This study examined the similarities and differences in sense of belonging, mental health, and well-being of higher education students from three countries. A cross-sectional design using a quantitative online survey was used to collect demographics, and perceptions of sense of belonging, mental health, and well-being. Participants were recruited from three universities in Canada, Germany, and Sweden. All students from the three countries reported only moderate emotional stability; neutral satisfaction with life; moderately strong levels of sense of belonging; and only moderate control of self and events, happiness, mental balance, self-esteem, social involvement, and sociability. Students in Sweden compared to Canada and Germany reported significantly stronger sense of belonging. Additionally, students in Sweden compared to students in Canada reported significantly stronger emotional stability and higher self-esteem. Higher levels of sense of belonging were strongly related to positive mental health and well-being. No significant differences as a function of sex, age, year-of-study, and program of study were found within and across countries. The findings shed light on the mental health status and well-being of students in two European countries where little research on student mental health has been conducted. Additionally, comparisons are made between student mental health in Canada and these European countries. The results validate the importance of a sense of belonging as it relates to the mental health and well-being of all higher education students. Findings can inform the design of promotion and prevention programs aimed at improving and maintaining mental health and well-being outcomes.

Purpose - This study identifies gendered disparities among women students participating in work-integrated learning and explores the effects of the disparities on their perceptions on perceived opportunities, competencies, sense of belonging, and professional identity. Design/methodology/approach - Aseries of semi-structured focus groups were run with 59 participants at six higher education institutions in four countries (Australia, Canada, Sweden, United Kingdom). All focus groups were designed with the same questions and formatting. Findings - Thematic analysis of the transcripts revealed two overarching themes, namely perceptions of self and interactions with others in work placements. Theme categories included awareness of self-presentation, sense of autonomy, perceived Allies, emotional labour, barriers to opportunity, sense of belonging, intersections of identity, and validation value. Originality/value - This study fills an important gap in the international literature about gendered experiences in WIL and highlights inequalities that women experience while on work placements.

The adoption of up-to-date research practices is the foundation of reliable and trusted academic research. Yet researchers are often left to piece together increasingly more complex and ever-evolving guidance on how to design, plan, execute, and report their research findings or sources. Higher educational institutions have a responsibility to develop more coherent ways to assist researchers to access the latest policies, guidance, and tools, e.g. for establishing equitable partnerships, managing research data, ensuring information security, choosing open and reproducible publication models. At the University of Oxford, enabling and promoting good research practice is one of three key pillars in our research culture strategy. To deliver on the institutional ambitions for Research Practice, we are designing and implementing a comprehensive training and support programme, which includes running digital transformation projects and defining organisational guidance and policies. This paper focuses on the training component and the creation of a set of short, e-learning modules on topics which include: Research Integrity and Governance; Open Research Practices; Research Design; Collaboration; Data; Authorship, Publication and Peer Review; and Research Impact and Public Engagement. We share the criteria we have developed to help us map, assess and integrate pre-existing training and resources. The central aim is to deliver researcher-centred educational material that is applicable to any discipline and career stage. We also discuss how we are engaging key domain experts across the university through membership of small working groups for each of the modules. Once the core modules have been finalised, the materials will be publicly released under an open licence. Funding Acknowledgement The Research Practice Programme is funded by the University of Oxford with support from the Enhancing Research Culture Fund from Research England.

Purpose This study aims to investigate university students’ perceptions and experiences of postpandemic campus environments. Posts from a subreddit dedicated to a large, research-intensive Canadian university were analyzed to understand how students were affected by the evolving circumstances, their coping strategies and the resources that could support their flourishing in both academic and campus life. Design/methodology/approach A total of 42 Reddit posts from 427 unique users were selected for qualitative thematic analysis. Three researchers independently analyzed the posts and developed codes representing recurring themes, categories and subcategories. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion to establish the final themes. Findings Six major themes emerged from the analysis: modality of learning, perceived rights, attitudes and expectations, public health safety, political nature, mental health and well-being and communication patterns. Students expressed mixed preferences for learning modalities, concerns about accommodations and perceived freedoms, apprehension about contracting future viruses and the impact of changing university policies on their mental health and well-being. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing understanding of university students’ experiences post-COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on their return to in-person learning and their evolving relationships with the campus community. The findings highlight the importance of addressing students’ concerns and providing appropriate resources to support their mental health and well-being during major transitional periods.

Purpose - This study explored the relationship between perceived peer support, mental health and the wellbeing of students enrolled in work-integrated learning (WIL) at a Canadian institute of higher education, who were completing remote work experiences. Design/methodology/approach - An online survey and virtual semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The online survey captured demographic information as well as measures of perceived peer support, loneliness, positive mental health (PMH) and stressors associated with the on-going pandemic. The interviews captured narratives regarding peer support, attitudes surrounding remote work, mental health and well-being. Findings - WIL students completing remote work terms experienced only moderate levels of peer support, moderate loneliness, below-average PMH and all the stressors associated with the on-going pandemic. Data also revealed that completing a remote work term negatively impacted work communications, opportunities to build connections with colleagues and overall motivation. On the other hand, WIL students appreciated the flexibility and comfort of working from home, as well as reduced work-related expenses. Originality/value - With remote work experiences increasing globally and now a reality for many WIL students, the potential negative effects emphasize the importance of providing social and mental health support and resources, especially during stressful times.

This essay is a collection of reflections from my experiences in the past few years, first as editor-in-chief (EiC) of the Data Science Journal and then launching Patterns as its first EiC during the global COVID-19 pandemic. I discuss what I learned and how I worked with these journals, and I close with some hopes for the next 20 years of data science.

Purpose Peer support has been identified as an important protective factor for mental health and overall well-being. The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of implementing an online peer support group and its impact on measures of well-being. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods randomized controlled trial design was used to examine the feasibility and impact of online peer support. Comparisons in well-being were made between the online peer support group and an in-person peer support group and control group. Participants were randomly assigned to a control group or either a six-week in-person or online peer support group. All participants completed an online survey measuring constructs of well-being pre- and post-condition. Additionally, qualitative data regarding the benefits of peer support and in particular the efficacy of the online format were collected from participants. Analysis of variance and post hoc tests determined significant differences within and between the groups. Findings Both the online and face-to-face peer support groups scored significantly higher on post-test measures of well-being than pre-test scores and control group scores. Qualitative narratives and significant quantitative findings supported the feasibility of peer support offered online. Post-condition outcomes showed that online peer support is as effective as in-person peer support for improving well-being. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to compare online and in-person peer support programs for students in higher education. The results have direct implications for higher education students and practitioners, especially at times when face-to-face support is not feasible.

Purpose This study aims to examine Reddit posts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic from a subreddit dedicated to the campus community of a large, research-intensive Canadian University. The goal was to determine what users were sharing regarding their mental health, well-being, problems, coping strategies and perceptions about the health measures taken to prevent further spread. Design/methodology/approach A total of 1,096 paragraphs were analyzed using the qualitative methodology of thematic analysis. Findings Many users expressed struggling with their mental health and well-being during the pandemic. Difficulties with online learning, finding paid study and affording the costs of living were also reported. Coping was largely conducted through online means and included sharing advice, emphasizing connectedness and communicating information. The mixed perceptions regarding health measures focused on responsibility and fairness, with many users blaming the university and public health units. Originality/value This study contributes to the evolving understanding of how different populations are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, specifically, university students. Implications for providing assistance to university students during the current pandemic and future waves are also discussed.

High-throughput experimentation in chemistry allows for quick and automated exploration of chemical space to, for example, discover new drugs. Combining machine learning techniques with high-throughput experimentation has the potential to speed up and improve chemical space exploration and optimization.

With rapid advances in technology and the expansion of the global village, the relevance of work-integrated learning (WIL) in higher education is increasing, with more students participating to access its benefits and to minimize long-term work-related stress and financial burdens – both of which impact health and overall wellbeing. However, students' experiences with WIL are not all equitable, and there remain significant discrepancies between those who can benefit from participating. Student economic wellbeing and resilience play an important role in the positive outcome trajectory. This chapter presents a foundational overview of work and wellbeing with direct connections to the role that WIL plays in overall health, economic wellbeing, and resilience, and examines the accessibility of WIL for different student populations.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of chemical compounds used for the storage of gases such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide. They also have potential applications in gas purification, catalysis and as supercapacitors. A database of quantum-chemical properties for over 14,000 MOF structures (the ``QMOF database'') has been created and made available to the community along with code for machine learning and other related resources.

There is pervasive stereotype going around that says that scientific and technical progress rest solely on the shoulders of the lone genius. Whether that’s Archimedes in his bathtub, Jeff Bezos starting Amazon from his garage, or Albert Einstein armed only with a piece of paper and a pencil, it is too tempting to think of great moments of genius as solitary things. As anyone who has ever done scientific research can tell you, it’s not true. Science is done by groups of people, working together toward a common goal. Thomas Edison is famously quoted as saying “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” (If anything, I personally think he overestimated the proportion of inspiration there.) Ideas are important, absolutely, but where the real effort comes in is implementation. It’s easy enough to see this in real life—anyone who’s had the inspiration for a really great sandwich, for example, knows that the concept is easy enough to come up with, but before the sandwich can exist, there’s a lot of work involved in collecting ingredients and putting them all together. This work is done by a diverse range of people, from the farmer who grows the wheat, to the baker who makes the bread, to the shopkeeper who sells it, and the creators and distributors of all the different fillings. To deal with the complexity of the problems we’re investigating, science has become big and industrialized and deals with complicated, mechanized processes, large machines, large computing, Big Data, and big models. Processes are becoming standardized, which on the whole is a good thing but can lead to unintended consequences and, in some cases, unintentional harm. The way we anticipate unintended consequences is by being imaginative and by inviting input from people with differing viewpoints, with differing lived experiences, and with different perspectives. Mixed and diverse groups help us to see issues from different angles and hopefully spot potential problems before they become actual ones. There are plenty of examples of unintended bias in our world, ranging from sensors on soap dispensers that don’t register dark skin, to recruitment algorithms that screen out female candidates based on their university, to image-generating AIs that autocomplete headshots of women with bodies wearing bikinis. (https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/01/ai_in_brief/). One might say that these are small examples, trivial and easily identified after the fact (I would disagree), but there is an underlying bias revealed by them that we need to be aware of, and deal with, in our work. It’s not just about the algorithms either—it’s about the underlying data and the fact that we have to face up to historical bias and correct it now, in order to stop perpetuating it. The problems that we are facing as a species are bigger than any one of us, and they need solutions that are bigger than any one of us can create, or potentially even imagine. We need diversity in our thinking and in our experience, to ensure that we come up with solutions that are useful, practical, and equitable. Science is biased; we already know this. The first step to sorting out this problem is to identify it and understand where we’re starting from, with the aim to track and make changes to improve on the current situation. It’s for this reason that Cell Press has launched a new Inclusion and Diversity initiative that gives authors a mechanism to share with us information related to inclusion and diversity that is relevant for their paper. Patterns is very pleased to be part of this initiative, and we very much encourage our authors to provide this information. It’s very simple—just a straightforward checkbox-based form that asks about a series of different topics related to inclusion and diversity, with the option for authors to include an inclusion and diversity statement in the paper itself. This information will be aggregated periodically so Cell Press can report in an anonymized way about the items covered on the form. Of course, all participation is completely voluntary—while we will collect a completed form for all accepted articles, it is up to the authors to decide whether to provide any information at all on the form, as well as whether to add a statement to their paper (https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2021/02/03/the-cell-press-inclusion-and-diversity-statement-an-interview-with-deborah-sweet/). Inclusion and diversity are just some aspects of the process of doing science. For data science in particular, we also have to consider the societal impact of our work, along with ethical and privacy issues. I am very glad to say that this is an issue that has gained a lot of discussion in the past year, with steps being taken in the right direction to ensure that researchers not only consider the potential impact of their work but also how to address those impacts. The prestigious Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) meeting in December last year required presenters to submit a statement on the broader impact their research could have on society, including any possible negative effects (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03611-8). In the process of doing science, we learn by asking questions of ourselves and others. By asking about inclusion and diversity, we start thinking more about those topics. By asking about societal impact, or data and code sharing, or how methods can be applied in other domains, we see things from a new perspective, and new perspectives give us new insights. Patterns is all about sharing—sharing data science solutions across domain boundaries and sharing experience and knowledge. This includes practical, lived experience from many different points of view. Fundamentally, we do research to solve problems and make the world a better place for us all. To do that, we need inclusivity and diversity, because these problems are too big for any one of us. Together we are stronger. “AI-generated pixelated photo of AOC in a bikini pulled from paper highlighting danger of AI-generated pics,” https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/01/ai_in_brief/ “The Cell Press Inclusion and Diversity Statement,” https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2021/02/03/the-cell-press-inclusion-and-diversity-statement-an-interview-with-deborah-sweet/ “Prestigious AI meeting takes steps to improve ethics of research,” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03611-8 New at Cell Press: The Inclusion and Diversity StatementSweetCellJanuary 07, 2021In BriefRecent events around the world have confronted many of us, in science and beyond, with the stark realities of systemic inequality. At Cell Press, they prompted us to look inside ourselves and ask what more we can do to fight prejudice and promote social justice. The challenges are large, and although we have made a start through articles we have published and authors we have highlighted, we see room to do more. 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Purpose This study examined sexual minority status on perceived sense of belonging and compared sexual minority students and exclusively heterosexual students as a function of participating in work-integrated learning (WIL). Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional, quantitative design was used with participants grouped by sexual minority status and participation in WIL. Findings Sexual minority students (WIL and non-WIL) reported lower sense of belonging than exclusively heterosexual students (in WIL and non-WIL). Sexual minority students in WIL also reported significantly weaker sense of belonging compared to non-WIL sexual minority students suggesting that WIL presents some barriers to establishing a strong sense of belonging for sexual minority students. Originality/value The findings provide evidence for developing programs to ensure all students are in a safe environment where they can develop and strengthen their sense of belonging regardless of minority status. This is important given that a sense of belonging impacts mental health and overall well-being.