Call for Applications: 2024 GOSH Ambassador Program

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Call for Applications: 2024 GOSH Ambassador Program

If you have any questions about the Ambassador Program, please ask them in this forum thread, or via email.

As part of the drive to mobilize collective action to achieve the goal of ubiquity by 2025, GOSH is excited to announce a call for applications for our inaugural Ambassador Program. This initiative seeks to empower and expand our community of researchers, educators, and practitioners passionate about promoting open science hardware (OScH) principles. We aim to foster a global network of ambassadors who will lead efforts to promote the OScH movement.

For more information on the GOSH Ambassador Program, check out our program framework.

Key Dates

  • Applications Open: April 15
  • First Round Applications Close: May 15
  • Review Process Begins: May 16
  • Review Process Ends: June 6
  • Applicants Notified: June 7
  • Launch of the program: June 15

What support will be provided to ambassadors?

Our goal for this program is to support ambassadors in as many ways as possible, and we hope to create a space where ambassadors can receive financial, interpersonal, and career development support. We encourage ambassadors to support one another through active engagement in shared activities. We plan to continue building support structures as the program grows.

We imagine support for ambassadors as the following:

  • Capacity building and support for skills, processes, and resources needed to foster collaboration between communities.
  • Priority in attending GOSH events. This includes extending invitations to ambassadors who live near regional events so that they can attend them on behalf of GOSH.
  • Being part of a network of ambassadors from various societies and associations, with which ambassadors can share relevant opportunities (such as scholarships and fellowships).
  • Peer support and sharing knowledge and advice.
  • Creation of a mentorship pipeline in which certain ambassadors can act as mentors to other ambassadors.
  • Creation of an ambassador database that enables ambassadors to reach out to one another regarding specific topics.
  • Provide resources and promotional materials for when ambassadors attend events on behalf of GOSH.
  • Support in setting up Resource and Training hubs in their respective regions, which will eventually help create a sustainable model for OScH.

Expectations of ambassadors

The Ambassador Program WG acknowledges that there are many different ways of being an ambassador and will avoid being prescriptive in how ambassadors carry out their duties. However, there are a few activities that we do expect ambassadors to partake in as part of the program. These expectations include:

  • Participate in regularly scheduled (quarterly) meetings with ambassadors to share updates from their communities.
  • Attend an annual showcase where ambassadors share their accomplishments with the broader GOSH Community. These accomplishments could be shared as a short video, presentation, etc.
  • Ambassadors are expected to be knowledgeable of OScH and be able to reference different OScH projects from the GOSH Community.
  • Report back on activities via the GOSH Forum.
  • Curate resources and create materials (such as presentation slides or elevator pitches) tailored to specific audiences (i.e., students, research funders, or government officials). These materials could also be re-used by other communities and universities (if applicable).
  • Provide mentorship to new ambassadors in future rounds.

Ambassadors are welcome to promote OScH and the GOSH Community in a manner they feel is most appropriate. Below, we are sharing some suggested activities that ambassadors can do to help spread the word about OScH and GOSH:

  • Attend conferences and/or regional events on behalf of GOSH and regional/topical communities
  • Create original content (videos, podcasts, etc.) about GOSH to share online or at conferences and events
  • Contributing to communication outreach activities (either participating or sharing content).
  • Give presentations on OScH in their respective communities (i.e., local makerspace or university)
  • Organize workshops with local community members when requested by institutions not connected to GOSH.
  • Be involved in the organization of regional GOSH events
  • Look for possible institutional partners who could support the program.

Application process

To apply to the 2024 GOSH Ambassador Program, please complete the following application form by May 15:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNN4_ky9gRb68iEkgLXH3DUE26CKX8uRbKLIkXYOM2IZAg6A/viewform

As part of the application, applicants will be expected to answer 3 short answer questions and upload a one-page motivation letter or short video expressing their interest in being an ambassador.

We also welcome nominations for ambassadors; find out more at the bottom of this post!

Selection Criteria

For the first iteration of this program, we will select 10 ambassadors from the application pool. To ensure a diversity of regions and disciplines, a maximum of 1 ambassador will be from each regional or topical OScH community. You can see a list of these communities here. Other regional and topical OScH communities may still not be mentioned, and ambassadors will be allowed to name them.

In future rounds, we will adjust the number of selected ambassadors based on the number of applications from previous rounds.

After remaining in the program for two years, ambassadors will be asked to reapply.

The following selection criteria will be used to evaluate applicants. Each criterion is weighted on a scale of 1-3, with each criterion being scored on a scale of 0-5.

  1. Strong connections to relevant open science hardware networks and stakeholders (3x)
  2. Values strongly aligned with Manifesto and GOSH Code of Conduct (3x)
  3. Experience working in communities and comfortable communicating and/or public speaking (3x)
  4. Experience with open hardware (3x)
  5. Involved in academia, research and/or innovation (2x)
  6. Experience with open science (2x)
  7. Team player (1x)

Diversity Criteria

Ambassador positions will be awarded as follows to ensure the ambassador program is as equitable and representative as possible. This model was adapted from the 2023 GOSH Governance Plan for Seating the 3rd GOSH Community Council. The final group of ambassadors must have at least one person who identifies with each of the following:

  1. Individuals who are Women, Trans or Gender non-conforming, and/or those who have historically marginalized sexual orientations
  2. People of Color and/or Indigenous
  3. From a low-income country or/and community in Asia or elsewhere
  4. Differently abled people/persons
  5. People who contribute to youth participation in governance, e.g., people younger than 25 according to the United Nations definition.

Review Process

The Ambassador Program WG has developed the following review process with feedback from the broader GOSH Community to ensure the selection of ambassadors is as clear and transparent as possible.

  • Applications will be reviewed by a regionally and topically diverse panel of reviewers from the GOSH Community.* The reviewers’ information will not be disclosed to applicants or the GOSH Community.
  • Applicants can apply to the program regardless of their regional/topical affiliation. Applicants will be reviewed on both their application form and a one-page motivation letter that is included as part of their application.
  • Applications will be sent to reviewers the day after the call for applications closes. Once the final group of ambassadors has been accepted, the applications will be shared with the broader GOSH community. The applications shared publicly will anonymize applicants’ demographic information.

*Please note that if a reviewer is part of a specific topical community (such as AfricaOSH or reGOSH), they will not review applications from their respective communities.

Nominate someone to apply!

If you know someone who would make a great ambassador, we invite you to nominate them to apply! The nomination process is similar to the one that takes place during GOSH Community Council elections. Once someone is nominated, the GOSH Ambassador Program WG will notify them immediately so that they have enough time to apply.

Nominations will open on April 15 and close on May 1.

Nominate someone to apply to the program here!

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