The Virtual Science Hub (VSH) is a collaborative platform designed for researchers to share scientific insights, explore diverse topics, and connect with colleagues from other fields. Using a dynamic, hashtag-based system, VSH fosters the seamless exchange of ideas and resources, driving innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.

First steps:

1. Complete your personal profile:

  • Upload a profile picture (please make sure you follow our guidelines)
  • Add your position and your institution
  • Choose hashtags that best describe you (your area of expertise, your main research topics etc.). We recommend around 3-5 hashtags for your profile, either select hashtags from existing ones or create new hashtags.
  • Write a description about you, your own research interests and possible collaborative projects.

2. Share ideas, projects, publications:

  • Post your publications (please make sure you follow our guidelines).
  • Create your own posts about your research. Let others know about the latest news, exciting upcoming events and anything else related to your (scientific) interests. 
  • In “topics”, posts with similar content are grouped together by hashtags (e.g., event invitations). Please, make sure you add the correct hashtags to your posts so they appear in the correct topic.
  • Looking for a new colleague or working student? Do you have any interesting topics for a thesis or know about funding opportunities for others? Then share it!
  • Offer your in house resources such as lab space, analytical devices or your expertise to other VSH users. Please contact us via vsh(at)uk-augsburg.de and we add your expertise. 
  • Feel free to choose from already existing hashtags or create new hashtags to tag your profile, groups, posts.

3. Customize your content:

  • Choose what you see on your personal landing pageby following hashtags, people, groups, and resources.
  • Your followed content will appear directly on your landing page so you never miss anything interesting for you.

4. Connect with others

  • Create and join groups. Gather all of your lab colleagues in one place. Or create a study group for your new subject at university - the possibilities are endless.
  • You need an expert on a certain topic? Just look for a profile with the right hashtags attached and get their contact information directly on the VSH.

And finally, enjoy being part of the VSH community, we are happy to have you on board!

 

FAQ:

How does the hashtag system work?

Profiles, Posts, Topics, Publications and all other content on the VSH can be connected to hashtags. They allow you to customise your feed by following them. Should you ever need a colleague with a certain expertise, you can simply search for the corresponding hashtag to find them in no time. It is also a great way to make sure your profile or posts can easily be seen by other users. To add hashtags, type in the desired word and choose from the existing hashtag-pool or simply create a new one by typing it out in full and clicking “add”. 

I want my post to appear in a certain topic. Where can I find the correct hashtags to use?

To find the corresponding Hashtags, just click on “Posts & Topics”, open the Topics tab and look for the one you want your post to appear under. Once you have found it, simply use any of the Hashtags listed under the topic title (e.g. #events).

I am missing an important topic. How can I add it to the VSH?

As of right now, new topics can only be added by us, the VSH-Team. So if you want a new topic to appear, simply write us an E-Mail with the topic title and the corresponding hashtags to: vsh(at)uk-augsburg.de. And don’t worry, we are constantly working on improving the platform and are already implementing steps to make this feature available to everyone.

I have a resource to offer to my colleagues. Where can I post it so others can get the (contact) information?

As of right now, new ressources can only be added by us, the VSH-Team. If you have a service to offer, simply write us an E-Mail with a description, pictures and contact information to: vsh(at)uk-augsburg.de. And don’t worry, we are constantly working on improving the platform and are already implementing steps to make this feature available to everyone.

Is there a chronological feed?

Unfortunately there is no chronological feed at the moment. It is a feature we are working hard on to implement soon. Until then, enjoy your customisable feed by following topics, hashtags or profiles.

How do I get my post to appear in the highlights?

Highlight posts are currently managed by the VSH-Team. We try to highlight as many as we can, but please feel free to contact us via vsh(at)uk-augsburg.de if we missed your post.

Who can I contact if I run into any issues or have questions/feedback?

The VSH is an ongoing project and is constantly evolving. To make your experience even better, we need your help. Should you have any tips for improvement, bugfixes or any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us via vsh(at)uk-augsburg.de.