Open Science Labs Roadmap - 2024 #

Introduction #

As Open Science Labs continues to evolve, our focus shifts towards more structured and impactful initiatives. This roadmap outlines our strategic plan, highlighting new areas of development while maintaining our commitment to the open science and technology community.

New Initiatives and Objectives #

Research Center #

  • Objective: Establish a research center with an initial focus on data science. This will serve as a hub for innovation, research, and development in cutting-edge data science methodologies.
  • Plan: Identify key areas within data science for initial research projects, seek partnerships with industry experts, and secure funding for research activities.

Educational Partnerships for Skill Enhancement #

  • Objective: Collaborate with educational institutions to offer complementary programs aimed at enhancing student skills in programming and technological tools.
  • Plan: Develop curriculum modules that are meticulously designed to integrate seamlessly with existing courses, with a strong emphasis on practical applications in both research and software development. We aim to establish strategic partnerships to effectively administer this program, ensuring that participants enjoy an exceptional experience enriched with cutting-edge content. Additionally, this initiative opens up opportunities for co-creating new content alongside our partners, community members, and affiliates, fostering a collaborative and innovative learning environment.

Participation in Google Summer of Code #

  • Objective: Apply to become a mentoring organization in Google Summer of Code.
  • Plan: Prepare a compelling application showcasing OSL’s commitment to mentoring and contribution to open source, and outline potential projects and mentor profiles.

Online Workshops for Technological Tools #

  • Objective: Offer a series of online workshops to the community, focusing on important technological tools relevant to research and development.
  • Plan: Identify key tools and technologies for the workshops, recruit expert facilitators, and organize a schedule that accommodates a global audience.

Project Affiliation Program #

  • New Initiative: Launch the Project Affiliation program to bring external projects under the OSL umbrella, offering various benefits.
  • Implementation Plan:
  • Identify and invite potential projects to join the OSL ecosystem.
  • Provide affiliated projects with opportunities to participate in the OSL Internship and Grants Programs.
  • Work towards extending additional support and resources as the program matures.

OSL Grants Program #

  • New Initiative: Establish the OSL Grants Program to offer financial support to affiliated projects.
  • Implementation Plan:
  • Develop criteria and a selection process for grant allocation.
  • Secure funding and manage the distribution of grants to support innovative projects and initiatives within the OSL community.

Continuing Initiatives #

Internship Program for Open Source Projects #

  • Current Status: Successfully running our second cycle, modeled after Google Summer of Code, providing hands-on experience in open source projects.
  • Objective: Continuously enhance the internship program based on learned experiences, aiming to offer an enriching and educational journey for interns.
  • Plan for Improvement:
  • Analyze feedback from previous cycles to identify areas for enhancement in both the program structure and mentorship experience.
  • Refine project criteria and the intern selection process to align with evolving industry standards and educational goals.
  • Strengthen the support system for interns, ensuring an environment that fosters both learning and meaningful contributions to open source projects.
  • Implement new strategies and tools to streamline communication, project tracking, and collaborative learning.

Events and Community Engagement #

  • Continue encouraging community-organized events on open science and technologies.
  • Plan an annual conference covering a wide range of topics in open science and technology.

Strengthening Partnerships #

  • Expand the partnership program to include more diverse projects and groups.
  • Enhance the framework for partnership, focusing on mutual growth and opportunity sharing.

Study Groups #

  • Current Status: Running a study group in partnership with LiteRev, focusing on the Udacity course CS212: Design of Computer Programs.
  • Future Plans: Continue organizing study groups on various topics to facilitate collaborative learning and skill development within the community.

Conclusion #

This roadmap represents OSL's commitment to advancing open science through research, education, and community collaboration. We are excited to embark on these new initiatives and look forward to the continued support and involvement of our community.