Collaborative efforts, when successful, often produce better and more creative results than when individuals work on a task alone. Social networks present new avenues for collaboration, dissolving the boundaries of space and time.

UMSI assistant professor Cliff Lampe will be working this summer as a co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation grant administered by Michigan State University on “The Role of Social Networking Sites in Facilitating Collaborative Processes."

He will be designing and conducting data collection efforts, mentoring graduate student researchers and working with the lead PI, MSU’s Nicole Ellison, in overall project management.

This project examines what kinds of collaborations can be facilitated by social networks, how the features of these networks affect the processes, who uses these sites to collaborate, and why.