Hey all,
It is September 1, which means that we are welcoming a new Community Council today! Joining Yan Kay Ho, María Castelló, and Dara Obademi, all of whom are staying on for a second year are Suleiman Abdulsalam and Salman Faris.
Suleiman is a doctoral researcher at Virginia Tech whose involvement with GOSH began approximately four years ago, when he helped draft an early GOSH constitution. He currently serves on the Ambassador Program Working Group and has also co-authored work with other GOSHers examining the potential of open science hardware in Africa. As part of the Council, he is particularly interested in broadening participation, strengthening engagement on the Forum, and building connections between GOSH and universities.
Salman is a maker and open hardware advocate based in Kerala, India, where he leads MakerGram and works in Community and Developer Relations at Screenly. A former OSHWA Board member, he is highly active across international maker and hardware networks, serving as a Seeed Studio Ranger, an Edge Impulse Expert, and an Arm Ambassador. He joins the Council with a strong focus on community support, communications, capacity building, and helping new contributors navigate GOSH and open science hardware projects.
Of course, the transition to a new Council also means saying goodbye to Sakti Subramanian and Karl Kaddu. Many thanks to both for the time and commitment they have given to the Council, with particular gratitude to Karl, who concludes three years of service - including an additional year he volunteered to support continuity through last year’s transition. During his time as a Council member, Karl served as liaison to the Open Science Hardware Foundation Board and contributed to numerous community efforts, most recently playing an instrumental role in the Gathering Working Group’s planning for Kathmandu.
Please join me in thanking Karl and Sakti, and in welcoming Salman and Suleiman! As always, the Council remains available for any questions or feedback at goshcouncil@openhardware.science. I look forward to sharing updates of our work together throughout the coming year.
Kind regards,
Jamaica