GOSH Open Science Hardware Events Funding Program 2023: EXTENDED deadline 19 Feb 2023

The Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH) Events Funding program is for groups that want to host an event, workshop, conference, or get-together aimed at supporting open science hardware. In 2023, we are funding events that have a clear focus on promoting or advancing open science hardware within a specific discipline including (but not limited to) the following:

  • Space science
  • Imaging
  • Neuroscience
  • Microscopy
  • Conservation technology
  • Oceanography
  • Chemistry
  • Science and Technology Studies

Note: if you have a question about this funding call, please post in the questions thread on the GOSH Forum (not here in this thread!) or send us an email via admin@openhardware.science.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

19 February 2023 (edited 14 Feb 2023)

Please note that for deadlines we use the Anywhere on Earth – AoE Time Zone (UTC -12). For example, this means that your application must be submitted by 12:00 UTC on 16 February 2023.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The total funding for this scheme is $25,000 USD. Up to $7,500 USD is available per event. Smaller requests are more likely to be awarded.

The original source of these funds is a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, currently held by the Open Science Hardware Foundation (OSHF), a non-profit organization in the United States.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All organizations are eligible to apply as long as their proposed events:

  1. have a clear focus on promoting or advancing open science hardware within a specific discipline
  2. are aligned with the GOSH code of conduct and Manifesto.

You do not need a previous relationship/involvement with GOSH. Grants can only be given to a legal organization and not to individuals.

Proposals for virtual, in-person, or hybrid events are welcome.

Sadly, because the funds are held by OSHF (a United States-based non-profit), the funding cannot legally go to organizations based in a place subject to United States trade embargoes (full list here).

REVIEW PROCESS

Proposals will be reviewed by the GOSH Event Funding Working Group formed under an open call published on the GOSH forum and open to anyone eligible to apply. Once this group of 3 to 7 people (which will include at least one Community Council member) is selected by the call organizers, they will select projects based on the eligibility and evaluation criteria.

If a member of this review panel has a conflict of interest with an application, they will recuse themselves from reviewing the said application.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Only projects that meet the aforementioned eligibility requirements will be granted full evaluation.

Applications will be evaluated on three key aspects.

  1. How the event will promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline.

  2. Broader impacts of this event for the global open science hardware community. What happens after this event? What documentation, takeaways, lessons, publications, deliverables, or other outputs will come from this event having occurred? How will the persons involved in this event continue the ideas or projects encountered at the event?

  3. The feasibility of the event. For instance, have the organizers demonstrated experience in planning and leading events such as these? Does the budget seem reasonable for what their planned actions are? Does the event seem doable considering their declared goals and timeline?

The reviewers will give a numerical rating (1-3, with 3 being best) to each of the review criteria along with a written justification. The reviewers will then meet amongst themselves to evaluate the applications, deliberate, and create a final list of recommendations for funding.

The rubric for evaluating the applications is listed below. These review criteria may be subject to further refinement, but we shall note any changes once this is posted.

Criterion 3 2 1 Comments
Eligibility Proposal meets all eligibility criteria Some criteria need clarification Not eligible
Scope to promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline The event will have a significant impact on promoting or advancing open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline The event will have some impact on promoting or advancing open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline The event will have minimal impact on promoting or advancing open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline, or the impact could have been achieved through other means
Broader Impacts The proposal clearly defines convincing ways in which the outputs of the event could have a significant broader impact on the open science hardware community. The proposal puts forward some realistic ideas for how the outputs of the event could have a broader impact on the open science hardware community. The proposal does not describe how the event could have a broader impact on the open science hardware community or the impact described would be unlikely or low.
Feasibility The proposal definitely seems accomplishable given the described timeline, goals, and budget. Budget seems reasonable and includes estimated costs, requested costs, and costs covered by other sources. All expenses are justified. Some aspects of the event are unclear about their feasibility. The proposal overall does not seem possible to pull off given the timeline, goals, and budget

Final recommendations for funding will be approved by the Reviewers internally as a group and then approved by the GOSH community council.

Next, the Reviewers will notify the recommended awardees of their selection. The final official approval will only come after the grant awarding body (OSHF) finishes a final due diligence legal review of the awardees.

BUDGET

Up to $7500 USD is available per event. Smaller requests are more likely to be awarded.

EVENT CANCELATION/VIRTUALIZATION

In case an event needs to be canceled (for instance due to COVID-19 restrictions), awardees can submit a new budget for “virtualizing the event”, if the event was not originally planned as virtual.

RESPONSIBILITIES & REPORTING

Responsibilities of selected event proposals:

  • Post at least one pre-event update on the GOSH forum
  • Post at least one post-event update on the GOSH forum
  • Publish at least one mature documentation output that will tangibly benefit the open science hardware community
    • This is broadly defined so be creative. The output can be an event report but doesn’t have to be!
    • At least this output (but preferably all outputs) from the event should be shared under an appropriate open source license (e.g. OSHWA 4-compatible licenses for hardware, free software licenses for software, and CC BY 4.0 or CC BY-SA 4.0 for others)
  • Submit links to all of the above items and a financial report (spreadsheet template provided) to OSHF.

TIMELINE

15 January 2023 to 19 February 2023 - Submit your application

28 February 2023 - Successful applications announced (pending official confirmation from the GOSH non-profit, which currently holds the funds)

28 February to 31 May 2023 - Run your event!

By 15 June 2023 - Submit your final reports

Please note that for deadlines we use the Anywhere on Earth – AoE Time Zone (UTC -12). For example, this means that your application must be submitted by 12:00 UTC on 16 February 2023.

HOW TO APPLY

Please fully answer each of the ten questions below and post your completed application either:

  1. by responding to this forum thread; or
  2. by sending an email with the application text in the body or in an attached editable document (not a PDF) to admin@openhardware.science.

Application Form

There are no strict word limits but we have made suggestions for the expected length of each answer.

  1. Name of organization
  2. Email address (or preferred and reliable way of contacting you)
  3. Tell us about your organization and your event team (approx 50-100 words)
  4. Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how? (approx 25-50 words)
  5. What scientific discipline is your event related to? (approx 10 words)
  6. Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan. (approx 200-250 words)
  7. What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them? (approx 100-200 words)
  8. How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline? (approx 100-200 words)
  9. How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community? (approx 100-200 words)
  10. What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how. (include a table, no word limit)
  11. How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion? (approx 50-150 words)
  12. Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare? (approx 10-50 words)

After you submit your application, we will contact you on the email address provided to acknowledge that your application has been received and will be considered for review. This is also how we will contact you to communicate any decisions.

SUPPORT & ENQUIRIES

If you have a question about this funding call, please post in the questions thread on the GOSH Forum (not here in this thread!) or send us an email via admin@openhardware.science.

6 Likes
  1. Name of organization

Community Creativity for Development (CC4D)

  1. Email address (or preferred and reliable way of contacting you)

mathew@cc4duganda.org

  1. Tell us about your organization and your event team (approx 50-100 words)

CC4D is a refugee youth-led organization formed in 2019 by a group of South Sudanese refugee youth professionals who saw a gap in repair, reuse and maintenance of Electronics. CC4D aims at connecting communities while also finding solutions to protect the environment from global warming. CC4D team have over 5 years’ experience in planning, community mobilization, organizing and conducting events such as training and workshops both online and in-person. We have successfully implemented projects such as Women Inclusion in Repair Culture, ICT mentorship, repair café events including building automatic water dispenser, LED bulb and Solar Charger from e-waste.

  1. Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how? (approx 25-50 words)

CC4D team is comprised of 70% refugees and 30% host communities(nationals) youths aged between 18 – 35 from different ethnicity and religion from different country of origin with a female representation percentage of 40% providing service to refugees from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, CAD, Burundi living in rhino camp. Uganda hosts over 1.5 million refugees, making it the largest refugee-hosting nation in Africa. Rhino refugee settlement, the proposed location of the planned action, currently hosts 139 781 refugees (Uganda Refugee Statistics, July 2022)

  1. What scientific discipline is your event related to? (approx 10 words)

Science and Technology Studies and Conservation technology

  1. Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan. (approx 200-250 words)

Rhino refugee settlement in Uganda, the proposed location of the planned action, currently hosts 139 781 refugees(Uganda Refugee Statistics, July 2022) with over 34,903 youths whose majority of them have no knowledge or even heard of Open Science Hardware.

CC4D proposes to conduct a 5days’ Do-It-Yourself & Do-It-Together(DIY/DIT) workshop on Open Hardware Making to displaced persons(refugees) in rhino camp with the aim to create awareness and empower them with knowledge and skills on MakE Culture to expose them to and promote Open Science Hardware

The event will bring together 16 youth, men and women from the different zones in rhino camp refugee settlement to undergo hands-on skill training on how to make/build an automatic water dispenser and automatic door security from electronic waste.

The project outcomes are that refugee’s youths are trained on open hardware making and have increased knowledge and skills on the importance and use of open science hardware for a sustainable environment. The event will commence on 27–31st March, 2023 with 3days hands-on training and 2days’ practice where participants will be divided into two groups, 8 members each to produce prototypes of an automatic water dispenser and automatic door security with support of mentors.

At the end of the event, a working space will be set up within the community for the teenagers and youths who do not have enough funds to pursue their secondary education or further their post-secondary education to provide an alternative means of education that will propel them to be self-sustained.

  1. What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them? (approx 100-200 words)

A narrative and audiovisual report will be produced and published. Videos and photos including protocol and designs used in the workshop and prototypes will be openly shared via social media and or website. Also a google drive folder shall be created for storage of the pictures and videos of the event and links with access rights will be shared to the public.

  1. How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline? (approx 100-200 words)

By creating awareness and empowering refugees with knowledge and skills on open hardware making from electronic waste for self-reliance, they will understand the importance of making things while solving climate related issues for a sustainable environment. It will enable them to come up with innovative approaches to make things, hence promoting open science hardware in environmental protection from global warming through reuse, upcycling and recycling.

  1. How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community? (approx 100-200 words)

The event and its outputs will provide insights on the culture and practices of open science hardware in displaced communities hence creating a learning environment to the open science hardware community.

  1. What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how. (include a table, no word limit)

Project Budget: $7,000

CC4D’s overall budget for the event is $7,000 to cater for administrative, program and operational cost, However, we will provide the $1,600 to cover some of the administrative and essential costs such as video documentation and editing. We are therefore looking to GOSH to support us with $5,400 to cater for procurement of tools and materials, hire of venue, travel costs, catering, communication and documentation and facilitation for 2 mentors.

Description Unit Qty No of days/Freq Unit cost ($) Total Cost ($)
Tools and materials for making automatic water dispenser and automatic door security Items Lumpsum 1 1,000 1,000
Communication and Documentation persons 1 1 500 500
Facilitation fee for mentors persons 2 5 100 1,000
Hire of venue days 1 5 80 400
Travel cost(mobilization and participants) persons 20 5 15 1,500
Catering (water, breakfast, lunch) persons 20 5 10 1000
Total 5,400
  1. How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion? (approx 50-150 words)

The event will focus on exposing underserved and unreached youth including women and men in post-conflict communities (refugee camps) that have little or no access to education or technological advancement.

  1. Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare? (approx 10-50 words)

NONE

3 Likes

I am willing to apply for the fund to realize the long-sighted vision of GOSH

2 Likes

Dear @Kajelchaf , i can come on board if you are looking for collaborators or even people to discuss the proposal with before you submit it - the edit is because I realise it’s for Africa-specific perhaps

Best Wishes,
Haris

1 Like

Yes it’s possible

2 Likes

Hi all!

Just a reminder that there is one week left to submit applications to the 2023 GOSH Open Science Hardware Events Funding Program!

The deadline to apply is February 15.* Submit your applications by responding to this forum thread or sending your application via email to admin@openhardware.science.

If you have a question about this funding call, share them in this questions thread!

*Please note that for deadlines we use the Anywhere on Earth – AoE Time Zone (UTC -12). For example, this means that your application must be submitted by 12:00 UTC on 16 February 2023.

Thanks!
Bri

3 Likes

Hi All

Due to popular demand, the deadline for the Open Science Hadware Events funding programme has been extended to Sun 19 Feb.
Looking forward to your proposals!

Jenny

4 Likes

Great!

1 Like

Thank you so much for the extension!!

-Tien

1 Like
Name of organization : A Casa do Rio 
Email address (or preferred and reliable way of contacting you) :  acasadorio.arte@gmail.com, Paulapin24@gmail.com
Tell us about your organization and your event team (approx 50-100 words) 

A Casa do Rio is a safe space for the LGBTIQ+ community, in which people from all over the world and from diverse cultures, genders and sexual orientations have already been left, grateful for a space in which they can express themselves freely, being supported in what they needed and returning home in many cases, with very valuable self-sustaining tools for life in rural areas. We are an entity accredited by the European Solidarity Corps to send young people (between 18 and 30 years old) to other countries to volunteer, and to host young volunteers from Europe and Mediterranean countries.
A Casa do Rio as association will coordinate through me and Dani the physical resources, as also we work together for the last three years also in connection with The Foundry.
In our association there is a strong inclination to collective processes with free and open technologies through a highly transhackfeminism perspective. We have been carrying many projects on the rural areas of Galicia, some of them based on tradition and others more contemporaneous working on the intersection or art, science and technology, always looking for a more sustain way of implementing the old and the new technologies.

Our aim is to reinforce the capacity to generate networks flowing from rural to urban context supporting non hierarchy and democratic exchanges of knowledge and practices that can enable new and sustainable models within rural contexts. According to that we consider that the new trans-disciplinary creative sectors in which we are entangled can have a huge and positive impact in the creation of this new paradigm even on rural areas that are marginalized and where there is a few people having resources to live and resist there.
Aside from that, there is thematic focus on transdisciplinary feminism and post-humanism. While this focus is not adequately grasped by identity-political categories like race or gender, we hope it leads to the subversion of hegemonic structures inscribed in the binarisms upholding many of these categories. Our interest lies in the development of tools and technologies that subvert contemporary structures of domination, exploitation and marginalization, not in those that reproduce it.

We seek to develop a more sustainable environment by opening up our practices based on a free culture framework, generating networks and interest around them, enabling a flow of exchange of innovation across creative sectors focusing on revaluation of rural contexts and its knowledge heritage.

Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how? (approx 25-50 words)

The event aims at addressing the lack of women, queer, trans and diversity in technological fields in general and hacking more specifically. But even more so, it aims at creating a community that critically assesses the hegemonic narratives around technologies, the modernity aspects of its underlining Western assumptions and its inherent capitalist inflections, among others.

Our event

What scientific discipline is your event related to? (approx 10 words) 

The science of electronics, electromagnetic and electro.mecanical principles and natural science and technology around this topics.

Describe your event. 

The event aims at addressing the lack of women, queer, trans and diversity in technological fields in general and hacking more specifically. But even more so, it aims at creating a community that critically assesses the hegemonic narratives around technologies, the modernity aspects of its underlining Western assumptions and its inherent capitalist inflections, among others.

The main purpose of the event is to develop the electronic part of the Eolic turbine we build the last event. In the first, the focus lies on harvesting the energy of the natural environment, through wind turbines and now we need to control and manage the movements of the turbine through a controller the idea is that all this project will work as escalable power kits that can be used both as pedagogical material and to set up site-specific power plants in different sites as well.

There is a counter-infrastructural component to this work: one possible consequence would be to empower people to generate their own energy instead of relying on large and often extractive companies.

With this project we are working on the learning together processes and hands on experimentation of queer folks into electro-mecanical engines and electro-magnetic areas. With all of that we want to works and develop new approaches on open source but also reinforcing our degree of autonomy.

Recently, transdisciplinary relationships between art, science and technology have led to the emergence of hybrid contexts that not only provided a new conceptual and practical framework for artistic research, but also provoked paradigm shifts that affect other areas of knowledge / cultural areas. We are interested in connecting sustainability and ancestral knowledge to make evidence that autonomous ways of living where there before industrial revolution, and we can still to rescue ways of living more into the rural areas without a complete dependence of big energy companies.

With this fruitful context of creation and experimentation with different practices we are also working to improve the transmission of knowledge as well building new realities through this intersection.

In order to pursue real changes that help to create a more just world, we need to think differently about ourselves, the world and our connections within it, and apply that thinking to artistic educational practice and systemic change. We say this not only to emphasize the thinking and perspectives of communities of practice, but also to apply the extra step taken by critical posthumanism. The collective can be rethought in terms of human and non-human groupings in which all elements share agency, that is to say, treat each other non-hierarchically. This is why we think it is necessary to inscribe our practices in transdisciplinary and post-humanist perspectives.

Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan. (approx 200-250 words)

The goals for the event can be summarized as follows:

• Find points of intersection between traditional knowledges and contemporary practices of self-care, feminism, DIY and open-source technology.

• Promote easily accessible open-source technologies that can be applied in multidisciplinary fields and enhance the inclusiveness of marginalized collectives.

• Foster the adoption of collective practices of mutual self-care. Generate networks from the margins through collaborative research, collective education and social development.

• To work on human and non-human alliances and solidarity through DIY/DIWO/DIT technological practices.

• Re-visit, re-think, co-design and co-develop processes, tools and technologies from a transhackfeminist perspective, and focusing on Open-Source Science for sustaninability and energy.

• To provide artists, scientists, creators and cultural organizations with tools, methodologies and good practices in order to properly address the creation of common cultural spaces for the generation of transversal knowledge in Open source practices, environmental issues and ecology.

To achieve these goals, we propose to elaborate an electronic Kit that provides the needs to implement the physical turbine. After this elaboration the kit will combine DIT (do it together) materials in order to explore energy context.

Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan

What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them? (approx 100-200 words)

An Open source project and kit with an instruction book, wiki and materials list will be the consolidation of the project for future use and dissemination. The whole kit, the materials and the book will be done with Open Source Tools and will be useful for inter-generational students from 14 years old in advance.

**How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline? (approx 100-200 words)**

**How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community? (approx 100-200 words)**  

The project will be have an impact because it is looking for a more sustainable way of living and also will address a new project into the networks with the aim to collaborate on the open source prototype of the circuit.

**What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how. (include a table, no word limit)**  

electronic

How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion? (approx 50-150 words)

The association and the context itself is highly diverse, we are always looking for more diversity of all kind, usually we make a communication plan in which we reinforce all the diverse groups of people we wanna have, that means all kind of.

Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare? (approx 10-50 words) 

no

2 Likes

1. Name of Organization

Just One Giant Lab (JOGL) - SynBio 101

2. Email Address

subramaniansakti@gmail.com and chris@jogl.io

3. About the Organization and Team

Just One Giant Lab (JOGL) is an NGO and collection of DIY scientists from around the world. During the COVID pandemic, our community has been efficiently enabled to create open source devices, such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) tests, new open source reagent tools, and hardware. Last year, we used 5,000 Euros from the Microbiology Society to fund teams on education on antimicrobial resistance. This year, we are supporting a new initiative - SynBio 101.

SynBio 101 seeks to elevate communities to advance synthetic biology as a mechanism for sustainable development. Globally, primary to post-secondary institutions do not have an open science education that prioritizes synthetic biology. SynBio 101 aims to increase global interest in synthetic biology by providing the scientists of tomorrow with equal access to frugal DIY kits, instructional modules, and workshops. Our goal is to make synthetic biology easily accessible to everyone, for every region and for every age.

The organizers, Sakti Subramanian, Richard Jiang, and Roudlotul Jannah are Project Heads at iGEM Community. The three heads have previous experience in open science hardware and education, by serving as directors at iGEM Friendzymes, iGEM Lambert, and iGEM Stockholm, respectively. With SynBio 101, they will be mentored by JOGL, who have a long history of leading similar community initiatives.

4. Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how?

JOGL has several partners in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Philippines, and the United States that have already expressed interest in the initiative. With an existing community, JOGL will establish a network for SynBio 101 through these partnerships. In JOGL’s previous initiatives, 42% of project owners were female, with leaders from an unprecedented number of nationalities across all five regions of the world.

The primary motivation behind SynBio 101 is to increase the accessibility of synthetic biology to communities that have been historically marginalized in the field. As a result, it is imperative that our team adequately represents the demographics that our project serves. The team members are recruited from all five regions; North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania, and Europe with different backgrounds - nationalities, ethnicities, races, genders, and ages - in order to increase our diversity and outreach.

5. What scientific discipline is your event related to?

Science and Technology Studies, Synthetic Biology, and Science Accessibility

6. Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan.

The team at SynBio 101 will develop modules, workshops, kits, and microfunding opportunities over the course of the project. As further detailed in Questions 7 and 8, the modules will contain several workshops that are made possible through the development of the kits. As of February 2023, there are twenty two modules currently being developed, which will be released to the broader community in March and April 2023. Throughout the year, more modules with workshops and kits will be periodically released.

The instructional modules include:

  • Introduction to Synthetic Biology
  • Introduction to Plasmids and Circuits
  • Introduction to Viruses and Phages
  • Concerns about Biotechnology
  • Biosecurity and Biosafety
  • Types of Biosensors
  • Types of DNA Assembly
  • CRISPR-Dx Theory
  • Isothermal Amplification
  • Automation in Biology
  • Experimental Design
  • Regulatory Protocols
  • Publication Protocols

The modules with software (S) or hardware (H) workshops include:

  • Designing a Biosensor (S)
  • Designing PCR Primers (S)
  • Designing LAMP Primers (S)
  • Gel Electrophoresis (H)
  • Cell and Plasmid Preparation (H)
  • Transformation Protocols (H)
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction (H)
  • Identifying Nucleic Acids (H)
  • Expressing Enzymes (H)

Implementation
A curriculum will be created by the organizers and immediately invited network, and taught over the course of Month 1. Then, students and organizations will be highly encouraged to participate in micro-funding opportunities, leveraging the skills they acquired in the curriculum to develop a synthetic biology solution to a global problem relevant to healthcare, diagnostics, environment, or accessibility in Month 2. Students can choose to attend supplemental science communication workshops while funding decisions are made in Month 3. Finally, four organizations will be awarded microgrants of $250 USD in Month 4 that can be used to purchase hardware, reagents, or other unavailable materials required for molecular research in their area.
Timeline

Outreach
The event will be advertised on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Additionally, the event will be advertised through both iGEM Community and JOGL Community communications. Because the organizers are from a wide range of regions, and have multiple connections in the community, SynBio 101 will further be advertised through iGEM Ambassadors, Lectures Without Borders, Global Community Bio Summit, and others. SynBio 101 will also collaborate with New England BioLabs, Friendzymes, Open Philanthropy, USAID, US Department of Education, and regional synthetic biology associations like SynBio Brazil and SynBio Indonesia.

7. What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them?

SynBio 101 will develop educational modules for the two tracks; secondary students and elementary students.The content included in the free and openly accessible modules will be delivered through lecture-based videos, presentations, speeches, and readings. Partnering organizations will receive digital copies of the modules for implementation into their regional curriculums. As those same modules will also be available on SynBio 101’s iGEM Community and JOGL Community websites, non-partnering organizations will still be able to provide their own input. In addition, the modules will be advertised through iGEM, JOGL, GOSH, and regional synthetic biology associations.

SynBio 101 will develop a lab curriculum that includes several workshops related to the modules. For efficient implementation, we will document these workshops in the form of an educator’s guide that will contain the protocols, materials, procedures, anticipated results, and discussion questions for all laboratory experiences provided to the students. Following implementation, a white paper on the efficacy of the workshops in developing communities will be published to a peer-reviewed journal and presented at global conferences.

SynBio 101 will develop synthetic biology kits that will be used in the workshops. The first 30 trial kits, secured by the grant, will be shared directly to verified schools, community labs, university labs, regional synthetic biology organizations, and NGOs. The designs for the following kits will be shared to our international partners after the completion of the trial round. Our partners can then efficiently produce and distribute these kits in their respective regions without having to incur significant costs such as shipping and taxes. These designs will be documented through the form of a patent.

In addition, SynBio 101 will provide for microgrants in order to fund innovators around the world who will be inspired to start their own synthetic biology hardware journey, with the materials to let them do so. JOGL has experience in this funding dispersal.

8. How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline?

As a multidisciplinary field, synthetic biology has been challenging to disseminate to a public audience. While some parts of the community support synthetic biology as a solution to global problems, other parts of the community are less informed and interested in the field. As a result, many individuals fall prey to misinformation and unreasonable bias about synthetic biology. This is highlighted through negative public perceptions on nuclear, stem cell, and GMO technology, with 1 in 3 people having an unfavorable opinion on synthetic biology.

However, recent community initiatives such as Friendzymes and OpenCOVID19 have proven that these attitudes can be overcome through proper education on hardware and how it leads to real innovation in saving lives. With SynBio 101, we would like to lead the movement to bring open science education to new regions, specifically using hardware in the form of kits that reinforce the instruction we provide in modules.

These kits each serve a specific purpose: to introduce students to fundamental synthetic biology lab protocols and procedures, including, but not limited to, polymerase chain reaction, enzyme expression, gel electrophoresis, and genetic engineering. By exposing students to these basics through hands-on hardware experiments, students will develop enthusiasm in synthetic biology and a long term interest in molecular research.

Additionally, through microfunding, selected organizations, who will have their hardware costs covered, will be empowered to do their own research. As a result, synthetic biology and open science will decentralize from the West, expanding to a global audience from all corners of the world. This will promote many developments socially, politically, economically, and educationally; kick-starting stronger open science hardware communities.

9. How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community?

As an accessibility initiative, our project will bring open science hardware to communities that currently have limited access to synthetic biology and biotechnology. Firstly, through the microfunding endeavor, we will ensure that four organizations in developing regions with limited resources can purchase the hardware required for molecular research. Secondly, through the kit endeavor, we will ensure that students in schools that lack a comprehensive synthetic biology curriculum can learn the major concepts and protocols of the field through our kit hardware.

In such, the collaborative learning environment that we are fostering will loop more of these underrepresented communities into the broader open science hardware community. Open Hardware Africa is a perfect example of an existing open science hardware initiative project that we will build on. SynBio 101 will integrate open science hardware with synthetic biology and bring it to the other communities throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia and Oceania.

10. What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how.

CATEGORY FUNDING DESCRIPTION
Event Management Covered Local, hybrid, and virtual meetings in all 5 regions, including venue, food and beverages, and relevant programming expenses.
Microfunding $1000 Microgrants of $250 USD to 4 organizations that cannot normally afford to be part of the OSH community. Microgrants will be awarded to these 4 selectees for the purchase of lab hardware beyond the scope of the kits produced for teams.
Trial Kit Production $1200 30 trial kits will be produced, with each kit costing approximately $40 USD to manufacture the kit. One kit will roughly serve one organization or institution. Because materials will be bought in mass quantities, prices may be reduced, which increases the number of kits produced in the allocated $1200. The trial kits will be manufactured in Chicago, US and Indonesia, and then shipped/distributed in this manner; 5 for US, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil, Ghana, and Uganda each.
Trial Kit Distribution $2000 There will be funding allocated to the distribution of the Synthetic biology kits, so organizations around the world who are verified may acquire a synthetic biology kit for their institution. For the trial 30 kits, we estimate a max of $2000 USD for shipping.
Kit Production $1200 There will be funding allocated to the production of more kits. With the remaining GOSH grant, $1200 USD will be allocated to purchase equipment that local communities will need to manufacture the kits in their own regions.
TOTAL $5400

11. How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion?

SynBio 101 will address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion by focusing on reaching regions of the world that have less access to synthetic biology. Our organizers, core team, and partners represent many of these regions, with several individuals from Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Indo-Pacific, and Indian subcontinent, regions that have historically been neglected in such community calls to action considering the costs of synthetic biology. This unjust and unfair cost for inclusion in “open science” is what makes SynBio 101 crucial to the world at this moment, by truly reaching that inclusion through the materials and support we provide in our project.

12. Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare?

There are no personal or financial conflicts of interest.

1 Like

Application: reGOSHito BA

  1. Name of organisation:
  • reGOSH Buenos Aires.
  1. Email address (or preferred and reliable way of contacting you)
  1. Tell us about your organization and your event team (approx 50-100 words).
  • reGOSH Buenos Aires is a node of reGOSH, the latin-american network connecting groups working on free-libre technologies for science and education. The network’s mission is to connect and build latin-american communities around these technologies, specifically the study, use and development of open-hardware devices appropriate to local needs. The event team includes artists, teachers and researchers from reGOSH and the CoSensores group. The event will be hosted by the Buenos Aires reGOSH node and CoSensores at the Universidad Nacional de San Martín, and will receive participants from the Mendoza and Chile reGOSH nodes.
  • Community Sensors (CoSensores) is a group of researchers, teachers, and students from Argentine national universities. It has recently joined reGOSH Buenos Aires, and has been working since 2013 on the development and calibration of free tools and technologies for the survey of environmental parameters together with organized communities immersed in environmental conflicts.
  • The organizing team includes: Camila Saveika (CoSensores/reGOSH BA), Lara Jatar (CoSensores/reGOSH BA @Laraja), Kevin Poveda (CoSensores/reGOSH BA @KevinPoveda), Laura Olalde (reGOSH BA @laola), Nicolás Méndez (reGOSH BA @naikymen), Lucila Herbert (reGOSH MZA @LuHerbert), Alejo Bonaficio (reGOSH MZA @alejobonifacio), Ignacio Boron (CoSensores), Fernando Castro (reGOSH MZA @nanocastro), Alejandro Nadra (reGOSH BA), Pablo Cremades (reGOSH MZA @pablocremades).
  1. Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how? (approx 25-50 words)
  • The event team develops open science hardware and citizen science projects in the so-called Global South where we face a complex context of chronic economic crisis and socio-environmental conflict with highly limited research budgets and resources, even in well-established academic laboratories. We also recognize the historical centralization of resources in the country’s capital (Buenos Aires) and the difficulties for organised communities immersed in environmental conflicts, and promote the participation of individuals from different parts of the country to achieve federal representation.
  • The event’s organisers take into account the difficulties that are presented to unaffiliated people to reach funds to develop open science hardware and citizen science projects. The articulation with organised communities immersed in environmental conflicts and independent researchers is implicit in the present proposal.
  1. What scientific discipline is your event related to? (approx 10 words)
  • Environmental monitoring / Chemistry.
  1. Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan. (approx 200-250 words).
  • The event’s main objective is to work collaboratively on the improvement of several free hardware tools for environmental monitoring of aquatic environments (Appendix III), developed by the event’s participants to research and facilitate organised communities with tools to tackle water related socio-environmental conflicts.
  • As secondary objectives, the event hopes to (1) strengthen bonds between participants within the Buenos Aires reGOSH node and between the BA, Mendoza and Chile nodes, and (2) improve the design and documentation of the projects shared during reGOSH 2022 which took place in Mendoza.
  • The event will be held at the Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) and will be advertised through reGOSH networks and the official networks of the University. Teachers and students from UNSAM will be invited. Members of reGOSH Chile have also been invited to promote the exchange of experiences around environmental monitoring and introduce local projects to other nodes of the network.
  • Structure of the meeting: 4 days to be defined between May 8 and 19 (see Appendix II).
  • The event will also encourage other interactions critical to the node’s growth and consolidation. During the event we will visit TECSCI, an open hardware startup, incubated at UNSAM, which is also part of the local reGOSH node.
  1. What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them? (approx 100-200 words).
  • One working unit of each device per participant, to spread across the network and the country. Full assembly and usage guides for these devices: pH-meter, conductometer, turbidimeter, colorimeter. Improvement of the documentation for CoSensores projects started in reGOSH 2022.
  • Multimedia content for communication and documentation.
  • An event report, allowing other institutions or communities to replicate the activities.
  • A list of educators and researchers in need of these devices for the lab or classroom.
  • One of the projects funded by GOSH’s CDP will be at the fair. The Pipetting bot will be set-up by Laura Olalde and @naikymen to print environmental microorganisms on petri dishes. The microorganisms will be taken from the environmental samples collected and analyzed by the event’s participants, and displayed during the fair as a way to explore new visualizations of the results, to boost dissemination of the projects, and integration with the community.
  1. How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline? (approx 100-200 words)
  • Environmental monitoring technologies are, in almost all cases, prohibitively expensive, especially for low resource countries and groups. This is true not only for acquiring these technologies but also for maintenance. Even when researchers and communities get access to them, they often end up obsolete as there are no resources for preventive maintenance nor to repair them when they fail. In this sense, our meeting will offer scientists and users the opportunity to get to know open hardware tools for environmental monitoring as an alternative to the traditional “proprietary” devices. They will also be able to learn in detail how these tools are built and how to repair them, thus empowering people to replicate what they need and repair at lower costs than closed commercial designs. Communities in the Global South are the most affected by environmental degradation and in most cases those most economically vulnerable. Opening up environmental monitoring technologies to these communities is an imperative need. This resonates with a current increasing demand from affected communities to self monitor environmental issues and an explicit official recognition of the importance of citizen science (i.e. a new national government fund), creating a promising ground for furthering the reach of open hardware.
  1. How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community? (approx 100-200 words)
  • Our event seeks to connect different open hardware projects related to environmental monitoring happening in southern Latin America. It is an opportunity to boost the connections generated during reGOSH 2022 between the groups working on these projects. CoSensores is one of the groups new to the network, and we will work jointly in the development and set up of technologies for measuring water quality parameters. Other participants of the event include members of other environmental monitoring projects that seek to replicate and disseminate these technologies in the region. In this way, open science hardware will reach new places and communities. This process will also involve crosstalk with other open science hardware projects, creating a multidirectional dialogue that will expand and improve these projects.
  • The event will strengthen and create new bonds both within and outside the Buenos Aires node, whose efforts have been relatively scattered and require direct endorsement to consolidate.
  • In the wake of the event, the teaching community of UNSAM will get a first-hand approach to open technologies for science and education. We hope that new connections with the teaching community will facilitate the inclusion of open hardware in classrooms.
  • Outputs will be uploaded to public GitLab repositories and photo albums on social networks. General updates and links to the event’s materials will be posted on the GOSH forum.
  1. What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how. (include a table, no word limit)
  • See the budget table below (Appendix I).
  1. How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion? (approx 50-150 words)
  • Our event will also facilitate participation of the broader UNSAM community, including students from a secondary level technical school (Escuela Secundaria Técnica de UNSAM). This university and its community belong to a peripheral area of Buenos Aires.
  • Representatives from the organised communities located in the territories in which CoSensores works will be invited. This will create a space of dialogue and collaborative construction of knowledge between actors from territories immersed in socio-environmental conflicts and researchers, regarding limitations in the access to scientific and technological knowledge.
  • For this event, we will follow the reGOSH code of conduct regarding diversity and inclusion and will encourage participants to follow it too.
  1. Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare? (approx 10-50 words)
  • Laura Olalde is also part of the review panel for the funding program we are applying to, and will excuse herself from evaluating this proposal, according to what is established in the “REVIEW PROCESS” in the call at the Forum.

Appendix I: Budget

Item Category Cost
Aeroplane tickets (1 Chile, 4 Mendoza). Travel allowances $1.500,00
Lodging (5 guests). Travel allowances $1.000,00
Food (15 guests). Travel allowances $600,00
Components (pH electrodes and other sensors). Hardware $2.238,98
Advertising material (flyers, banners, etc.). Communication $500,00
- Subtotal $5.838,98
FUNDACEN (5% fee for fiscal sponsoring) Sponsor fee $291,95
- Grand total $6.130,93

Appendix II: Schedule and activities

Structure of the meeting: 4 days to be defined between May 8 and 19. Participants will be required to test and set up their hardware prototypes before the event.

  1. Day 1. Present the projects and prototypes prepared by the team for the event (CoSensors, 3D Printing, “We Preserve”, etc). Begin to assemble new units.
  2. Day 2. Assembly and documentation of prototypes for environmental monitoring tools. Improve hardware and documentation of reGOSH 2022 projects.
  3. Day 3. Rinse and repeat.
  4. Day 4. Conclude the assembly and documentation of the devices. The event will close with an open day / projects fair. The projects and developments will be shared with the local community of university teachers and students, to bring open science hardware closer to classrooms and labs.

Appendix III: Projects

Established projects:

  • pH-metro.
  • Conductímetro.
  • Colorímetro.
  • Turbidímetro.
  • Robot pipeteador.
  • Medidor de calidad de aire.
  • Data logger

Candidate new projects:

  • Monitor de temperatura,
  • robot artist,
  • PCR con calentador de hotend.

:gosh:

3 Likes

1. Name of organization
Brig Labs

2. Email address (or preferred and reliable way of contacting you)
resources@briglabs.co.zw

3. Tell us about your organization and your event team (approx 50-100 words)
Brig Labs is a makerspace dedicated to help ordinary people inclined towards curious inventiveness develop products that solve problems through its community of like-minded people that find it hard to take the world as it is given to them. The current team has had experience in organising events in the country which include hackathons, festivals, and conferences. We also ran a marathon of events with the Lab Mobile when they paid us a weeklong visit this included trainings and workshops. Brig labs also took part in trainings that were held in Bulawayo under Africa Code Week in 2022.

4. Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how? (approx 25-50 words)
We aim to have a bias towards women and people living with disability by ensuring at least 60% of our participants are from the mentioned groups. This is due to the evident low turnout of women and people living with disabilities in STEM related activities and professions in our country.

5. What scientific discipline is your event related to? (approx 10 words)
We are focusing on the Physics discipline with a bias towards Science and Technology Studies.

6. Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan. (approx 200-250 words)
With this event we seek to carryout 2 trainings set from 21 March to 21 April 2023 and 13 to 24 May 2023. To impart machine and product design and development to high school and tertiary students. Exposing them to Open science hardware, while instilling the notion that “I can do it too” because there are no local players in the DIY community due to the chronic economic crisis that Bulawayo, Zimbabwe is facing.
The event will be advertised through the website, social media and traditional media and walk in presentations for the schools.
A month long training for 20 Tertiary students will be chosen from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe to take up the challenge of developing rapid prototyping machines that can be used in a mobile lab, to expose and strengthen STEM uptake among women and people living with disability. Based on their choice from, each team will receive a box with the necessary parts they need to develop the machine in the 4-week timeframe.
The second part is where we take these machines and offer a 2 weeklong workshop to 20 students from 3 Girls schools and 2 Co-ed schools in the city and grouped into 5 Teams. Set to build remote controlled racing cars that will introduce them to product design and development and as well as create ambassadors that will form clubs in their schools to participate in a school’s league set to start in Q2 of this year.

7. What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them? (approx 100-200 words)
There will be video footage, reports and images that will be published for GOSH with the designs and equipment blueprints will also be published according to Open Science Hardware Documentation standards to allow anyone in the world to or Open Science community can build a similar lab and use it to advance the Open Science Hardware manifesto. This initial set of machinery will then be used to expose highschoolers, universities, hobbyists and seasoned professionals to the 4th Industrial Revolution which has since eluded our region thus far.

8. How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline? (approx 100-200 words)
Brig Labs seeks to incorporate this initial set of machinery into a mobile laboratory and tour various urban and rural schools in marginalised communities with bias towards women and people living with disability. Thus, advancing Open Science Hardware through the 2-week training module utilised in this event. This will lead to an improved uptake of Physics and other STEM related subjects in the formation of clubs within the schools that will empower the students with the necessary knowledge to further Open Science Hardware within their communities. As such, the Ambassadors become key stakeholders in starting local leagues that will perpetuate consistent knowledge gains in this scientific discipline while building the remote-controlled racing cars.

9. How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community? (approx 100-200 words)
The event will not only provide hope but also the drive that all these machines, and products that are made outside the country can also be done locally by Zimbabweans and also further be used to teach the upcoming generation to develop products an services that can ease the way they live their lives.

10. What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how. (include a table, no word limit)
Following the budget, Brig Labs has pledged $2100 in kind to cover Facilitator Fees, electronic components and motors from E-Waste and administration costs incurred for communication, labour, stationery, and documentations.

11. How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion? (approx 50-150 words)
The event will address GOSH’s Values of diversity and inclusion with its bias towards women and people living with disability for a start and the goal of reducing the bar to entry into electronics in the country as entry is mostly realised in tertiary level. Furthermore, involvement of a mobile lab after the event will help in levelling the playing field as more rural schools in marginalised communities will get exposure to these tools and knowledge that will help them contribute to the Open Science Hardware community.

12. Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare? (approx 10-50 words)
None

1 Like
  1. Name of organization

Organization in charge of the event:

Chilean Node from reGOSH network

Legal institution for fund reception:

Instituto Milenio de Biología Integrativa (Institute for Integrative Biology, iBio)

  1. Email address (or preferred and reliable way of contacting you)

Séverine Cazaux:
severine.cazaux@gmail.com
Chilean Node coordinator.

  1. Tell us about your organization and your event team (approx 50-100 words)

The Chilean Node is part of reGOSH, a Latin American network developing open source technologies for research and education purposes. The members of the Chilean Node have been organizing many events about Open Source Hardware and Open Science over the past 6 years: the GOSH local event in 2017 held in Santiago, TECNOx3.0 in Valparaíso (2018), outreach activities in high schools (2019, 2020 and 2021), the Open Enzyme Workshop in Ethiopia (2020), workshops for beer-makers addressing pathogen detection (2022), and other activities about open hardware and wetware for education of science teachers (2023) in Valdivia, among others. The leader of the reGOSH network is Fernán Federici, associate professor at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC) and a long-time activist about OSH, who has pushed and organized all the events described before. He is also part of the reGOSH Chilean Node, currently coordinated by Séverine Cazaux, a PhD student who has been involved as either a participant or co-organizer of several of the events mentioned as well, with the active help of the other members of the Node. Other members are Paola Laurrari and Pierre Padilla, established in Chile since last year, who have pushed for the replication of low-cost microscopy devices and participated in expanding the training network for bioimaging hardware in Chile and Latin America Libre Hub. Benjamin Zamora and Antoni Perez, who have led several educational workshops across Chile during 2017 and helped organize TECNOx 3.0 in 2018 are also participating in the Node, along with Tamara Matute and Isaac Nuñez, historical collaborators in all the events mentioned above. Finally, the Node have gained new collaborators over the past few months, who have participated in the workshop to beer-makers and to high school teachers in Valdivia: Javiera Avilés, Valentina Ferrando, Ariel Cerda, Felipe Navarro, Alejandro Aravena.

  1. Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how? (approx 25-50 words)

As part of the reGOSH network, the Chilean Node fully subscribes to the GOSH principles of equity, inclusion and diversity. Our organization arises from Latin America, a region historically hit by political instability, economical crisis and high levels of poverty and social inequalities. With participants from Argentina, Venezuela, Perú and Chile who have established themselves temporarily or permanently in Chile, our Node represents the diversity of our region. Considering the geopolitical context in which we develop science, and the historical centralization of resources and infrastructure, we converge in promoting the movement for Open Hardware as a movement for autonomy and democracy. Although the coordinator of the Chilean Node is from France (the only person out of the region), she has established herself in Chile for 9 years now and has a deep understanding of the issues in our region. This event is therefore organized by and directed to Latin American researchers and activists in order to give us tools and abilities we would not be able to develop in other circumstances.

Moreover, this event will be the opportunity to build capabilities specifically in the women of the Chile and Buenos Aires Node, since their professional and academic career is framed into environmental monitoring technologies from a genetic and biotechnological point of view. Although more details about the event will be provided in the following sections, it is relevant to mention that the women who participate of the event are working on the detection of pathogens in environmental samples, which involves sample collection techniques, hardware for sample processing, wireless data sharing, genetic devices for biosensors, etc.

  1. What scientific discipline is your event related to? (approx 10 words)

The event is related to Conservation Technologies and Open Source Biotechnology.

  1. Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan. (approx 200-250 words)

To contextualize the event, it is relevant to mention that the Chilean Node of reGOSH network will hold a two-week residency focused around a challenge that climate change makes particularly relevant for Chile: environmental conservation and monitoring. The event will take place in September 2023 in Valdivia and will gather around 20 participants from diverse disciplines over Latin America. The residency will focus on i) replicating successful projects from previous residencies for soil quality monitoring, this part being led by the Mendoza and Buenos Aires Nodes of reGOSH; ii) sharing open source reagents for environmental genetic monitoring from our Node and building a device for LAMP amplification with the support of Francisco Quero, an international expert in open source hardware; and iii) building several designs of open source microscopes for field applications.

In order to prepare for this residency, the Chilean Node will organize a previous 5-days “satellite” event in Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, which is the object of this application. Our main objectives are i) to develop new projects that can be brought to the residency about environmental monitoring and ii) to build capacities in women researchers and activists from Argentine and Chile who are working in this area. During this event, to be achieved during April 2023, our organization will bring international guests, experts in microscopy and automation devices. Indeed, developing low-cost and open source hardware for environmental monitoring has several challenges: power autonomy, sample collection and processing, data sharing, among others. To address these fundamental questions, we will invite the following international guests.

Urs Gaudenz is the co-founder of Gaudi Lab and an expert in open source hardware development for biotechnological applications. Author of designs like the Pocket PCR and the OpenDrop, Gaudenz has extensive knowledge about automation and genetic sample processing which will be crucial for the event.

Manu Prakash is the head of the Prakash Lab and co-developer of the Planktoscope, an open source microscope designed for the recollection of water samples and observation of plankton. This is the first microscope design we know that its hardware and software allow the collection and processing of environmental samples, with an extensive track record of field applications, for both academic research and education purposes.

During this “hackathon-like” satellite event and with the support of our guests, we will build from scratch a Planktoscope and an OpenDrop. The last day will be a brainstorming about how these designs could be adapted to the automated processing of genetic targets from environmental samples. At the end of the event, the projects will be documented and released on a github platform. Moreover, both Gaudenz and Prakash will be invited to give a hybrid (both physical and virtual) talk at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, in order to broaden the impact of the event, thus allowing the community to delve into this open source hardware ecosystem for biotechnology and environmental monitoring. Both the event and the talks will be advertised through the social media of iBio, PUC and reGOSH. The outcomes of the events like the project documentation and the contents of the event will also be communicated through the webpages of the same institutions and their social media.

  1. How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline? (approx 100-200 words)

We have learned with SARS-CoV-2 and the incipient outbreak of avian flu that we need to pay more attention to zoonosis and emerging infectious diseases, which affect not only humans but also the biodiversity. Early and permanent monitoring of biological samples in remote locations is therefore key to act on-time, starting from a more comprehensive approach such as the so-called One Health (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).

Currently, due to the need of processing, cleaning and concentrating environmental samples, this procedure is realized mostly in laboratories and facilities which tend to be centralized in urban areas. Thus, the delay between the sample collection and the issuance of results from the laboratory makes effective environmental monitoring delayed and even counterproductive. Moreover, the sample collection requires a strategic plan with high availability and know-how of professionals like park rangers or environmental researchers, which could become very complex to execute and to collect sufficient data volume.

Therefore, this satellite event of our residency will bring knowledge about low-cost devices that tackle the aforementioned issues and capacities to local researchers, especially women researchers, in a country where the protection of biodiversity is a matter of national interest and more tools are needed in the field of environmental monitoring.

  1. How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community? (approx 100-200 words)

As for the pandemic, climate change and its consequences, like emerging infectious disease and biodiversity loss, it is challenge that needs to be addressed globally. With this event and the corresponding documented projects, we aim to contribute to the development of locally applicable tools for environmental monitoring in any place where it may be needed. We expect that this residency will allow i) mature projects to be replicated in other parts of the world through shared documentation and ii) incipient conversations and collaborations that may lead to new designs for diverse environmental applications. It is also relevant to have international participants like Urs Gaudenz and Manu Prakash in order to broaden the impact of the event overseas and accelerate technology development.

  1. What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how. (include a table, no word limit)

We are applying for a satellite event of the residency that represents 37% of the total cost of the activities. It is important to note that the 63% remaining is already secured by i) CYTED, the Iberoamerican Programme of Science and Technology for Development which will pay for the participation of reGOSH members and other international experts, ii) iBio, our legal representative institution which also facilitates materials and reagents we will bring to the residency and iii) the Universidad Austral for lending the place where the residency will take place (Valdivia).

The funding will be used for mainly two purposes: i) bringing international experts to the satellite event in order to transfer knowledge and competencies to the participants and ii) covering the materials for the building of the OpenDrop and Planktoscope devices.

Item Purpose Quantity Price (USD) Total (USD) Origin
International experts Travel tickets and accommodation: Urs Gaudenz (Geneva, Switzerland) Bring Urs Gaudenz to the satellite event 1 2.000 2.000 This application
Travel tickets and accommodation: Manu Prakash (Stanford, California), or a team member Bring Manu Prakash to the satellite event 1 2.000 2.000 This application
Travel tickets and accommodation: Franciso Quero (Paris, France) Bring Francisco Quero to the residency 1 2.000 2.000 CYTED
Participation of reGOSH members Travel ticket and accomodation for a participant from Buenos Aires Node Ensure the participation of 1 woman researcher or activist from Buenos Aires Node 1 700 700 This application
Travel tickets and accomodation Ensure the paritarian participation of reGOSH members for each Node. 12 6.000 6.000 CYTED
Materials Materials for building an OpenDrop 1.200 This application
Materials for building a Planktoscope 1.400 This application
Others (basic electronics, reagents, 3D printers) - 6.000 CYTED and iBio
TOTAL 19.900
TOTAL Satellite event (This application) 7.300
  1. How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion? (approx 50-150 words)

During the satellite event, we aim at reaching ground-parity among the participants, understood as at least 50% of women. To do so, we will prioritize in terms of resources and time the participation of the women from the Chilean and Buenos Aires Nodes, especially because this satellite event is directly related to their professional career. Concretely, that means supporting them not to attend professional commitments during these 5 days like classes or teaching or looking for solutions related to the care of family members, so that they can participate in the event. This way, it will be an opportunity for them to make professional networking at the same time they build capacities in a relevant area for the country.

Moreover, we seek to attract interest in open source (bio)technologies for environmental monitoring among the academic community and technology transfer offices through renown international guests who will give a talk during the event. In a context where innovation is always driven by Intellectual Property (IP) incentives, raising awareness about the need for low-cost, IP-free devices for the protection of our health and biodiversity is necessary. This is why these talks will be directed to professors, students, and technology transfer professionals altogether. They will be held in a hybrid mode and recorded in order to be available on broad platforms like Youtube afterwards.

  1. Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare? (approx 10-50 words)

None.

1 Like

1. Name of Organization

Foldscope Network - Indonesian Fellows

2. Email Address

elainereginajap@gmail.com

3. About the Organization and Team

The Foldscope Network is a global community of people who use Foldscopes for scientific exploration and education. The network includes researchers, educators, and students from all over the world who share their findings and collaborate on scientific projects. The network also provides resources and support for people who want to use Foldscopes in their work or classrooms.

The Indonesian Fellows were formed in October 2022 and have been focused in running workshops with local Indonesian students and the Fishermen community in Bali.

Here are some examples of the Foldscope Workshops that have been done:

5. What scientific discipline is your event related to?

Open Science, Microscopy, Environmental Monitoring, Citizen Science, Oceanography

6. Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan.

Indonesia is a maritime archipelagic country with huge biodiversity. However there are still mysteries and hidden potential yet uncovered within the Indonesian waters, especially in the realm of microscopic. Despite its size, micro-organism play a huge role in marine ecosystem. They are critical in maintaining the health and balance of the ocean and its complex food webs. The oxygen, nutrients, and biomass they produce also sustain terrestrial life — from the food we eat to the air we breathe. For this very reason, understanding what’s within the water environment is very important, given the plethora of 150 million local coastal dwellers (they make up to 60% of the total population) whose lives are intricatelly linked to the ocean.

Ironically; despite Indonesia having abundance and wealth of marine resources - the coastal dwellers especially fishermen aren’t able to use these resources to improve their welfare. Around 53% families in coastal region are living below the national poverty line. 2.7 million fishermen in Indonesia has contributed 25% to the national poverty rate. Poverty that occurs on the coastal communities is caused by, among others, low education, economic access, and government policies that are less in favor of fishing communities.

The possibilities in utilizing an open & low-cost tools like Foldcope as a way to analyze & address the widely varied marine problems are extensive. By giving them access to frugal science tools, we can enable direct mass data collection from the local & indigenous coastal communities and include them in the marine conservation efforts. Additionally using the result from this research, we can arrange activities that encourage the fishermen to utilize these researches and contribute to the equity of sustainable blue economy goals.

We have run couple of introductory workshops with few of the Jimbaran Beach fishermen in Bali last year. We would like to continue the effort and reach out to more fishermen in the Jimbaran fishing community and expand this Citizen Science movement.

The workshop will include the following activities:

  • Day 1: Plankton Net Workshop - Making frugal plankton nets out of local materials
  • Day 2: Foldscope Workshop and Water Sampling in Jimbaran Beach (refer to this video)
  • Day 3: Microcosmos Workshop

Outreach
We would like to give a preface as to why we want to do this workshop and how it relates to the outreach with the following story…

  • On our last day of Bali Fab Fest, we introduced Foldscope to the local fishing community in Jimbaran Beach and all the fishermen that were present to see the foldscope in action became fascinated by it. At that time we only had 1 Foldscope left so we gave them to this enthusiastic fisherman and, hoping that he will use it with his community…

  • Jump to 3 weeks later when we are about to present Foldscope for Ocean 20. Our group decided that we wanted to collect water samples to be seen under the foldscope with the conference patrons so we visited the same beach again hoping to find the same fisherman… The fisherman we were looking for was out at sea… but we found another fisherman who wanted to take us into the sea because he knew about the foldscope (from the previous fisherman) and wanted to learn how to use it too!

So for our outreach, we will connect with the local fishermen that has been introduced to the Foldscope and the head of the Jimbaran-Kedonganan fishing community. We are also hoping to invite a representative from the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investments Affairs so that they can see the outcome of the workshop and maybe try to implement it nation-wide with other fishing communities.

7. What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them?

We will make a video documentation about the whole workshop, a microcosmos post, as well as an open ‘Citizen Science Guidebook’ for fishing communities which will highlight:

  • How to make frugal plankton nets
  • Collect water samples & towing guide
  • What to make of their findings

8. How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline?

The Foldscope is closely linked to the citizen science movement because it empowers individuals, including non-scientists, to participate in scientific research and education. Citizen Science refers to the involvement of the general public in scientific research projects, often through collaborative efforts with professional scientists.

The Foldscope’s low cost and easy assembly make it accessible to people who might not have had the opportunity to use a microscope before. This means that individuals in vulnerable communities can contribute to scientific research and education, regardless of their background or education level. As we mentioned earlier, the quality of life in most of the coastal communities in Indonesia is unpromising and below the national poverty line. One way to break the chain of poverty in coastal areas is to increase education and Community-based Environmental Education is recognized as a powerful tool for contributing the solution of socio-environmental problems in the coastal zones. The community aspect of the Foldscope Network encourages people to become more engaged with science and can even inspire the children of fishing communitites to pursue further education or careers in science which can prove beneficial for the community in the long-run.

The data collected by fishermen using Foldscopes could contribute to larger citizen science initiatives that aim to study and monitor the impacts of climate change on the marine environment. By working together with scientists and other citizen scientists, fishermen could help advance our understanding of these critical issues and inform policy decisions that could help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Overall, the Foldscope is an excellent tool for engaging fishermen in citizen science efforts to address climate change. By empowering them to collect and analyze data, the Foldscope can help create a more comprehensive understanding of how climate change is affecting the marine environment, and inform strategies to address this critical issue.

9. How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community?

We would like to extend the definition of “open science hardware community” to include communities that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change but have limited access to basic science tools.

Fishermen in developing countries are often some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Changes in ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, and sea level rise can all affect the fish stocks and marine ecosystems on which these fishermen rely for their livelihoods. By democratizing science and providing fishermen with access to tools like the Foldscope, they can be empowered to collect data about the marine environment and contribute to efforts to understand and mitigate these impacts.

Democratizing science can help to build capacity and expertise within communities. By providing fishermen with access to scientific tools and knowledge, they can become more engaged in scientific research and contribute to local and global efforts to address environmental challenges. This can help build a culture of scientific inquiry and innovation within communities, which can lead to new solutions and approaches to addressing complex problems.

Through democratization of sciencem, we hope help to bridge the gap between researchers and local communities. In many cases, scientists and researchers may have limited access to the areas and communities they are studying. By engaging fishermen and other local stakeholders in scientific research, researchers can gain a better understanding of the local context and challenges, and work more effectively with communities to develop solutions that are tailored to their needs and circumstances.

10. What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how.

CATEGORY FUNDING DESCRIPTION
Foldscopes $550 Getting 200 Foldscopes (Basic Classroom Kit + Shipping + Tax)
Plankton Net $100 Materials to build multiple Plankton Nets with Fishing Communities
Travel Expenses $1200 Flight Tickets + Accomodation + On-Ground Transport (for 5 instructors)
Boats (10) $200 Expenses pertaining to collecting water samples with the Fishermen
TOTAL $2050

11. How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion?

Running a Foldscope workshop with Indigenous and Local Indonesian Fishermen is in line with GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion. By empowering Indonesian fishermen to be the forefront of a citizen science movement for marine research, the Foldscope can foster collaboration between scientists or educators from other backgrounds, different disciplines, backgrounds, locations; thus encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration and promote the sharing of ideas and knowledge.

12. Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare?

There are no conflicts of interest. We would like to mention that since most of the instructors are based in Jakarta hence why the travel expenses make up the most of the funding needed for this event.

1. Name of organization
ARISE - Ateneo Research Institute of Science and Engineering
Ateneo de Manila University

2. Email address (or preferred and reliable way of contacting you)
Christiane “Tien” Oriana
coriana@ateneo.edu

3. Tell us about your organization and your event team (approx 50-100 words)
Our event team is made up of Ateneo Research Institute of Science and Engineering (ARISE) research scientists, fellows, and staff. ARISE is an institute operating under Ateneo de Manila University’s School of Science and Engineering (SOSE). The institute envisions itself to transform Philippine society through the generation of knowledge and innovative technologies for national development. To this end, ARISE has an extensive portfolio of hosting and organizing workshops and events. Likewise key members of the event team also have experience in giving talks and facilitating workshops in a professional capacity. The team is passionate about working on research that empowers others and hopes to spread the infectious joy of building things to others. Through this event the team aims to bring together students, researchers, and educators throughout the country.

4. Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how? (approx 25-50 words)
The event team’s research operations are based in the “global south” (Philippines) where the socio-economic and political context pose major limitations in the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). As such, open source hardware will be of great benefit to the STEM community in making instruments and equipment more accessible.
Moreover, the event team comprises a majority of women and includes LGBT+ representation, with members from different towns and cities across the Philippines.

5. What scientific discipline is your event related to? (approx 10 words)
The event is predominantly focused on STEM education and research

6. Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan. (approx 200-250 words)

Working Title: Open Source Hardware 101
Target Date: April 14-15, 2023
Target Venue: Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Organizing Committee: ARISE Research Scientists, Fellows, Staff and University student volunteers
Target Participants: local college-level students, educators, and researchers/research groups
Target Number of Participants: 100 for plenary day 1; 30 for workshop day 2

The first day of the event is designed as an information drive for those interested to learn about open source hardware. Resource speakers will be invited to hold talks covering topics including “What is Open Source?”, Open Source hardware basics, and some applications of open source hardware in research for the first day. It will end with time allotted for networking and for bringing together the community. The goal of the first day is to bring together the initial group of people that will make up the Philippine Open Science Hardware (working title) community.

The second day of the event is designed to allow “enthusiasts” to engage in basic prototyping skills necessary for open source hardware prototyping and fabrication. Participants will be building an open source hardware project that will allow them to try their hand at Arduino, 3D modeling, and 3D printing. The program can also potentially include CNC milling and laser cutting. To drive home the intent of this event to be the starting point for more open source hardware work, participants will be asked to conceptualize potential open source hardware projects that they can start implementing in their own research groups or student activities.

The event will primarily be advertised on Facebook as this has the most reach for Filipinos. To broaden the reach of the event, a pre-event raffle contest will be employed where people will be asked to “Like. Share. Comment and Tag Others” on the event’s official social media post. Five winners will be given slots to the workshop held on day 2.

7. What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them? (approx 100-200 words)
Preparation Phase
The event team plans to post pre-event documentation through the GOSH forums. Social Media content will be prepared for event advertising. Invitations will be sent out to prospective research groups in the Philippines who are doing research involving some form of low cost, DIY, or open source hardware who might be interested in joining together to form a Philippine Open Science Hardware Community.

Event Proper
Aside from the event documentation (e.g. report, photos, videos), the event team plans to gather “pledges” or documentary support from the members of what is to be the Philippine Open Science Hardware (POSH) community by the end of day 1. Participants will be invited to a Facebook group which will serve as the POSH forum as part of their pledge. Participant evaluations and speaker feedback will also be formally collected for both days 1 and 2.

Day 2 participants are expected to complete an open source hardware project. They will be encouraged to post their work on social media with an event hashtag. Additionally, participants will be asked to conceptualize potential open source hardware projects that they can start implementing in their own research groups or student activities.

Post-Event
The key goal of organizing this year’s event is to make it a heat test for a much bigger Philippine Open Science Hardware Community event next year. Collated evaluations and documented event proceedings will be used as basis for the recommendations for the planning of the bigger event. The resulting document will also be shared with the GOSH community through the forums.

8. How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline? (approx 100-200 words)
Many research groups throughout the Philippines are already working on low cost or DIY hardware projects for STEM education and research. However, there is no local community for knowledge transfer on open source hardware in the Philippines that could help facilitate equitable access to STEM education resources. The event can promote and advance open science hardware in STEM education and research by raising awareness of open source hardware, providing practical experience, encouraging collaboration, highlighting benefits, and empowering participants. Additionally, the event will highlight the benefits of open-source hardware, such as lower costs, increased accessibility, and greater transparency. By doing so, it can encourage more individuals and institutions in the Philippines to adopt open-source hardware in their STEM education and research activities. Finally, the event will empower participants to conceptualize and implement open-source hardware projects, thus further advancing the use of open-source hardware in STEM education and research.

9. How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community? (approx 100-200 words)
The STEM education and research scene in the Philippines is an ideal setting for open-source designs due to the prohibitive costs and difficulty of procuring instruments and equipment. As a result, many researchers and educators turn to DIY solutions or low-cost alternatives. By sharing these projects as open-source designs, they have the potential to benefit more people.

The event can contribute to the growth and development of the broader open science hardware community by bringing together a community of individuals interested in open-source hardware in STEM education and research. Through collaboration, resource sharing, and the exchange of ideas, new projects and applications can be developed that can benefit the broader open science hardware community. Additionally, the event’s participants, who are primarily local college-level students, educators, and researchers, can serve as advocates and ambassadors for open-source hardware in their respective institutions and networks. They can apply their learning and practical experience in their research, teaching, and student activities, thereby increasing the adoption and impact of open-source hardware in STEM education and research.

As mentioned in the event plan, this event will serve as a heat test for a much bigger Philippine Open Science Hardware Community event next year. This event aims to educate more people about the field and bring together more people and ideas on developing open science hardware. In this way, the impact of the event and its outputs can extend beyond its immediate participants and contribute to the growth and development of the broader open science hardware community in the Philippines and potentially beyond. With the information drive resulting from this event, and the formation of the Philippine Open Science Hardware community, Filipinos can now also have access to and contribute to the broader global open science hardware network.

10. What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how. (include a table, no word limit)

Category Budget (USD)
Venue (facilities, AV, security)* 1,200.00
Workshop Kits (Arduino, Electronics, Multimeter, Filament) 2,000.00
Printouts 200.00
Advertising (including Venue Markings) 500.00
Honoraria (Speakers, Facilitators, Administrative Staff) 1,850.00
Food 1,250.00
Total 7,000.00

*Note that the payment for security and facility maintenance personnel is included in the venue expenses instead of personnel fees since the payment will be coursed through university offices in charge of facility use.

The event will be held for two (2) days. The first day, following the theme of exploration, is open to more participants and will follow a plenary format. The goal of the first day is to bring together the initial group of people that will make up the Philippine Open Science Hardware community and set the tone for an “inception meeting”. The second day on the other hand will involve a limited number of “enthusiasts” participating in a whole day of hands-on workshops. The proposed total budget for the two-day event is 7,000.00 USD.

The event is open to the public and will be hosted within Ateneo de Manila University, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The allocation for venue related expenses is around 1,200.00 USD which will be inclusive of facilities use, audiovisual equipment, and payment for security and facility maintenance personnel.

To boost the event’s visibility beyond the university population, some advertising expenses, amounting to 500.00 USD are included in the budget. Advertising will predominantly be done through print and digital/social media. Tarpaulins and venue markers will be prepared to act both as in-university advertisements and as guides for participants to get to the correct venue.

Honoraria, amounting to around 1,850.00 USD, is allocated for the compensation for the time and effort of all seminar speakers, workshop facilitators, ushers, logistics, and administrative personnel involved in the execution of the two-day event.

Printouts, estimated to cost around 200.00 USD, will include those used for registration, communications, event documentation, and for release in participant event kits. On top of this, participants for the workshop will receive an additional hands-on workshop kit inclusive of some basic electronics components. The workshop kit budget of around 2,000.00 USD also includes costs for the consumables of the prototyping exercise such as 3D printer filaments.

Lastly, food and beverages estimated to cost around 1,250.00 USD will be provided for the two-day event. Only light snacks and coffee will be served for guests during the first day to save on costs. However, coffee, AM and PM snacks, and lunch for participants will be provided on the workshop day. The budget also covers meals for the speakers and the event team.

11. How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion? (approx 50-150 words)
The event will align with GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion by bringing together a diverse group of participants from the Philippines. The event aims to empower these individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to engage in open-source hardware projects in their respective institutions and locations, thereby breaking down barriers to access and affordability in STEM education and research.

Given the tight event timeline and that the Philippines is an archipelago, certain logistical challenges are present in inviting participants from other regions of the country. The deliberate choice of having a hybrid event, especially on the first day, allows for the emphasis of inclusion of participants from other islands of the country.

The workshop component of the event will also aim to provide hands-on experience in basic prototyping skills, which can benefit individuals with different learning styles and backgrounds. The promotion of diversity and inclusion during the event will contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future for STEM education and research in the Philippines. Furthermore, it will further the inclusion of Global South perspectives to the open source hardware movement.

12. Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare? (approx 10-50 words)
The organizing team declares no conflict of interest.

Pazi! GOSH

  1. Fundacija Sonda

  2. sonda9@gmx.net

  3. Fundacija Sonda, foundation for art theory and practice is one of the entities residing in the GT22 community spaces. In the community diverse organizations and individuals are co-working in around 1000m2 since 2012. We are located in the center of the city Maribor, Slovenia. Our community counts more than 50 people. FOMO (the institute for photography and museum) and h3kL4B (the hackerspace) will work intensely on the GOSH subject.

  4. We are including people with disabilities, homeless and unemployed.

  5. The event “Pazi! GOSH” is related to Imaging, Conservation technology and Technology studies.

  6. The event “Pazi! GOSH” aims toward creating a tool for archiving and documentation, but also a high quality camera that can use the old lenses and optic from the FOMO museum. Outcome will be a showcase of the AXIOM Beta, and presentation of other GOSH tools and promoting of the open science concept. The participants will be included in a form of a workshop lasting several days in a row, where tools will be presented, tested and assembled. Meals will be prepared for participants where science and new approaches can be discussed.

28 February official opening of the h3kL4B space in the GT22 community. Melon party.

MARCH
• 1 march ordering of the AXIOM Beta
• workshop on documentation, collaboration tools, and open tools
• workshop on the collection and selection of components for the camera,
• workshop on micro-controllers, sensors, coding and assembly
• 28 march celebration / Melon party, showcase of LED lights and microcontrollers.

APRIL
• Workshop on 3D printing
• 20 april Workshop on assembly of AXIOM Beta
• 28 april celebration / Melon party, showcase of AXIOM Beta.

MAY
• Creating documentation, documentation of the FOMO items and the archive. Testing the AXIOM in action. Archiving the FOMO collection.
• Visiting hackerspaces that collaborated in the process, showcase the AXIOM Beta device and present the GOSH community.
• 28 may celebration / Melon party, photo shooting with AXIOM Beta
• Closing up 31 May 2023

  1. Regular documentation in form of diary and photo documentation, published in a wiki. Presence in the local newspaper, magazine, TV and radio. In the community we will produce a Podcast, and a Printed-paper zine dedicated to the GOSH theme. Promotional material like T-shirts and stickers will be created.

  2. Presenting open science hardware to the young generation, making them interested in research. The event will have positive impact on the open science hardware community in the aspect of collaboration and exchange of gathered data, promoting of the already created tools at the GOSH community and new approaches. We are welcoming the digital collaboration and emphasize the importance of exchange and meeting in real life. AXIOM Beta will be presented to the professional community that is working with new media, video and photography.

  3. Through an artistic and cultural approach we will promote and popularize the values of GOSH! The members of the GT22 community will be included in the processes of creating promotion materials and sharing the information, the use cases and materials will be presented to the wider scientific and artistic community.

  4. FUNDING explanation
    Mentors at the workshop will get 50€ per workshop + travel costs, in the time of workshop we are preparing common meals in the community kitchen, so guests and community members and workshop participants can engage and interact. Main part of the budget goes for the AXIOM tool. Other equipment critical for execution of workshops will be bought (micro controllers, batteries, sensors, LED lights).
    Traveling to other hackerspaces, where GOSH project and open hardware tools are presented, will be financed from the budget.

mentoring 400€
travel costs 800€
food 300€
tools and equipment (micro controllers, batteries, sensors, LED lights) 800€
AXIOM Beta (Self-build)3500€
3D filament 400€
Promo material 200€

6400 € = 6800$

  1. GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion should become a natural and the normal directions for any research and exploration.

  2. No conflicts.

Name of organization

Digital Naturalism Laboratories and Pro Eco Azuero

Email address (or preferred and reliable way of contacting you)

Hubert.70@gmail.com

Tell us about your organization and your event team (approx 50-100 words)

Pro Eco Azuero (PEA) is a Panamanian NGO that has been working with local landowners in the Azuero Peninsula to reforest a biological corridor. We are seeking ways to monitor the positive effects reforestation has on biodiversity and want to use this funding opportunity to educate the community about biodiversity monitoring techniques.

Digital Naturalism Laboratories (Dinalab) is a jungle prototyping studio that specializes in developing scientific tools for tropical ecologists, and is the perfect partner for this work. Dinalab has been working with scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and hosting open-science workshops since 2019.

Does your event team have representation of a marginalized demographic due to factors such as, but not limited to, race, ability, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class situation or other identification? If so, how? (approx 25-50 words)

PEA has been working since 2010, in the most vulnerable sectors of the country, building resilience in the communities most exposed to the effects of climate change. PEA prioritizes listening to the needs of the communities, working toward better land stewardship and environmental awareness in organic, youth and women led approaches, promoting diversity and inclusion in all its activities. We prioritize multi-generational thinking, local organization, and collaboration and the livelihoods of local people especially women and girls.

Dinalab strives for equity in all its activities and has personally sponsored scholarships and groups to promote diversity and inclusion in the arts and sciences.

What scientific discipline is your event related to? (approx 10 words)

Conservation technology, imaging, tropical ecology, biodiversity sciences, artificial intelligence

Describe your event. Include the aims and outcomes, who will be invited and how, how the event will be advertised. Summarize the event timeline, agenda and facilitation plan. (approx 200-250 words)

Automatic Light Trap Workshop Jam

Light traps are a basic, but key method for surveying insect biodiversity in natural areas. The practice is simple, a very bright light shines at a white sheet and scientists monitor what insects arrive on the sheet over the night. This method is ubiquitous in tropical ecology, but highly labor intensive for sampling many areas over long periods of time.

We will build an automated light trap that uses computer vision to automatically photograph and identify moths, based on the prototype designed by Bjerge et al., Sensors 2021, 21(2) and a prototype designed by Dinalab in December 2022.

Unlike other models currently under development, the final design will be optimized for weight and cost and tested with diverse groups of community scientists in Panamanian jungle conditions. The development stage will take place in March and April.

The event will be a series of local workshops demonstrating the construction and use of the light trap. We will also present protocols for how to use this device for biodiversity monitoring.

These demonstrations will be given at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Gamboa, Panama as well as at PEA headquarters in Pedasi, Panama. Both events will be open to the public, with the target audience for the Gamboa presentations being scientists who may want to use the light trap in their own research while the primary audience of the Pedasi presentation will be community members, students, and technicians who may implement it at reforestation sites.

We will host this series of events in May. To reach a broader audience we will also present at the public monthly Smithsonian Bat Lab expo in May.

The aim of these presentations is to demonstrate a new and exciting tool for biodiversity monitoring and initiate collaborations with groups that would want to use it for research or monitoring on restoration projects. The events will be publicized via Panamanian community WhatsApp groups, Social media accounts of Dinalab and PEA, PEA’s newsletter, and strategic local allied organizations webpages (SUMARSE, Ciudad del Saber).

What type of outputs will result from the event (e.g. reports, documentation, media) and how will you share them? (approx 100-200 words).

The designs and software for the automated light trap will be published on gitlab, github, instructables, hackaday.io, with documentation and discussion on openhardware.science and wildlabs.net. We will collaborate with the automated camera trap community on wildlabs for a communal photo repository that informs machine learning models for different light traps currently in development.

The development process for the light trap and demonstrations will be publicized on social media by Dinalab and PEA. The physical light trap will be used by PEA to monitor their reforestation projects. Ideally, this is a starting point, a proof of concept, for producing more of these devices for larger scale implementation across PEA projects.

How will your event promote or advance open science hardware within the specified scientific discipline? (approx 100-200 words)

There is a critical need by both the private and public sector for rapid, scalable, and accurate biodiversity assessment. With recent investment in the voluntary carbon market many reforestation projects are starting around the world, with projects that promote biodiversity given greater market value. Additionally, COP-15 in Montreal resulted in many international commitments to biodiversity regeneration. Ecologists have been tasked with quantifying biodiversity to assess progress in these realms, yet are currently largely limited to costly and laborious on-the-ground measurements and imprecise remote sensing data. Automated light traps developed in northern countries are a recent addition to the toolkit, though one that is currently inadequate for the tropics, where most biodiversity occurs. Artificial Intelligence has seen rapid advancement recently and will play an increasingly large role in the automation of ecological data collection, with many seeing it as essential to effective monitoring at the scale demanded by the current biodiversity crisis. We want to ensure that cutting edge tools like the light trap we will develop remain open science to have the greatest impact possible.

How will your event and its outputs have an impact on the broader open science hardware community? (approx 100-200 words)

Of the opportunities for developing open science hardware, there tends to be funds for developing and publishing designs, but fewer opportunities for doing the type of direct testing and education with the community scientists who will be using them.

We will be contributing to a growing body of work surrounding automated camera traps for insects. This is a very young field, initiated by Bjerge et al., Sensors 2021, 21(2). There are several groups, mostly in the temperate zone, working on different versions of an automated light trap. We are in contact with these groups and collaborating on key aspects of design.

What is the funding for? Describe your budget. List what you are going to spend it on and how. (include a table, no word limit).

We will develop and test a tool with broad application for biodiversity monitoring in Central America, and, with some further modification, around the world. This tool will address a direct need of Pro Eco Azuero for quantifying changes in biodiversity on reforested land in the Azuero Peninsula. It will also be more broadly useful in the scientific community as a method of automatically collecting large quantities of data.

The funding will go towards the preparation and delivery of these scientific hardware workshops. About $900 will go towards physical materials for creating several more of the light traps, and $1120 will go towards finalizing the documentation and development of the hardware prototypes. The remainder of the budget is focused on the delivery of the workshop and making it accessible to a broad variety of community members (such as transportation for getting to the workshop and field sites)

item quantity cost per unit cost
Dinalab development and documentation 14 80 1120
Raspberry pi 4B 2GB 3 130 390
395nm LED light strips 6 12 72
Light ring 3 12 36
Arducam 64MP Ultra High-Resolution pi camera 3 60 180
512 GB micro SD card 3 60 180
Power source and cables 3 50 150
Electronics components (wires, relays, RTC, ect.) 3 20 60
Workshop organizer management and delivery 2 350 700
Accessibility and transportation for organizers and community members 1 500 500
Workshop consumables (signage, food, table rental) 1 250 250
Total: 3458

How would your event address GOSH’s values of diversity and inclusion? (approx 50-150 words)

Most of the groups developing automated light traps are working at academic institutions in the global north. We will develop and share our designs in Panama with the goal of addressing the needs of Pro Eco Azuero, a Panamanian NGO focusing on reforestation and biodiversity regeneration. We will further use this opportunity to engage with Panamanian communities about the value of biodiversity and how it is measured. The tool we are developing will also be of interest to ecologists and likely see use beyond Panama in larger scale monitoring efforts in the tropics.

Are there any conflicts of interest that you wish to declare? (approx 10-50 words)

We declare no direct conflicts of interest. Andrew Quitmeyer has worked as a GOSH organizer and councilperson before, but is currently just a GOSH community member.