Who We Are

The Organizing, Communication, and Technology Group, more commonly known as OCT Group, is a research group comprised of faculty, students, and staff from Chapman University in Orange, California. We derive from an eclectic mix of majors and minors, providing the OCT Group with a multidisciplinary perspective to researching cyberinfrastructure.

The walls of Chapman University are home to countless hours of research carried out by the OCT Group. Through numerous interviews and surveys, a wide range of conferences, and hours of coding, we gather layers of data to help us comprehend the emergence of cyberinfrastructure. OCT Group’s mission is to explore the processes and develop strategies that enable productive, efficient, and successful human organizing. Currently, two of OCT Group’s projects receive external funding from the National Science Foundation.

Our Principle Investigator, Dr. Kerk Kee, leads the team through our endeavors as we seek to understand organizational communication and innovation. Through mentor-style relationships, Dr. Kee fosters students’ academic knowledge and research methods; his interest in each student’s academic career provides a unique learning opportunity for individual members of the team.

OCT Group members, both current and alumni, are part of a collaborative environment and support each other. According to Ryo Nakagawara, member since 2014, “Our group is essentially a big think tank. Because of the cohesive nature of our group, learning the content became second nature.”

Multiple subgroups make up the OCT Group as a whole; some groups are responsible for data collection, while others engage in data analysis and content creation. Members responsible for data collection recruit and interview stakeholders in the communities of interest. Data analysis groups evaluate these interview transcripts in order to identify emergent themes. Members have the privilege to work alongside Dr. Kee in the content creation process in which they formulate posters for university research fairs and develop papers for conferences and journal publications.

When new members join the group, veteran members individually tailor the incoming student’s experience to his or her long-term academic and career goals. Such individualized attention provides members with an opportunity to build their portfolio and acquire new skills. For example, Erica Dean, member since 2015, serves as both an Undergraduate Research Assistant as well as a Web Development Intern. After she expressed interest in web development and social media, the Administration Team worked with Erica in order to set up a mutually beneficial arrangement in which she would progress the web presence of the OCT Group while performing research responsibilities at the same time.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of college lifestyle, it is comforting to know that we are part of a group that helps us grow both academically and professionally. The skillsets we are learning as part of the OCT Group are invaluable and we take pride in how we apply them to live out the OCT Group mission.

Be sure to follow OCT Group on our other mediums: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus. Check back next week to see another post from OCT Group – The group that helps you Strategize Your Game Plan.