Speakers
Description
Software Engineering Researchers (SERs) and Research Software Engineers (RSEs) can potentially benefit from each other: SERs can provide RSEs with state-of-the-art research knowledge, methods and tools from software engineering that can help create better software for better research. RSEs can help SERs understand the specific challenges they face in research software engineering, and thus provide interesting new research questions. This can create a virtuous circle of mutual benefit through collaboration. However, known and unknown gaps in knowledge about what the respective other community does, and how the practices of software engineering in, e.g., industry and in research differ may have led to preconceptions and myths that obstruct the pathway to fruitful and reciprocal collaboration. In this session, we create an opportunity to bust some of these myths - and help build understanding, transparency and trust - by engaging members of both communities in discussion, in a fishbowl format. The session discusses myths, preconceptions and questions about the "other" community and their practice, challenges and outputs. Preconceptions and questions are fielded anonymously before and during the session, and participants can engage personally by joining the discussion fishbowl if and when they want. At the end of this session, participants have ideally increased knowledge about, and understanding of, another community that operates at the intersection of software and research, and potentially also their own community.
