At OpenCon 2014 ten student projects and ideas will get the chance to present to a room of their peers, and have their presentations send around the world through the OpenCon 2014 Webcast! Here we will provide a few short details on the projects and how to contact them. We encourage you to get in touch with any project that interests you.

O-Index

Researchers have the H-index and journals have the impact factor. What do we have to measure open? We need a metric that's just for open - something that researchers can use to broadcast their contribution to open. Imagine sending out your resume with a big, bold number that shows how you’re making data, research, and code available to everyone. By creating the O-Index, we could empower disciplines, departments, and institutions to include open among their standards for hire and tenure. Let’s get together to 1) build a metric, 2) advertise the metric, and 3) make open simple and sexy.

To get in touch contact kes at kes.schroer[at]gmail.com

Scientific social networks for research

My project focus is in social development, technology and education through the empowerment of students and early career researchers. I've documented a few cases and strategies for bridging the gap between scientific documentation and publications and social networks to create a broader audience for research. By demonstrating how to build upon these scholar publications with these cases as well as the strategies and internationalizing scientific findings, it is possible to create a true dynamic web of research, equal, democratic and powerful.

To get in touch contact Renata at raquino[at]gmail.com

Sumatra as an Open Science tool

Sumatra is a free and open software tool supporting reproducibility in computational research, it is an "automated lab notebook". But it can be even more! Currently focused on the management of simulations, Sumatra is destined to develop into a gateway from your research to Open Science platforms. In my Google Summer of Code project I took first steps towards this goal and want to share my perspectives on how to go forward. I believe that in the future, a solution like Sumatra will provide the much needed glue between freely available scientific code and openly accessible research data.

To get in touch contact Felix at felix.hoffmann[at]jupiter.uni-freiburg.de

The Method: a podcast on the state of science

The Method will be a series of 12 podcasts exploring the current state of science. The first 3 episodes will address the issues introduced at OpenCon. The podcast will be an informal discussion aimed at a broad audience. Through personal stories, each episode will share snapshots of how the bigger issues in science impact the day-to-day work of scientists. I would love your help! What are the most important issues in science today? Add your ideas to the state of science map: http://www.mindmeister.com/475426773. Do you have a story about the day-to-day life of a scientist? Send me ideas!

To get in touch contact April Clyburne-Sherin at april.clyburne.sherin[at]gmail.com

Open Data in West Africa Ebola Response

Radio, mobile cell phone data, web applications (such as photo or video sharing), and social media tools are commonly used to facilitate information sharing during complex humanitarian emergencies. However, depending upon the context (ie. Philippines vs. Guinea), the type of media used for situational awareness changes. This presentation will discuss current free and open data initiatives in the West Africa Ebola response, and areas where openness may be able to greater facilitate response.

To get in touch contact Roxanne Moore at Roxanne.Moore[at]emory.edu

PeerLibrary - Facilitating the global conversation on academic literature

In the past, books and scripts were written and read exclusively by scholars and were inaccessible to the general public. With new technologies, such as the printing press, the general public has been able to access, discuss, and help each other understand publications. With closed scholarly collections today, a crucial segment of human knowledge is inaccessible to the general public again. PeerLibrary uses digital technologies to allow access to knowledge in academic publications by facilitating a digital space for a global community of people to collaborate to understand academic resources.

To get in touch contact Mitar at mitar[at]peerlibrary.org

Outlining the perfect scientific society

Many would argue that the academic system is stacked against open, collaborative research. In terms of recognition and reward, it is still first paper, first author that counts. Despite this, an open research culture is emerging. Much has been said about the failure of many publishers and funders to adapt to this culture, but what of societies? As junior researchers in the open research community, what are we looking for in a scientific society? Are current societies meeting our needs?

To get in touch contact Tom at tom.pollard.11[at]ucl.ac.uk

Student Open Access Policies

Why should open access policies and mandates be only for faculty? Graduate students are in a good position to begin their publishing careers in open access! Come hear how Juan Pablo Alperin spearheaded the first ever student open access policy at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. In a few short minutes, Juan will provide an introduction to the strategies and tactics he used to build support for the policy before it was put to a vote, and the steps taken to institutionalize the policy so that students can pass motions at their home institutions.

To get in touch contact Juan at juan[at]alperin.ca

Paperity. The first multidisciplinary aggregator of Open Access journals and papers.

In the beginning of October, Paperity (www.paperity.org) - the first multidisciplinary aggregator of Open Access journals and papers - has been launched. Devised after the most successful OA service today, PubMed Central, it takes the PMC's concept of aggregating journals (not only individual papers) to a higher level and aggregates open literature from across all research fields, not only life sciences like PMC does. Paperity gives readers easy and unconstrained access to vast amounts of literature in one central location and helps authors reach their target audience and disseminate more efficiently. The goal is to include 100% of OA journals in 3 years and ultimately to consolidate academia around open literature.

To get in touch contact Marcin at mwojnarski[at]paperity.org

Student Access to Research Survey

To get in touch contact Ivan at ivan.flis[at]gmail.com

Advancing Research Communication & Scholarship

Advancing Research Communication & Scholarship (ARCS) is a new conference being built by librarians, scientists, humanists, publishers, and technologists to examine scholarly communication in the digital age.  By engaging diverse communities of scholarship and practice, ARCS will provide a unique forum for building collaborations and affecting change.  Like OpenCon, ARCS will include panel discussions that address key questions, and workshops with specific learning objectives.  We want students and early career researchers to be part of the conversation, joining thought leaders and tool builders on panels dedicated to open access, open data, and open educational resources.  In the coming weeks we'll be sharing news about funding opportunities to join us in Philadelphia, April 26 – 28, 2015.

To get in touch contact Robin at [email protected]

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SPARC and the Right to Research Coalition are pleased to announce a partnership with Creative Commons USA (CC USA) to host OpenCon 2014 at the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. The first two days of the event, November 15th and 16th, will be held at the Washington College of Law with the third day, November 17th, to be held at the US Capitol.

SPARC and the Right to Research Coalition are pleased to announce a partnership with Creative Commons USA (CC USA) to host OpenCon 2014 at the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. The first two days of the event, November 15th and 16th, will be held at the Washington College of Law with the third day, November 17th, to be held at the US Capitol. OpenCon 2014 will bring together students and early career researchers from across the world to learn about the issues, develop critical skills, and return home ready to catalyze action toward a more open system for sharing the world’s information — from scholarly and scientific research, to educational materials, to digital data. More than 1,700 individuals from over 120 countries submitted an application to attend OpenCon during the three-week application period. Creative Commons USA is a fitting partner to provide the venue for the first OpenCon meeting. Creative Commons hosts the licenses that enable Open Access, Open Educational Resources, and Open Data, and as Creative Commons’ American affiliate, CC USA is involved in advocacy to advance OpenCon’s three issue areas nationally within the United States. The facilities at the Washington College of Law will allow a live webcast of the first two days of OpenCon (November 15-16), which will be a traditional conference format of keynotes, panels, and workshops. The third day (November 17) will be an advocacy day and will not be webcast. For more information about OpenCon and to watch the live webcast, please visit www.opencon2014.org. You can sign up for updates on the meeting at www.opencon2014.org/takepart.

OpenCon 2014 will feature leading speakers from across the Open Access, Open Education, and Open Data movements as well as workshops organized by those leading the most interesting projects and campaigns. Additional speakers and workshops will be posted as they are confirmed.

View the OpenCon 2014 schedule & directory.