Do you have an idea for a project that will help the scientific community or impact the way scientists work? It could be software, an advocacy project, an effort to bring science to the people, or something else entirely. Getting a project off the ground is daunting, and most of us aren’t trained in project management and community building skills.
At miniWOW PDX, Mozilla Science Lab will help you take your project from idea to reality and give you technical, project management, and community building skills to kickstart your work.
To register, please fill out this form. We will accept registrations through Wednesday April 12 or until we are at capacity.
Friday April 14 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm at Mozilla PDX. Saturday April 15 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at OHSU's southwaterfront campus Collaborative Life Science's Building for miniWOW PDX!
What will I learn at miniWOW PDX? With help from a set of trainings created by Mozilla, you will learn how to create maximally open and effective initiatives, and build active communities of contributors. This workshop gives project leaders the tools they need to make projects that succeed! Topics include Project Roadmapping, Contributor and Community Management, and GitHub for Project Management. There are no technical prerequisites for this workshop.
Why is it called miniWOW PDX? The full Mozilla Working Open Workshop is two days long, this is a one day intensive version! We are trialing a shorter format -- less time commitment for you, but access to the same resources as the full WOW.
But my project isn’t ready! All you need is an idea to attend this workshop. miniWOW is a safe and fun space to work, even if your idea is not ready for prime time. miniWOW will help you get the skills you need to grow your project, especially if it depends on collaboration or community participation. We’ll prepare you for a for strong project launch using the principles of open source software development -- though it is important to note that non-technical projects are welcome and encouraged. Scientific software projects, survey research projects, and community education projects have all participated in past WOWs.
Want to know more? Read about the current Mozilla Open Leadership projects here and project leads that attended the WOW in Montreal here, and while you’re at it, check out this recap of WOW Montreal!
Examples of Mozilla WOW projects include:
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Reproducible Research in R for Ocean Biosciences: Open-science Training Seminar (RRROBOTS) | A reproducible research course for the Ocean Biosciences program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. |
| SunPy | A core library for Python solar physics data analysis. |
| Open the North | A project designed to connect indigenous communities in the Far North with scientific data relevant to the interests of their communities. |
| The Method Podcast | A peer-reviewed, open source podcast about the state of science. |
| Why not Open Science? Listening as a means to guide action | A research project on researcher attitudes and behaviors around open science. |
What happens at a miniWOW? The experience starts with a casual gathering on Friday evening where participants talk about projects and goals. On Saturday, project leads will participate in workshops and work sessions led by Mozilla Science staff, Fellows, and community members. We’ll cover the essentials of preparing an open project, bringing on contributors, developing your mentorship skills, using collaboration tools such as Git and GitHub, and growing an active community around an open project. The agenda includes lots of time for participants to make meaningful progress on their projects, and to network and collaborate across projects and disciplines.
What happens after the miniWOW? Mozilla Science Lab is here for you! Find us on gitter, join our community calls. Locally, join the OHSU BioData Club’s Hacky Hours to keep up the momentum on your project. Mozilla’s 2017 Global Sprint (June 1 and 2, 2017) is happening here in PDX and is a great time to connect with worldwide contributors.
To register, please fill out this form and feel free to contact Danielle Robinson daniellecrobinson@gmail.com with questions.
This event is sponsored by Mozilla Science Lab, The OHSU Library, and Women in Science Portland. For more information, check out miniWOW PDX(For more information, check out miniWOW PDX.