LOS! Workshop: Democratizing Science through Open Source - Opportunities and Challenges

This event is a part of LOS! (Leibniz Open Science!), the event series of the Leibniz Strategy Forum on Open Science. The workshop was held online, on September 13, 2023. In the fast-evolving landscape of scientific research, the microscope has emerged as an indispensable tool across diverse fields such as Biology, Material Sciences, and Chemistry. However, the increasing complexity and cost of these instruments have led to an exclusive realm of expertise, threatening to divide the global scientific community. Moreover, the pressure to deliver groundbreaking research results can occasionally lead to manipulation of scientific data, eroding societal trust in scientific findings. This workshop aims to address these challenges by highlighting the transformative potential of open source projects, such as the 3D printed OpenFlexure [1] microscope and the modular microscopy system UC2 [2]. By offering open-access documentation and open-source design files, these projects foster replication across the globe, a high degree of transparency and reproducibility. This inclusive approach not only preserves these projects beyond their lifetimes but also stimulates an open, iterative development process driven by a thriving user and developer community. The workshop intends to provide an insight into various projects that serve as examples for community building and comprehensive documentation. It will introduce the free and user-friendly tools necessary for documenting and preparing scientific publications, as well as for sharing knowledge with the public, for instance, through Citizen Science initiatives. Lastly, it will offer an exemplar of how open innovation can facilitate the scaling of a project established at a scientific institution within an open-source led company. In essence, this workshop aims to explore the interplay between science and open-source principles, offering practical strategies to democratize scientific research and practice. [1] – https://openflexure.org/. [2] – https://openuc2.github.io/ / https://openuc2.com. https://www.leibniz-openscience.de/event/democratizing-science-through-open-source-opportunities-and-challenges/ unknown unknown

本活动隶属于莱布尼茨开放科学（Leibniz Open Science!，简称LOS）系列活动，属于莱布尼茨开放科学战略论坛的活动板块。本次工作坊以线上形式于2023年9月13日举办。
在快速迭代发展的科研领域中，显微镜已成为生物学、材料科学、化学等众多学科不可或缺的研究工具。然而，此类仪器的复杂度与使用成本与日俱增，逐渐形成了专属的专业壁垒，有加剧全球科研社群割裂的风险。此外，追求突破性研究成果的压力有时会引发科研数据篡改行为，削弱公众对科研结论的信任。
本次工作坊旨在通过挖掘开源项目的变革性潜力来应对上述挑战，例如3D打印式OpenFlexure显微镜[1]以及模块化显微系统UC2[2]。此类项目通过提供开放获取（open-access）文档与开源设计文件，可推动全球范围内的设备复刻，并大幅提升研究的透明度与可重复性。这种包容性模式不仅能让项目在生命周期结束后仍得以延续，还能依托活跃的用户与开发者社群，推动开放、迭代的研发进程。
本次工作坊将介绍多个可作为社群建设与完整文档编写范例的开源项目。此外，工作坊还将介绍用于科研文档编写、论文筹备以及面向公众分享知识的免费易用工具，例如公民科学（Citizen Science）相关项目。最后，本次工作坊将展示一个典型案例：如何通过开放创新，推动科研机构孵化的项目在开源主导的企业中实现规模化推广。
本质而言，本次工作坊旨在探讨科学与开源理念之间的互动关系，并为推动科研活动与实践的民主化提供可行路径。
[1] — https://openflexure.org/
[2] — https://openuc2.github.io/ / https://openuc2.com
https://www.leibniz-openscience.de/event/democratizing-science-through-open-source-opportunities-and-challenges/ unknown unknown