Nathan Wiggins
Primary facilitator for module framing, demo walkthrough, and Q&A.
Module 1
Foundational framing for AI4RA and institutional AI practice.
This opening module gives participants shared language and a practical baseline before deeper technical modules. It connects AI4RA project goals, FAIR principles, Vandalizer workflows, and model framing choices to real research analytics work.
Module brief
Establish shared foundations before advanced implementation.
45 minutes
Five parts: framing, principles, demo, discussion, and model/task frameworks.
Shared language and orientation
Participants can map institutional needs to AI4RA framing and identify next practical workflow steps.
Teaching flow
Module parts and facilitation sequence
AI4RA Introduction
- Objectives, principal investigators, and pillars: accuracy, reproducibility, flexibility, security.
- Community of practice orientation: Vandalizer, Data Lake, and related projects.
- Bridge to research analytics: reducing barriers to high-level strategic analysis.
Intersection of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
- FAIR principles as operational guardrails for AI-enabled workflows.
- Transparent FAIR citation: Wilkinson et al., Scientific Data (2016), https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.18.
- Proactive data science: shift in our reach.
- Reactive data science: shift in their values.
Vandalizer
- Introduce Vandalizer and its purpose in AI4RA practice.
- Explain how it is built for user needs versus typical AI interfaces.
- Transition directly into a focused Vandalizer demo.
Vandalizer Questions
- Use a single “Vandalizer Questions” slide to open participant Q&A.
Frameworks and Models
- Data science vs. AI task differentiation still matters, but less so with agentic workflows.
- Prompt engineering remains useful, while intent engineering becomes the stronger focus.
- Across constant change, a strong and trustworthy data foundation remains the anchor.
Slides for this module
Foundational slide deck (Module 1)
Use this deck for the full 45-minute facilitation sequence, including timing guidance for each part of the module.