Tag Archives: 3D printed microscopes

Wilson Center’s Feb. 1, 2021 webcast: Low-Cost and Open Source Tools: Next Steps for Science and Policy

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has planned a US-centric event, in this case, but I think it could be of interest to anyone interested in low-cost and open source tools.

For anyone who’s unfamiliar with the term ‘open source’, as applied to a tool and/or software, it’s pretty much the opposite of a tool/software that’s kept secret by a patent. The Webopedia entry for Open Source Tools defines the term this way (Note: Links have been removed),

Open source tools is a phrase used to mean a program — or tool — that performs a very specific task, in which the source code is openly published for use and/or modification from its original design, free of charge. …

Getting back to the Wilson Center, I received this Jan. 22, 2021 announcement (via email) about their upcoming ‘Low-Cost and Open Source Tools: Next Steps for Science and Policy’ event,

Low-Cost and Open Source Tools: Next Steps for Science and Policy

Monday
Feb. 1, 2021
3:30pm – 5:00pm ET

Foldable and 3D printed microscopes are broadening access to the life sciences, low-cost and open microprocessors are supporting research from cognitive neuroscience to oceanography, and low-cost and open sensors are measuring air quality in communities around the world. In these examples and beyond, the things of science – the physical tools that generate data or contribute to scientific processes – are becoming less expensive, and more open.

Recent developments, including the extraordinary response to COVID-19 by maker and DIY communities, have demonstrated the value of low cost and open source hardware for addressing global challenges. These developments strengthen the capacity of individual innovators and community-based organizations and highlight concrete opportunities for their contribution to science and society. From a policy perspective, work on low-cost and open source hardware– as well as broader open science and open innovation initiatives– has spanned at least two presidential administrations.

When considering past policy and practical developments, where are we today?

With the momentum of a new presidential administration, what are the possible next steps for elevating the value and prominence of low-cost and open source tools? By bringing together perspectives from the general public and public policy communities, this event will articulate the proven potential and acknowledge the present obstacles of making low-cost and open source hardware for science more accessible and impactful.

To watch the livestream event, please RSVP here.

I found more information on the Wilson Center’s ‘Low-Cost and Open Source Tools: Next Steps for Science and Policy’ event webpage,

Agenda

3:30 [pm ET] Welcome

Alison Parker, Senior Program Associate, Science & Technology Innovation Program, The Wilson Center

3:40 Keynote Speech: Perspectives from the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation

Ana Persic, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

3:55 Panel: The progress and promise of low-cost and open tools for accelerating science and addressing challenges 

Meghan McCarthy, Program Lead, 3D Printing and Biovisualization, NIH/NIAID at Medical Science & Computing (MSC)

Gerald “Stinger” Guala, Earth Sciences Division, Science Mission Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Zac Manchester, The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)

Moderator: Anne Bowser, Deputy Director, Science & Technology Innovation Program, The Wilson Center

4:45 Closing Remarks: What’s Next?

Shannon Dosemagen, Open Environmental Data Project

THING Tank

This project is an initiative of the Wilson Center’s THING Tank. From DIY microscopes made from paper and household items, to low cost and open microprocessors supporting research from cognitive neuroscience to oceanography, to low cost sensors measuring air quality in communities around the world, the things of science — that is, the physical tools that generate data or contribute to scientific processes — are changing the way that science happens.

Learn More

Enjoy!