite Orbital Deployer on the International Space Station on June 17, 2019. Credit: NASA Photo / Alamy Stock Photo.
Foreground: Daina Bouquin, head librarian at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Background: A set of small satellites, known as “smallsats” or “cubesats”, is ejected from the Japanese Small Satellite Orbital Deployer on the International Space Station on June 17, 2019. Credit: NASA Photo / Alamy Stock Photo.

Bouquin is a 2011 graduate of SUNY Geneseo. Bouquin is currently Data Operations and Research Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, and formerly Head Librarian for Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Daina Bouquin Phi Beta Kappa Lecture: Metadata, Meaning, and Erasure in Astronomy

Abstract:
Metadata is a crucial foundation for the future and legacy of scientific research, enriching our understanding by providing necessary context. Without this context, many contributions and people risk being forgotten, their significance lost to history.

As we anticipate the upcoming eclipse, this talk encourages us to think about the unseen digital frameworks that allow us to comprehend the cosmos. It also reminds us that metadata carries weight—it is not neutral.

Through a blend of historical and contemporary case studies, this lecture will highlight the use of metadata to elevate the work of 19th and early 20th-century women astronomers and the development of citation practices for research software in modern astronomy. These examples demonstrate how robust, intentional metadata practices can reveal hidden narratives and ensure that credit is given where credit is due.

Daina Bouquin Lecture Information

Date: April 4, 2024
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: SUNY Geneseo Newton Hall, Room 202

Additional information is available at https://www.geneseo.edu/provost/ideas-matter-events