Open Research: Rethinking Scientific Collaboration

COVID-19 information for PI Residents and Visitors

Conference Date: 
Monday, March 26, 2018 (All day) to Wednesday, March 28, 2018 (All day)
Scientific Areas: 
Other

 

Scientific inquiry in the 21st century is beset with inefficiencies: a flood of papers not read, theories not tested, and experiments not repeated; a narrow research agenda driven by a handful of high-impact journals; a publishing industry that turns public funding into private profit; the exclusion of many scientists, particularly in developing countries, from cutting-edge research; and countless projects that are not completed for lack of skilled collaborators. These are all symptoms of a major communication bottleneck within the scientific community; the channels we rely on to share our ideas and findings—especially peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings—are inadequate to the scale and scope of modern science.

The practice of open research—doing science on a public platform that facilitates collaboration, feedback, and the spread of ideas—addresses these concerns. Open-source science lowers barriers to entry, catalyzing new discoveries. It fosters the real-time sharing of ideas across the globe, favoring cooperative endeavor and complementarity of thought rather than wasteful competition. It reduces the influence of publishing monopolies, enabling a new credit attribution model based on contributions made rather than references accrued. Overall, it democratizes science while creating a new standard of prestige: quality of work, instead of quantity of output.

This workshop will bring together a diverse group of researchers, from fields as diverse as physics, biology, computer science, and sociology, committed to open-source science. Together, we will review the lessons learnt from various pioneering initiatives, such as the Polymath project and Data for Democracy. We will discuss the opportunity to build a new tool, similar to the software development platform GitHub, to enable online collaborative science. We will consider the challenges associated with the adoption of such a tool by our peers and discuss ways to overcome them. Finally, we will sketch a roadmap for the actual development of that tool.

Registration for this workshop is now closed.

 

  • Luis Batalha, Fermat's Library - via teleconference
  • Simon DeDeo, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Nicolás Erdödy, Open Parallel Ltd.
  • Benedikt Fecher, Alexander von Humboldt Institute
  • Thomas Landrain, La Paillasse & Just One Giant Lab
  • Andrew Mao, CTRL Labs
  • Ivar Martin, Knowen
  • Tobias Mistele, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies
  • Rosie Redfield, University of British Columbia
  • Arfon Smith, Space Telescope Science Institute
  • Agata Branczyk, Perimeter Institute
  • Sylvain Carrozza, Perimeter Institute
  • Simon DeDeo, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Maite Dupuis, Perimeter Institute
  • Nicolás Erdödy, Open Parallel Ltd.
  • Terry Farrelly, Leibniz University Hannover
  • Benedikt Fecher, Alexander von Humboldt Institute
  • Adrian Franco Rubio, Perimeter Institute
  • Marc Geiller, Perimeter Institute
  • Markus Hauru, Perimeter Institute
  • Ryszard Kostecki, University of Warsaw
  • Thomas Landrain, La Paillasse & Just One Giant Lab
  • Matheus Lobo, Federal University of Tocantins
  • Niamh Maher, Perimeter Institute
  • Andrew Mao, CTRL Labs
  • Ivar Martin, Knowen
  • Ashley Milsted, Perimeter Institute
  • Tobias Mistele, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies
  • Sebastian Mizera, Perimeter Institute
  • Moritz Munchmeyer, Perimeter Institute
  • Rosaria Nakashima, Federal University of Tocantins
  • Chiamaka Okoli Nwosu, Perimeter Institute
  • Nestor Ortiz, Perimeter Institute
  • Yuchen Pei, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
  • Rosie Redfield, University of British Columbia
  • Jess Riedel, Perimeter Institute
  • Aldo Riello, Perimeter Institute
  • Carlos Rodriguez Fernandez, Perimeter Institute
  • Erik Schnetter, Perimeter Institute
  • Mohamad Shalaby, Perimeter Institute
  • Vasudev Shyam, Perimeter Institute
  • Matteo Smerlak, Perimeter Institute
  • Arfon Smith, Space Telescope Science Institute
  • Sebastian Steinhaus, Perimeter Institute
  • Bapu Vaitla, Harvard University
  • Qiao Zhou, Perimeter Institute

Monday, March 26, 2018

Time

Event

Location

8:30 – 9:00am

Registration

Reception

9:00 – 9:15am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Space Room

9:15 – 10:00am

Simon Dedeo, Carnegie Mellon University
Data Mists, Blockchain Republics, and the Moon Shot

Space Room

10:00-10:45am

Benedikt Fecher, Alexander von Humboldt Institute
Like penguins on an ice floe: The scary business of adopting open science practices

Space Room

10:45 – 11:15am

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

11:15 – 12:30pm

Brainstorming – Why Open Research?

Space Room

12:30 – 2:00pm

Lunch

Bistro – 2nd Floor

2:00 – 2:45pm

Jess Riedel, Perimeter Institute &
Luis Batalha, Fermat's Library
Collaborative Knowledge Ratchets and Fermat's Library

Space Room

2:45 – 3:30pm

Ivar Martin, Knowen
Can science be wikified

Space Room

3:30 – 5:00pm

Brainstorming – Tools for Online Collaboration

Space Room

5:00-6:00pm

Wine & Cheese Reception

Reflecting Lounge

 

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Time

Event

Location

9:00 – 9:45am

Rosie Redfield, University of British Columbia
What’s not to like?  Open science will fail unless it takes the costs seriously

Space Room

9:45-10:30am

Arfon Smith, Space Telescope Science Institute
TBA

Space Room

10:30 – 11:00am

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

11:00 – 12:15pm

Brainstorming – Open Research vs Credit Attribution

Space Room

12:15 – 2:00pm

Lunch

Bistro – 2nd Floor

2:00 – 2:45pm

Andrew Mao, CTRL Labs
TBA

Space Room

2:45-3:30pm

Nicolás Erdödy, Open Parallel Ltd.
Open is the New Black: Really?

Space Room

3:30 – 4:00pm

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

4:00 – 5:15pm

Brainstorming – The Path to Adoption

Space Room

 

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Time

Event

Location

9:00 – 9:45am

Thomas Landrain, La Paillasse & Just One Giant Lab
TBA

Space Room

9:45-10:30am

Tobias Mistele, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies
TBA

Space Room

10:30 – 11:00am

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

11:00 – 12:15pm

Brainstorming – This Group's Future

Space Room

12:15 – 2:00pm

Lunch

Bistro – 2nd Floor

2:00 – 3:30pm

Colloquium
Roald Hoffman, Cornell University
The Chemical Imagnination at Work in VERY Tight Places

Time Room

3:30 – 4:00pm

Coffee Break

Bistro – 1st Floor

4:00 – 4:45pm

Panel Discussion

Space Room

4:45 – 5:30pm

Jess Riedel, Perimeter Institute
Concluding Remarks

Space Room

 

 

 

Simon DeDeo, Carnegie Mellon University

Data Mists, Blockchain Republics, and the Moon Shot

To do things together it is not enough to know. We must know what others know, and know that they know we know it, a phenomenon known as Common Knowledge. From the Royal Society to the Science and Nature super-journals, scientists have found ways—however flawed—to achieve it. I’ll introduce the concept of the Artifact, an abstraction that captures the essence of these institutions, and that may help us, in the 21st Century, to go beyond them. And I’ll propose, playfully, a few endeavors that may help us achieve it: Data Mists, Blockchain Republics, and the Moon Shot.

Nicolás Erdödy, Open Parallel Ltd.

Open is the New Black: Really?

Through the last 20-25 years “we won” many battles in the evolution of FLOSS into mainstream. No one can ignore today the role of open source in software, hardware, high-tech and even business development. However everything seems to be open today: Open Data, Open Innovation, Open Government, Open Research...what do we mean by that? Has “open” the same meaning in all of them? How reliable are the results from such openness? What about policies and science and technologies designed on top of them?

This talk will share Open Parallel’s five years journey through the pre-construction challenges of the largest scientific instrument of the next decade -the Square Kilometre Array radio-telescope (SKA). Will present how a non-central country as New Zealand has a say on its design plus how open source software will be core to its success. Being involved in the OS side of the SKA, will also share some concerns around black swans and ask a few questions around cybersecurity. Open Science? Yeah, right.

Benedikt Fecher, Alexander von Humboldt Institute

Like penguins on an ice floe: The scary business of adopting open science practices

In the talk I delineate a simple framework for open science and present empirical results on the adoption of open practices from my own research (+ others). The topics include data sharing, open access infrastructure, and replicability. I will show future perspectives for open science (including knowledge transfer and transdisciplinary research). 

Ivar Martin, Knowen

Can science be wikified

Rosie Redfield, University of British Columbia

What’s not to like?  Open science will fail unless it takes the costs seriously

The Open Science movement focuses on the broad benefits to the scientific enterprise, but its success will depend on the actions of individual scientists.  Unless the short-term benefits to the researcher outweigh the costs, only the most altruistic will open up their research efforts to the world.  Arguments based on hypothetical future benefits don’t carry much weight, and calls for better tools appear to be mainly driven by tool-designers, not potential users.  I’ll start with two brief case histories (#arseniclife and Apple Academic Press), and then consider what the immediate costs and benefits are and how we might shift the balance between them.

Jess Riedel, Perimeter Institute & Luis BatakhaFermat's Library

Collaborative Knowledge Ratchets and Fermat's Library

 

 

Wednesday Mar 28, 2018
Speaker(s): 
 

 

Wednesday Mar 28, 2018
Speaker(s): 
 

 

Tuesday Mar 27, 2018
Speaker(s): 

Through the last 20-25 years “we won” many battles in the evolution of FLOSS into mainstream. No one can ignore today the role of open source in software, hardware, high-tech and even business development. However everything seems to be open today: Open Data, Open Innovation, Open Government, Open Research...what do we mean by that? Has “open” the same meaning in all of them? How reliable are the results from such openness? What about policies and science and technologies designed on top of them?

 

 

Tuesday Mar 27, 2018
Speaker(s): 
 

 

Tuesday Mar 27, 2018
Speaker(s): 
 

 

Tuesday Mar 27, 2018
Speaker(s): 

The Open Science movement focuses on the broad benefits to the scientific enterprise, but its success will depend on the actions of individual scientists. Unless the short-term benefits to the researcher outweigh the costs, only the most altruistic will open up their research efforts to the world. Arguments based on hypothetical future benefits don’t carry much weight, and calls for better tools appear to be mainly driven by tool-designers, not potential users.

 

 

Monday Mar 26, 2018
Speaker(s): 

In the talk I delineate a simple framework for open science and present empirical results on the adoption of open practices from my own research (+ others). The topics include data sharing, open access infrastructure, and replicability. I will show future perspectives for open science (including knowledge transfer and transdisciplinary research).

 

 

Monday Mar 26, 2018
Speaker(s): 

To do things together it is not enough to know. We must know what others know, and know that they know we know it, a phenomenon known as Common Knowledge. From the Royal Society to the Science and Nature super-journals, scientists have found ways—however flawed—to achieve it. I’ll introduce the concept of the Artifact, an abstraction that captures the essence of these institutions, and that may help us, in the 21st Century, to go beyond them. And I’ll propose, playfully, a few endeavors that may help us achieve it: Data Mists, Blockchain Republics, and the Moon Shot.

Pages

Scientific Organizers:

  • Marc Geiller, Perimeter Institute
  • Ashley Milsted, Perimeter Institute
  • Jess Riedel, Perimeter Institute
  • Matteo Smerlak, Perimeter Institute
  • Erik Schnetter, Perimeter Institute
  • Bapu Vaitla, Harvard University