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    <title>OLS</title>
    <description>A mentoring &amp; training program for Open Science ambassadors
</description>
    <link>https://we-are-ols.org//</link>
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    <pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:38:20 +0000</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:38:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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      <item>
        <title>Job vacancy - OLS Research Fellow</title>
        <description>&lt;h1 id=&quot;role-ols-research-fellow---research-funding-ecosystem&quot;&gt;Role: OLS Research Fellow - Research Funding Ecosystem&lt;/h1&gt;

&lt;p&gt;OLS is offering an exciting opportunity for a &lt;strong&gt;one-year, fixed-term Research Fellowship&lt;/strong&gt; position titled &lt;strong&gt;OLS Research Fellow - Research Funding Ecosystem&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Location: Remote&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Total budget:
    &lt;ul&gt;
      &lt;li&gt;UK Salary: GBP 23,500 per annum for a 60% role.&lt;/li&gt;
      &lt;li&gt;Contractors (outside the UK): USD 33,400.&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;/ul&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Deadline for application: 15 April 2025&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Email your CV and Cover Letter to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jobs@we-are-ols.org&quot;&gt;jobs@we-are-ols.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;about-the-opportunity&quot;&gt;About the Opportunity&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This fellowship is embedded within a newly funded project focused on research and curriculum development aimed at improving the current understanding of the global research funding landscape. The OLS Research Fellow will play a crucial role in contributing to this project by joining the project delivery team.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;about-ols&quot;&gt;About OLS&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;OLS (Open Life Science) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to fostering open science practices in research. Through training and mentoring of researchers, community building and research-based improvement in open science, we aim to foster a more equitable and accessible research ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This research fellowship position offers a unique opportunity to work with the OLS team while engaging in impactful research and contributing to the development of resources within the research ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;eligibility&quot;&gt;Eligibility&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This fellowship is open to individuals within the OLS community, encompassing Open Seeds and Nebula fellows, mentors, and experts.
A strong understanding and existing familiarity with the OLS community’s values, workflows, and network will benefit candidates and the OLS team, leading to a more efficient and impactful fellowship experience.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Key responsibilities and qualifications required for the role are described below.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The deadline for submitting your CV and a cover letter is 15 April 2025.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;key-responsibilities&quot;&gt;Key Responsibilities:&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Map the needs and assets associated with research funding and project sustainability, with a focus on the global research community and access for groups underrepresented in research, including researchers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Collect information on funding mechanisms and grant opportunities aligned with our project goals.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Conduct short-term quantitative and qualitative work to gather insights into the specific challenges and opportunities for researchers in different geographical contexts.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Identify and engage with successful open science leaders, funders and initiatives that can contribute to our project goals.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Design and facilitate participatory workshops and surveys to collect expertise and insights related to the research funding ecosystem.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Track their progress, maintain resources developed in this project and create reports to share insights with the team regularly.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Work with another &lt;em&gt;Research Fellow for Curriculum Development&lt;/em&gt; regularly to share knowledge, practices and general feedback on each other’s work.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Collaborate with the Finance Manager to design and iterate on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://we-are-ols.org/open-incubator/fiscal-hosting/&quot;&gt;Fiscally Sponsored Community&lt;/a&gt; processes and requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Most importantly, find opportunities for collaboration and aligning their work, avoiding duplication of efforts and improving the use of shared opportunities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;general-expectations&quot;&gt;General expectations:&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Integrate open science practices and community engagement practices (FAIR principles, open collaboration, open-source software) into training resources.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Attend selected conferences (in person or online) to connect with key stakeholders and build collaboration through their work&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Develop assessment criteria, tools and mechanisms for their project to keep information up to date.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Collaborate with the OLS team to translate outputs from their work to inform other project activities.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Openly communicate their work and engage OLS community members where possible and appropriate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;general-and-role-specific-qualifications&quot;&gt;General and Role-Specific Qualifications&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;general-qualifications&quot;&gt;General Qualifications:&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Master’s or PhD in any discipline involving research data analysis, or equivalent relevant experience.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Excellent communication and collaboration skills.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Active open science advocacy to promote open science/source practices, including reproducibility, FAIR principles and research best practices.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Experience in community organising and social engagement, and understanding of participatory research methodologies.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Understanding of mixed method approach and some experience working with quantitative and/or qualitative research data.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;role-specific-qualification&quot;&gt;Role-Specific Qualification:&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Understanding of the needs, opportunities, and considerations when working with underrepresented communities, especially in LMICs.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Background working in research administration, project/grant management and/or international collaborative projects with multiple stakeholders.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Knowledge of funding mechanisms and grant opportunities in research. Knowledge of funding systems in health and biological sciences will be a plus.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;how-to-apply&quot;&gt;How to Apply&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Application should be submitted by emailing a CV and a cover letter to &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jobs@we-are-ols.org&quot;&gt;jobs@we-are-ols.org&lt;/a&gt; by 15 April&lt;/strong&gt;, midnight anywhere in the world.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ol&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;A short resume or CV should highlight &lt;strong&gt;“General Qualifications”&lt;/strong&gt; listed above&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;A cover letter (1-2 pages max) that addresses your relevant background and experience highlighting &lt;strong&gt;“Role-Specific Qualification”&lt;/strong&gt;
    &lt;ul&gt;
      &lt;li&gt;Please include examples from 1-2 projects you have worked on&lt;/li&gt;
      &lt;li&gt;Make sure to include your approaches to open working and resource-sharing&lt;/li&gt;
      &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Provide links to projects and/or openly published resources&lt;/strong&gt; that you have developed either on your own or in collaboration with other contributors&lt;/li&gt;
      &lt;li&gt;Also state personal strengths/skills that you’d like to build in this role&lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;/ul&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;benefits-and-salary&quot;&gt;Benefits and salary&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This role has been allocated an overall budget of &lt;strong&gt;USD 33,400 for 12 months.&lt;/strong&gt; Contractors (outside the UK) will receive the full amount, which includes a 15% uplift for independently managed taxes, pensions, and benefits. UK-based applicants’ tax, NI, and benefits are handled as part of our PAYE system and will receive approximately GBP 23,500 per annum.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In addition to the stipend, the fellow will have access to the organisation’s infrastructure, leadership coaching, and our global community of individuals and organisations promoting open science in research.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The successful candidate will have the opportunity to discuss their availability, weekly hours in this role and preferences with the OLS team after the selection process.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If the successful candidate has the right to work in the UK and is based in the UK (where OLS is registered as a company), we will offer:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Employment status currently calculated for 60% Full-Time Equivalent in OLS&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;30 days of annual leave, plus Bank Holidays or a local cultural/national equivalent.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;5% employer pension contributions.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Private healthcare plan&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If the successful candidate is based outside the UK, we will work to offer the best equivalent options available in compliance with local and international labour laws, or equivalent pay as a contractor to allow these benefits to be purchased locally.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Flexible working location and hours:&lt;/strong&gt; OLS is committed to providing a nurturing and flexible work environment. This position offers fully remote work. While we maintain flexibility, we request that your working hours include an overlap of at least 2 hours with the UK/Europe-based OLS leadership team. Please be advised that non-UK applicants will be hired as contractors and will be responsible for their own tax and benefits arrangements.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;evaluation-and-selection-process&quot;&gt;Evaluation and selection process:&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;stage-1-cv-and-cover-letter-review&quot;&gt;Stage 1: &lt;em&gt;CV and cover letter review&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The first stage review and selection of the applicants based on their CV and cover letter reflecting their potential to fill this role&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Each application will be scored for meeting general and role-specific qualifications&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The project team will review applications to determine which ones meet the criteria.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scoring System:&lt;/strong&gt; 0: Criteria not met, 1: Criteria partly met, 2: Criteria fully met&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;stage-2-written-follow-up&quot;&gt;Stage 2: &lt;em&gt;Written follow-up&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The second stage will require shortlisted applicants to describe their approach to delivering on responsibilities, with this description reflecting their understanding of the role’s opportunities and challenges.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;stage-3-interview-conducted-in-english&quot;&gt;Stage 3: &lt;em&gt;Interview conducted in English&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The third stage will consist of a short interview (30-40 minutes) with the OLS team, followed by informal discussions to select the most suitable candidate for this role.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;The earliest start for the successful candidate in this role will be in June 2025.  Exceptions can be discussed at the appointment stage.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;contact&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For any further information or inquiries, please contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jobs@we-are-ols.org&quot;&gt;jobs@we-are-ols.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;OLS celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all employees. If you feel that the description of this role does not match up to the commitment to these ideals, please let us know via &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jobs@we-are-ols.org&quot;&gt;jobs@we-are-ols.org&lt;/a&gt;, or contact the OLS directors directly &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:directors@we-are-ols.org&quot;&gt;directors@we-are-ols.org&lt;/a&gt;. The OLS Code of Conduct can be found here: &lt;a href=&quot;https://we-are-ols.org/code-of-conduct&quot;&gt;https://we-are-ols.org/code-of-conduct&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
        <pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/03/27/research-fellow-role/</link>
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      </item>
    
      <item>
        <title>My FOSS Backstage 2025 Experience</title>
        <description>&lt;h2 id=&quot;day-1-waving-through-awindow&quot;&gt;Day 1: Waving Through a Window&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Attending &lt;a href=&quot;https://25.foss-backstage.de/&quot;&gt;FOSS Backstage&lt;/a&gt; online was a contrast to my past virtual conference experiences, especially compared to the highly engaging &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.software.ac.uk/workshop/collaborations-workshop-2025-cw25&quot;&gt;Collaborations Workshop&lt;/a&gt;. 
There was no opportunity to ask speakers questions directly, no intentional networking efforts, and little to differentiate attending live from simply waiting for the recordings to be released.
While the platform itself was user-friendly and easy to navigate, the nature of the talks further contributed to my sense of disconnection. 
&lt;em&gt;Legal &amp;amp; Compliance, Economics, Governance&lt;/em&gt; - these topics, while critical to open source, are not my usual focus. As a result, much of the content went over my head. 
To make matters worse, scheduling conflicts meant I missed some talks I had been looking forward to.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;day-2-finding-mytribe&quot;&gt;Day 2: Finding my Tribe!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Despite the continued lack of online engagement, the quality of talks on Day 2 completely made up for my initial disappointment. 
The sessions were rich, insightful, and deeply resonant.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;anatomy-of-an-open-internship-program-how-we-run-outreachy-anna-esó&quot;&gt;Anatomy of an Open Internship Program: How We Run Outreachy - Anna e só&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Every time I hear Anna speak, compassion absolutely shines through. Outreachy has run for 15+ years, overcoming numerous challenges, and Anna’s words help me see into the heart that has sustained it.
A key discussion point was why some organisations continue to return as Outreachy partners. Anna explained that many long-standing partners recognise their privilege and use it to bring others into FOSS. Past interns also return as mentors, giving back to the community that helped them grow.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“I want them [Outreachy interns] to succeed even more than I have…”&lt;/em&gt; - these words will keep resounding for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1280/1*LnfM4wFzXLcWYKY8XuAdIg.png&quot; alt=&quot;An individual wearing a facemask presents a talk, with slides displayed on the right. The words on the current slide describe the Phases of Outreachy and what constitutes a program cycle.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The session was further enriched by the moderator in the bUm Box room, who shared how being an Outreachy mentor had deeply enriched his experience as a developer.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;bridging-the-gap-between-designers--open-source-communities-nina-rojc-leia-ruffini-and-kolaojoodide&quot;&gt;Bridging the Gap Between Designers &amp;amp; Open Source Communities - Nina Rojc, Leia Ruffini, and Kola Ojoodide&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This talk addressed several long-standing questions I’ve had, such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Why aren’t there more open source designers?&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;If they exist, why aren’t they more visible?&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;What prevents designers from contributing to Open Source?&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;How can we balance creative expression with design guidelines?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The speakers emphasised the role of clear contribution guidelines and diplomacy in managing diverse ideas within open source projects. A structured process helps create space for creativity while maintaining coherence.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/24b13583-e778-428e-bdec-7d8e4ffb9245&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of a virtual talk at FOSS Backstage. On the left, some obstacles for design contributions are listed and on the right, are 4 squares containing 3 presenters and an audience.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;(Side note: Kola has a very soothing voice!)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;tokenism-in-open-source-diversity-or-decoration-maryblessing-okolie--ijeomaonwuka&quot;&gt;Tokenism in Open Source: Diversity or Decoration? - Maryblessing Okolie &amp;amp; Ijeoma Onwuka&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ijeoma flew 17 hours from Nigeria to Berlin to deliver her first international talk - while also professing her love for K-dramas! 
Meanwhile, Maryblessing joined virtually. Their discussion on tokenism in open source hit close to home, especially since I personally experienced it this week (more on that in another post, perhaps).&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a5470ee2-9d9b-4d09-b3c4-f851c332dc2d&quot; alt=&quot;A black woman wearing a two-piece outfit made from traditional African prints, presents a talk, with slides displayed on the right. The words on the current slide are &amp;quot;please do not do DEl out of pity or checking a box. think of DEl as giving opportunities to groups of people with great abilities that would otherwise not have access to that opportunity.&amp;quot;&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;They challenged organisations to move beyond merely showcasing diversity in marketing materials and instead &lt;strong&gt;create genuine pathways to leadership for marginalised individuals&lt;/strong&gt;. 
Their call to action? &lt;strong&gt;Design for everyone, enforce Codes of Conduct, improve accessibility, and build inclusive practices&lt;/strong&gt;. 
This resonated deeply, especially as I am currently conducting an accessibility review for my organisation’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://we-are-ols.org/&quot;&gt;website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;right-to-left-left-to-right-rethinking-multilingual-design-batool-almarzouq-goodnews-sunday-sandy-and-richiemoluno&quot;&gt;Right-to-Left, Left-to-Right: Rethinking Multilingual Design - Batool Almarzouq, Goodnews Sunday Sandy and Richie Moluno&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Many software systems fail to support Right-to-Left (RTL) languages like Arabic, creating barriers for millions of users. 
The speakers shared their experiences designing “&lt;strong&gt;Open Science MOOCs&lt;/strong&gt;“ - a multilingual platform with videos, quizzes, and RTL-friendly design.
The discussion highlighted key UX challenges, such as how navigation arrows, horizontal progress bars, and even emojis can be misinterpreted by RTL users. 
The takeaway? Designing for inclusivity means considering diverse reading directions and user habits from the start.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7c74df97-7c25-477c-8544-a19fd7d0bc99&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of a virtual talk at FOSS Backstage, titled &amp;quot;Right-to-Left, Left-to-Right: Rethinking Multilingual Design.&amp;quot; This is delivered by three (3) speakers, each shown in a small square to the right of the slides being presented. The speakers are Batool Almarzouq, Goodnews Sandy and Richie Moluno.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;empowering-african-communities-using-open-source-joseph-zikusooka&quot;&gt;Empowering African Communities Using Open Source - Joseph Zikusooka&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Joseph highlighted areas where FOSS can drive impact in Africa: health, research, education, agriculture, tourism, startups, and environmental initiatives. 
He also pointed out the challenges Africans face in getting into open source, such as high internet costs, poor connectivity, and frequent power cuts. 
The keys to empowering African communities include support, engagement, partnerships, certification, and incubation.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/863ca449-44aa-4f22-af46-aad018b87e89&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of a virtual talk at FOSS Backstage. On the left, a slide contains these words: &amp;quot;FOSS in Africa: Why is adoption low? Lack of awareness and motivation. Prestige using proprietary software. Vendor lock-in especially Government. Few certified / skilled open source professionals. Software piracy. Fragmented FOSS communities.&amp;quot; On the right, are 2 squares containing an audience, and the profile photo of a presenter.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;open-design-guide-christoph-ono--eriolfox&quot;&gt;Open Design Guide - Christoph Ono &amp;amp; Eriol Fox&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://opendesign.guide&quot;&gt;The Open Design Guide&lt;/a&gt; is &lt;strong&gt;12 chapters&lt;/strong&gt; of wisdom, and serves as a &lt;strong&gt;bridge for designers entering open source&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/92d99b56-9c6d-4de1-bbce-626db93e68fa&quot; alt=&quot;An individual wearing a black t-shirt, presents a talk, with slides displayed on the right. The current slide samples Chapter 2 of the Design Guide, titled &amp;quot;The Designer&apos;s Role.&amp;quot;&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;One thing that stood out for me was how they acknowledged the role of GenAI in the guide’s development, while admitting its limitations. 
I particularly loved the idea of a reading club and plan to borrow this for my &lt;a href=&quot;https://npdebs.github.io/Pre-seeds-Program/&quot;&gt;Research 101 course&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;beyond-words-crafting-user-friendly-documentation-zainabdaodu&quot;&gt;Beyond Words: Crafting User-Friendly Documentation - Zainab Daodu&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This was a fantastic, practical talk on documentation, born out of a wealth of experience! Some key lessons (in bullet points, to make Zainab proud):&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Structure content logically to enhance usability.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Use clear, concise and &lt;strong&gt;simple&lt;/strong&gt; language to simplify technical details.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Incorporate visuals - diagrams, flowcharts, screenshots - to aid understanding.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Establish feedback loops for continuous documentation improvement (i.e. incorporate frequently asked questions into the docs).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f60bc869-4167-4c7f-a880-60ff29f68263&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of a virtual talk on proper documentation. This is delivered by a speaker, shown in a small square to the right of the slides being presented. The speaker, Zainab, is a black female in a red top.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;relationship-problems-in-open-source-shauna-gordon-mckeon&quot;&gt;Relationship Problems in Open Source - Shauna Gordon-McKeon&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Shauna identified some challenges in FOSS - burnout, onboarding difficulties, funding issues, and bad User Experience. The solution? Strong relationships.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When we build personal connections, contributors and users stop being abstract figures and become real people we care about.&lt;/strong&gt; 
The 5’Cs in relationship-building: &lt;strong&gt;Clarify, Connect, Communicate, Conflict, Commit&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a69e53c1-7d9c-4e49-9be1-edbb2c2a647d&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of a virtual talk on &amp;quot;Relationship Problems in Open Source.&amp;quot; This is delivered by a speaker, Shauna, shown in a small square to the right of the slides being presented.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;honestly&quot;&gt;Honestly…&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;…the highlight of my FOSS Backstage experience was &lt;strong&gt;seeing my sisters shine&lt;/strong&gt;! I hope to see even more underrepresented voices given platforms to speak in the future.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I’m eagerly looking forward to the recordings being released at the end of the week so I can catch:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;More Hearts than Stars: Smart Charging &amp;amp; Community Funding - Michael Geers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;OSPOs for Good! Achieving the UN SDGs with Open Source - Panel Discussion&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Abundant with Life: Docs Beyond the Wall - Andrea Kao&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Commit to Inclusion: Building Better Open Source Culture - Ashley Sametz&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;em&gt;Building Open Digital Infrastructures for Public Health - Bianca Kastl&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Despite the slow start, FOSS Backstage 2025 ended on a high note. What I would do differently next time is be there in-person next time!&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
        <pubDate>Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/03/13/my-FOSS-backstage-experience/</link>
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        <title>Reflections on the DRI Journey: Advancing TBI Care in Indigenous Communities.</title>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This speedblog, written by &lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#damario99&quot;&gt;Sebastian D’Amario&lt;/a&gt;, is part of the OLS-9 cohort.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;project-background&quot;&gt;Project Background&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;My motivation for this project stems from a deep commitment to addressing healthcare disparities, particularly in Indigenous communities. As a PhD student in &lt;strong&gt;Neuroscience at Queen’s University, Canada&lt;/strong&gt;, I am passionate about leveraging digital research infrastructure (DRI) to improve access to traumatic brain injury (TBI) care in remote areas.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The lack of specialized medical resources for head injuries in these communities inspired me to develop an advanced TBI screening tool that can be used in rural and remote environments. This project is not just about technology; it’s about empowering communities and ensuring equitable access to healthcare.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;expectations-from-this-program&quot;&gt;Expectations from this Program&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;When I joined the DRI equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) Champions program, I hoped to:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Gain a deeper understanding of best practices while integrating DRI tools into my research.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Learn how to effectively engage with equity-seeking groups, particularly Indigenous communities, to ensure that the tools we develop are culturally appropriate and beneficial to them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The program offered a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between advanced technology and its practical application in underserved areas.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;goals-set-at-the-beginning-of-the-project&quot;&gt;Goals Set at the Beginning of the Project&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;At the outset, my primary goals were:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ol&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;To develop a culturally sensitive TBI screening tool for remote Indigenous communities.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;To build DRI capacity within Indigenous communities by training local healthcare providers in using these tools.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;To ensure that the project adheres to Indigenous data sovereignty principles, with community involvement at every stage.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;key-understanding-and-accomplishments&quot;&gt;Key Understanding and Accomplishments&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Throughout the program, I’ve learned and accomplished several key things:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;cultural-sensitivity-in-technology&quot;&gt;Cultural Sensitivity in Technology&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;I’ve gained a deeper understanding of how to design technology that respects and incorporates Indigenous cultural practices. This has been crucial in ensuring that the tools we develop are effective and culturally appropriate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;dri-integration&quot;&gt;DRI Integration&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;These technologies hold great potential to streamline data management and improve diagnostic capabilities, particularly in remote settings where timely and accurate assessments are critical. Work thus far has significantly improved the efficiency of our TBI screening tool.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;community-engagement&quot;&gt;Community Engagement&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;I’ve established strong partnerships with Indigenous communities and am continuously ensuring that the project is co-developed and approved by those whom it aims to serve.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;the-main-goals-achieved-in-this-project&quot;&gt;The Main Goals Achieved in this Project&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The main goals I set at the beginning of the project have largely been achieved:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;We’ve developed a TBI screening tool that is now being tested in remote Indigenous communities.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;The integration of DRI tools has been successful, and we’ve begun training local healthcare providers.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;The project has also been co-developed with Indigenous communities, ensuring that it adheres to Indigenous data sovereignty principles.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;looking-forward&quot;&gt;Looking Forward&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;My immediate next step is to finalize training for the TBI screening tool for all rural healthcare workers involved and continue ramping up its rollout in select Indigenous communities.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In the long term, I aim to:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Expand the tool’s use across more remote communities.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Continue building local capacity.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Advocate for policy changes to integrate DRI tools into routine healthcare practices in underserved areas.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I plan to stay connected with the OLS community and other members. I believe that ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing are essential for the success of projects like mine.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;special-mentions-and-acknowledgements&quot;&gt;Special Mentions and Acknowledgements&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I would like to acknowledge the invaluable support of my mentor, Dr. Douglas James Cook. I also want to thank the Indigenous communities I’ve had the pleasure to be involved with, particularly the &lt;strong&gt;Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation, Weeneebayko Health Authority, and Marten Falls First Nations&lt;/strong&gt;, for their collaboration and trust.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the &lt;strong&gt;DRI EDIA Champions program&lt;/strong&gt; for providing the resources and support needed to bring this project to life. This project has been a transformative journey, and I am excited to see where it will continue to go.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way!&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
        <pubDate>Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/02/20/advancing-tbi-care/</link>
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        <title>The FOSDEM 2025 Experience</title>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;Let me start by saying that &lt;strong&gt;this trip almost didn’t happen&lt;/strong&gt;. A visa application I started in early November was still unresolved a day before FOSDEM. Without my passport, I had to cancel my flight. But with just a few hours to go, something changed.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;On January 30th, I received a notification that my passport had reached Abuja, and DHL would take at least 24 hours to get it to Port Harcourt. Long story short? I wrote a letter authorising a friend in Abuja to pick up the passport and check the visa approval status. The outcome was positive! The next morning (January 31st), I was on the first flight to Abuja. After a first flight, a long layover and a second flight, I finally reached Brussels on Saturday morning — just in time to rush straight to FOSDEM.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Amidst all this chaos, I missed the first conference I had planned to attend before FOSDEM — CHAOSScon25.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;first-time-fosdem-experience&quot;&gt;First-Time FOSDEM Experience&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This was my first time attending FOSDEM in person. Last year, I had only given a talk online — my first international talk. 
Being there in person this year was an awesome experience, and I can’t thank OLS enough for making it happen.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;organiser&quot;&gt;Organiser&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meeting long-time organisers of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://research-fosdem.github.io/&quot;&gt;Open Research Devroom&lt;/a&gt; was a learning experience. I was exposed to the challenges of scheduling online talks across different time zones and learned how to use &lt;a href=&quot;https://pretalx.com/p/about/&quot;&gt;Pretalx&lt;/a&gt; for reviewing abstracts and proposals.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*Kzylq99OMN7J1pAfVu6urg.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;A small classroom, with attendees sitting in rows of chairs, forming an &amp;quot;n&amp;quot; shape. In front of the room is a group of ten (10) people from varying nationalities and gender groups. They are the members of the organising committee of the conference. Behind them is a blank projector screen, and in front, a beige table.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 85%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;One of my small but exciting contributions was adding the schedule to the website and enhancing it with a little CSS for better aesthetics and UX.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I also got to experience the subtle power of keeping speakers on schedule — holding up signs to let them know they had “x minutes left.” So much power!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;speaker&quot;&gt;Speaker&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I gave a &lt;a href=&quot;https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-5199-research-101-promoting-diversity-through-open-science-literacy/&quot;&gt;lightning talk on Pre-seeds&lt;/a&gt;, sharing early insights from our ongoing survey on underrepresented groups in research. 
We have a small team working on this, with a roadmap in place and a survey aimed at understanding what people want in a course like Pre-seeds. This was a great opportunity to showcase our progress and gather feedback.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*vqSSuDnOMUtDBjY9fpoEQw.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;A conference room, with a speaker, Debs, delivering a talk. Debs is an African woman of average height and dark hair. She is wearing a blue &amp;quot;FOSDEM Organisers&amp;quot; t-shirt over her black long-sleeved sweater, and is pointing at the projected slide. The current slide is a blue page with a title in white text, which reads - &amp;quot;JOIN OUR TEAM&amp;quot; - with 5 members of an all-female team in display.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 85%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;attendee&quot;&gt;Attendee&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 id=&quot;day-1-open-research-devroom&quot;&gt;Day 1: Open Research Devroom&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Some of the standout talks were:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Applying the ‘Do No Harm’ Principle to Open Source Practices and Technology”&lt;/strong&gt; —&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This talk drew inspiration from the Hippocratic Oath, where doctors swear to do no harm. It made me reflect on how, while we can’t prevent all harm in open source, we should strive to minimise intentional and avoidable harm. Dr. Malvika Sharan discussed how openness — our invitation for people to use, remix, and build on our work — can sometimes perpetuate harm. This thought-provoking session initiated deeper discussions about the ethical aspects of open science and responsible research practices.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*QMdTl1zvQ6_9U3bMq-p0Dw.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;A conference room photographed from the left side of the room, showing a speaker, and some members of the audience. The speaker, Malvika, is an Indian woman of small stature and silky dark hair, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt under a sleeveless maroon dress. She is presenting from a slide that reads &amp;quot;The Do No Harm Project.&amp;quot;&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 85%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JOSSCast: Experimenting with Storytelling in Open Research&lt;/strong&gt; —&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Abigail Cabunoc Mayes and Arfon Smith spoke about their experiment with JOSSCast, a podcast designed to connect researchers, developers, and contributors through storytelling. 
They shared insights into what worked, what didn’t, and how podcasts can strengthen open research by engaging both technical and non-technical audiences. This session reinforced the power of storytelling in science communication and community-building.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h3 id=&quot;day-2-funders-devroom&quot;&gt;Day 2: Funders Devroom&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The highlights of my day were:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Storytelling, Networking, and Strategy: Three Keys to Successful Fundraising”&lt;/strong&gt; by Amy Parker.
This was easily my favorite session of the day. She broke down fundraising success into three key components: “the right ask (&lt;strong&gt;Storytelling&lt;/strong&gt;) to the right person (&lt;strong&gt;Networking&lt;/strong&gt;) at the right time (&lt;strong&gt;Strategy&lt;/strong&gt;).”
It was a brilliant talk on how to align these elements to secure funding.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*pMs2GAQEaVw4HFLn_7zHuA.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;Image shows a speaker, Amy Parker, in front of a well-lit classroom, presenting on &amp;quot;Three Keys to Successful Fundraising.&amp;quot; Amy is a white woman with dark hair, wearing an OpenSSL sweater and a bright smile. The slide projected behind her is titled &amp;quot;Networking&amp;quot; and shares on the importance of building connections and relationships.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 85%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Funders Devroom organisers AMA Session&lt;/strong&gt;
I was looking forward to &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#emmyft&quot;&gt;Emmy Tsang&lt;/a&gt;’s talk on “Funding the FOSS Ecosystem”&lt;/strong&gt;, but unfortunately, it was canceled due to her Eurostar delay. That was heartbreaking. However, the Devroom organisers salvaged the situation with an impromptu Ask Me Anything (AMA) session.&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Small Seeds — Why Funding New Ideas Matters”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This talk by by Marie Kreil and Marie-Lena Wiese (of &lt;a href=&quot;https://prototypefund.de/en/&quot;&gt;Prototype Fund&lt;/a&gt;) struck a personal chord. They emphasised the importance of supporting young and novel ideas, which resonated with me as I work on &lt;a href=&quot;https://npdebs.github.io/Pre-seeds-Program/&quot;&gt;Pre-seeds&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“When is it Right to Say No to Funding?”&lt;/strong&gt; by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/in/karensandler/&quot;&gt;Karen Sandler&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;It was a surprising but essential session. In a room with people trying to secure funding, this talk took a different approach — outlining cases where declining funding is the better choice, such as misaligned values, unreasonable workloads, or funders attempting to rewrite the purpose of a project.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;the-fosdem-maze&quot;&gt;The FOSDEM Maze&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The sheer size of FOSDEM was overwhelming&lt;/strong&gt; — multiple buildings, endless rooms, and long queues outside popular Devrooms. Trying to navigate was a bit daunting for a first timer, and I imagine this might be the case even for people who are already familiar with how FOSDEM works.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;However, one of the best things about FOSDEM is that all &lt;strong&gt;talks are recorded&lt;/strong&gt;. So, when the chaos becomes too much, you can take a break, grab some waffles, and catch up later.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Also, I can’t not mention ‘&lt;strong&gt;sticker heaven&lt;/strong&gt;’ — There was an entire section dedicated to stickers, and I wanted one (or six) of everything. I need more laptops to put these on!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;the-friendships&quot;&gt;The Friendships&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One of the best parts of FOSDEM was reconnecting with friends and meeting new people:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;My friend and &lt;strong&gt;SSI brother, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidperezsuarez/&quot;&gt;David Luiz&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, gave me the most amazing hug — thank you!&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#sapetti9&quot;&gt;Sara Petti&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; and I snuck into the Funders Devroom, sat through talks, and chatted about life.&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#malvikasharan&quot;&gt;Malvika Sharan&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; treated me to lunch on both days, unaware of how much that “small” gesture meant to me. Thank you for the book!&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*KVuYrgvglu346wGSjyVVYA.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;A woman wearing jeans and a black winter jacket sits on a metal chair, with her right leg crossed over the left. An open book is placed on her leg, and she is writing a note on the second preliminary page of the book, with a black pen.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 85%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Meeting the Open Research Devroom team&lt;/strong&gt; in person was great too, as they were all welcoming and kind.&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;I finally got to chat with &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ng.linkedin.com/in/ruth-ikegah&quot;&gt;Ruth Ikegah&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, someone I’ve admired from afar for her efforts to represent Africa in tech.&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;The GitHub Maintainers Afterparty was another highlight — I hung out with &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan--hall/&quot;&gt;Duncan Hall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; and met &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthcheesley/&quot;&gt;Ruth Cheesley&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, whose calm demeanor was exactly what I needed after two intense days of FOSDEM-ing.&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;finally&quot;&gt;Finally…&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I regret not being able to attend &lt;a href=&quot;https://chaoss.community/sn/chaosscon-2025-eu/&quot;&gt;CHAOSSCon25&lt;/a&gt;, but will try extra hard to be there come 2026 — even though that outcome is not mine to decide.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I also can’t attend the German RSE Conference (25–27th) to present my poster because my visa is only valid until the 21st.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Despite the challenges of getting to FOSDEM’25, it was worth every moment. From speaking and organising to attending brilliant sessions and making meaningful connections, this experience will stay with me for a long time.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Until next time, Brussels! 🧇🇧🇪&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
        <pubDate>Sun, 16 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/02/16/the-fosdem-2025-experience/</link>
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        <title>Leveraging Digital Research Infrastructure for Environmental DNA Tools in Monitoring Indigenous Territories.</title>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This speedblog, written by &lt;a href=&quot;https://marklouielopez.weebly.com/&quot;&gt;Mark Louie Lopez&lt;/a&gt;, is part of the OLS-9 cohort.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As a freshwater biologist and molecular ecologist, my work has always centered on advancing environmental monitoring and conservation science. 
Over the years, I have had the privilege of contributing to this field through research outputs, collaborations, and community engagement. 
One of the most exciting projects I am currently involved in is the development of environmental DNA (eDNA) tools for biodiversity monitoring in Indigenous lands, supported by the &lt;a href=&quot;https://alliancecan.ca/en/initiatives/dri-investments&quot;&gt;Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s DRI EDIA pilot program&lt;/a&gt;. 
This project is not only a scientific endeavor but also a collaborative effort to empower Indigenous communities and address pressing environmental challenges.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/images/2025-02-louie-blog-photos.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A photo collage containing four (4) related images, showing members of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation in Northeastern Alberta, as they collect freshwater fish from Lake Winnefred. In the top left square of the collage, men lined up in a row pull on a fish-filled net. In the top right square, a man stands on ice, overlooking many fish. The bottom left image is of a row of fish on the frozen out lake and on the bottom right is an image of three (3) men tugging on the net.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 80%; max-height: 600px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;the-project&quot;&gt;The Project&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bridging Science and Indigenous Knowledge: The project, titled &lt;em&gt;“Utilizing Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) to Develop Environmental DNA Tools for Biodiversity Monitoring in Indigenous Lands,”&lt;/em&gt; focuses on creating cutting-edge eDNA tools to monitor priority species in collaboration with Indigenous partners. 
These tools are part of the broader &lt;a href=&quot;https://itrackdna.ca/&quot;&gt;iTrackDNA program&lt;/a&gt;, which aims to integrate eDNA technology with Indigenous Knowledge to enhance biodiversity monitoring and conservation efforts.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Environmental DNA (eDNA)—genetic material shed by organisms into their environment—offers a non-invasive, cost-effective, and highly accurate method for detecting species. 
By analyzing eDNA, we can monitor biodiversity without disturbing ecosystems, making it an invaluable tool for conservation. However, developing robust eDNA tools requires advanced computational resources to process large genomic datasets. 
This is where the &lt;a href=&quot;https://alliancecan.ca/en&quot;&gt;Digital Research Alliance of Canada&lt;/a&gt; plays a pivotal role.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;the-role-of-digital-research-infrastructure&quot;&gt;The Role of Digital Research Infrastructure&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The development of eDNA tools involves several computational steps, including the assembly of mitochondrial genomes, identification of unique genetic sequences for primer design, and statistical modeling to validate assay sensitivity. 
These tasks demand high-performance computing resources, such as the &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.alliancecan.ca/wiki/Cedar&quot;&gt;Cedar cluster&lt;/a&gt;, which the Digital Research Alliance provides. Access to these resources enables us to process vast amounts of genomic data efficiently, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of our eDNA tools.
​
To fully leverage these resources, I have identified key training needs, including preparing submission scripts, debugging parallel computation jobs, and monitoring multiple tasks concurrently. 
These skills are essential for maximizing the potential of DRI in advancing our research.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;collaboration-with-indigenous-communities&quot;&gt;Collaboration with Indigenous Communities&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A cornerstone of this project is its collaborative approach with Indigenous partners. By integrating traditional ecological knowledge with eDNA technology, we aim to create a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem dynamics. 
This not only validates Indigenous Knowledge but also empowers communities to take an active role in managing their natural resources.
Adhering to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://fnigc.ca/ocap-training/&quot;&gt;OCAP principles (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession)&lt;/a&gt;, we ensure that all data collected within Indigenous territories remains under the control of the Indigenous communities. 
This commitment to Indigenous data sovereignty is fundamental to our work, fostering trust and equitable partnerships.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;addressing-barriers-for-equity-seeking-groups&quot;&gt;Addressing Barriers for Equity-Seeking Groups&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As a member of the &lt;strong&gt;2SLGBTQQIA+ community&lt;/strong&gt; and a &lt;strong&gt;racialized immigrant&lt;/strong&gt;, I am deeply aware of the barriers faced by equity-seeking groups in accessing advanced research infrastructure. 
These barriers include limited awareness of available resources, insufficient training opportunities, and a lack of institutional support. 
By providing training and resources, this project aims to empower underrepresented researchers and Indigenous communities, fostering a more inclusive and diverse scientific community.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Co-design biodiversity monitoring projects&lt;/strong&gt; with Indigenous partners, identifying priority species for eDNA assay development.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conduct online training sessions&lt;/strong&gt; on using DRI for eDNA assay design, targeting equity-seeking researchers and Indigenous scientific staff.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Validate targeted eDNA assays&lt;/strong&gt; and apply them to monitor biodiversity in Indigenous lands, providing timely and accurate data to our partners.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Launch a social media campaign&lt;/strong&gt; to raise awareness about the role of DRI in advancing eDNA research and supporting equity-seeking groups.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We anticipate engaging over 100 individuals from equity-seeking groups, including Indigenous communities, racialized researchers, and first-generation post-secondary students. 
By measuring the impact of these activities, we aim to demonstrate how DRI can drive innovation and inclusivity in environmental research.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;the-ols-open-seeds-mentoring-program&quot;&gt;The OLS “Open Seeds” Mentoring Program&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://we-are-ols.org/openseeds/&quot;&gt;Open Seeds program&lt;/a&gt; is a 16-week personal mentorship and cohort-based training designed to empower individuals to become Open Science ambassadors in their communities. As part of the OLS-9 cohort, I have had the opportunity to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Share expertise and gain knowledge&lt;/strong&gt; essential for creating, leading, and sustaining Open Science projects.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Connect with a diverse network&lt;/strong&gt; of mentors, experts, and peers from various backgrounds and identities.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Develop leadership skills&lt;/strong&gt; to effectively advocate for Open Science principles and practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The OLS program has been instrumental in helping me refine my project’s goals, enhance my understanding of Open Science, and build a strong foundation for collaboration with Indigenous partners. 
The mentorship and skill-building sessions, such as the &lt;strong&gt;GitHub tutorial for beginners&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Open Leadership: Academia, industry, and beyond&lt;/strong&gt;, have equipped me with the tools needed to navigate the complexities of open and collaborative research.
​&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;a-vision-for-the-future&quot;&gt;A Vision for the Future&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This project represents a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between advanced scientific tools and Indigenous Knowledge, fostering a collaborative approach to biodiversity monitoring. 
By leveraging the Digital Research Alliance’s infrastructure and the mentorship provided by the OLS program, we can develop robust eDNA tools that empower Indigenous communities, inform conservation strategies, and contribute to the sustainable management of Canada’s natural resources.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As we move forward, I am excited to see how this initiative will not only advance scientific research but also create a more inclusive and equitable research ecosystem. 
Together, we can harness the power of technology and traditional knowledge to protect our planet’s biodiversity for generations to come.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
        <pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/02/13/leveraging-digital-research-infrastructure/</link>
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        <title>Pressing &quot;pause&quot; on Nebula</title>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;As a NASA grantee, OLS has been running the 6-week Nebula training program since early 2024. With the new USA government, we have been asked to pause our open science 101 training for the next few months, while the curriculum is reviewed. We’ll let you all know when the training is available again.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;None of OLS’s other open research activities have changed.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
        <pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/02/05/pause-on-nebula/</link>
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        <title>Translating caribou habitat modelling with indigenous insights</title>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;This speedblog is part of the OLS-9 cohort, where participants explore open science principles while developing their projects. In this post, Melleason shares insights from their work on integrating indigenous knowledge with scientific methods to improve caribou habitat conservation on the Slate Islands.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;project-background&quot;&gt;Project Background&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains the Red List, which categorizes species from “Least Concern” to “Extinct” to highlight conservation priorities. The caribou is listed as “Vulnerable,” raising significant conservation concerns. Within Lake Superior lies the Slate Islands, part of the traditional territory of the Biigtigong First Nation. These islands were once home to a thriving caribou population, which was extirpated from the area a few decades ago. There is an ongoing effort to reintroduce caribou to the Slate Islands, with a small number already introduced. However, two critical challenges persist:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ol&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;The nature of the habitat, including historical changes and projected changes critical for caribou survival, remains poorly understood.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Current conservation approaches rely heavily on scientific methods, such as remote sensing, limiting inclusiveness and failing to integrate the knowledge of Indigenous communities.
As a result, my project seeks to bridge Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, including remote sensing, to develop effective conservation strategies for caribou on the Slate Islands.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://github.com/Melleason/Caribou-habitat-management-/raw/1b7966cab9c523b75c4cd236afa5f799a79041ce/data/Images/Caribou_SlateIsland_MosesElleason.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;sub-adult male caribou spotted on the Slate islands on August 2024&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;goals-and-expectations-in-ols&quot;&gt;Goals and Expectations in OLS&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Through the Open Life Science (OLS) program, I aimed to:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Learn methods for engaging diverse communities, including Indigenous peoples, to ensure the success of the project.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Understand best practices in research data management, particularly in contexts emphasizing Indigenous data sovereignty.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;goals-achieved-key-insights-and-accomplishments&quot;&gt;Goals Achieved, Key Insights, and Accomplishments&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My project has two phases: remote sensing and social science. While awaiting Research Ethics Board (REB) approval to proceed with the second phase (interviews with Indigenous community members), key accomplishments include:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Completion of field survey of the Slate Islands to validate Landsat data.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Development of a current habitat map for the Slate Islands and habitat change map spanning 1984–2024.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Participating in Indigenous festivals to build trust and strengthen relationships.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Completed an REB application for interviews.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Updating project information on my GitHub repository.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Through OLS training, I gained critical skills and insights in areas, including:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Community Management Training:&lt;/strong&gt; Leveraging the “mountain of engagement” framework to lead effectively and foster community involvement.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tooling for Open Project Design:&lt;/strong&gt; Utilizing open-source tools to design and communicate projects effectively, enhancing GitHub proficiency.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Data Management Practices:&lt;/strong&gt; Emphasizing appropriate handling of sensitive data, particularly regarding Indigenous governance.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;next-steps&quot;&gt;Next Steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In the short term, I plan to:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Conduct interviews to incorporate Indigenous perspectives on forest changes and their impacts on wildlife.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Refine the habitat and habitat change maps by integrating Indigenous definitions and insights.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In the long term, I aim to expand this research to other lake-moderated islands and their Indigenous communities in southern Ontario.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;staying-connected&quot;&gt;Staying Connected&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I look forward to maintaining ties with the OLS community, continuing to learn and contribute to open science. I have subscribed to their social media platforms and remain available for future learning and mentoring opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;acknowledgments&quot;&gt;Acknowledgments&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This work has been successful thanks to the guidance of my university supervisors, DRI EDIA/OLS instructors, and mentor &lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#acocac&quot;&gt;Alejandro Coca-Castro&lt;/a&gt;. I also appreciate the financial support from the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (DRAC).&lt;/p&gt;

</description>
        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/01/25/translating-caribou-habitat-modelling-with-indigenous-insights/</link>
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        <title>Welcoming our new OLS Resident Fellow — Sara Villa</title>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;¡Nos entusiasma darle la bienvenida a &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#saravilla&quot;&gt;Sara Villa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, quien se une al equipo de OLS como Senior Fellow!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;sara-senior-fellow-en-ols-español&quot;&gt;Sara, Senior Fellow en OLS (Español)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;columns&quot;&gt;
  &lt;div class=&quot;column is-3&quot;&gt;
    &lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/images/sara-villa-portrait.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;Image shows Sara Villa, a woman from Palencia, Spain. She has brown bangs, and is wearing a black tank top, with the strap of a black backpack slung over one shoulder. Sara is posing infront of some mountains in Picos de Europa National Park, with wide eyes and a broad smile!&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;
  &lt;div class=&quot;column&quot;&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Sara es una investigadora cuya pasión por la Ciencia Abierta la ha llevado a ser mentora e instructora en los programas &lt;a href=&quot;/openseeds/&quot;&gt;Open Seeds&lt;/a&gt; y &lt;a href=&quot;/nebula/&quot;&gt;Nebula&lt;/a&gt; de OLS. A Sara le interesan la &lt;strong&gt;cultura de investigación en entornos académicos y la construcción de comunidades&lt;/strong&gt;, y aspira a acercar estas habilidades a todas las personas que hacen o apoyan la investigación.&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Siguiendo la consigna de The Turing Way sobre hacer la &lt;em&gt;reproducibilidad demasiado fácil como para no hacerla&lt;/em&gt;, Sara aboga por la investigación abierta en todos los niveles. Le encanta presentar y dar capacitaciones (y capacitarse) sobre el tema.&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;Como Senior Fellow en OLS, Sara &lt;strong&gt;diseñará y adaptará el programa de Open Seeds&lt;/strong&gt; para la comunidad de la &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.kcl.ac.uk/neuroscience&quot;&gt;Facultad de Neurociencias&lt;/a&gt; en King’s College London. Su meta es diseminar habilidades para la Ciencia Abierta en todas las universidades para que cualquier persona pueda adquirirlas tan pronto comience su carrera científica (¡aunque nunca es demasiado tarde!).&lt;/p&gt;

    &lt;p&gt;¡Démosle la bienvenida a Sara en el Slack de OLS!&lt;/p&gt;
  &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We are pleased to announce that &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#saravilla&quot;&gt;Sara Villa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; has joined the OLS team as our newest Senior Resident Fellow!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;sara-senior-resident-fellow-english&quot;&gt;Sara, Senior Resident Fellow (English)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sara is a researcher with an Open Science obsession that has led her to work as mentor and trainer in programmes like OLS’s &lt;a href=&quot;/openseeds/&quot;&gt;Open Seeds&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/nebula/&quot;&gt;Nebula&lt;/a&gt; for the past years.
She is very interested in &lt;strong&gt;Research culture and Community building&lt;/strong&gt; and wants to bring all these skills to anyone involved in doing research.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Following the Turing Way motto, ‘&lt;em&gt;to make Reproducibility too easy not to do&lt;/em&gt;’, she has become an ambassador for Open research at all levels and is very happy to speak up and train (herself and others) whenever needed.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As an OLS Resident Fellow, &lt;strong&gt;Sara will design and develop a tailored Open Seeds programme&lt;/strong&gt; for the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.kcl.ac.uk/neuroscience&quot;&gt;School of Neuroscience&lt;/a&gt; community at King’s College London.
Her ambition is to leak Open Science skills all around Universities so people can learn about it as soon as possible in their scientific journey (but never too late!)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please join us in welcoming Sara in the OLS Slack!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Many thanks to the lovely &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#iramosp&quot;&gt;Irene Ramos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, for providing Spanish translation for this blog post!)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/01/24/welcoming-our-new-resident-fellow/</link>
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        <title>Lessons from My (first ever!) Public Speaking Coach.</title>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;Public speaking has been one of my strongest skills for the longest time — but like other skills, one can never truly master it, only strive to refine it. I had the privilege of working with &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.davidkershaw.net/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;David Kershaw&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a remarkable public speaking coach provided by the &lt;strong&gt;Society of Research Software Engineering&lt;/strong&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;https://society-rse.org/&quot;&gt;SocRSE&lt;/a&gt;), to prepare for my &lt;a href=&quot;https://rsecon24.society-rse.org/programme/emerging-voice-plenary/&quot;&gt;Emerging Voices plenary&lt;/a&gt; at &lt;strong&gt;RSECon24&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;From the very first session, it was clear: this wasn’t just about presenting slides or speaking eloquently. David’s insights elevated public speaking into a craft that intertwines connection, storytelling, and precision. Today, &lt;strong&gt;I’m excited to share some of the gems I’ve learned&lt;/strong&gt;. Whether you’re prepping for a talk, a webinar, or even a casual presentation, these takeaways might just transform how you approach your next speaking opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/format:webp/1*eldqEG5ThXNKRRIr_P4HDQ.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;An image of a speaker, Debs, delivering a presentation. Debs is a black female, dressed in a blue and yellow jumpsuit made from African &amp;quot;ankara&amp;quot; prints. Picture shows her side profile, with an RSE banner blurred out in the background.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h1 id=&quot;my-main-learning-points&quot;&gt;My Main Learning Points:&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;-resonance-and-relevance&quot;&gt;📌 Resonance and Relevance&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At the core of every talk are two primary goals: to connect emotionally (resonance) and to deliver intellectually (relevance). Striking the right balance ensures you’re not just heard, but truly remembered.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Ask yourself:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Resonance:&lt;/strong&gt; How does my talk appeal to the audience’s emotions?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Speak to the &lt;strong&gt;heart&lt;/strong&gt;. Relate to your audience on an emotional level.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Relevance:&lt;/strong&gt; Is my content practical and suited to their needs?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;Speak to the &lt;strong&gt;head&lt;/strong&gt;. Share information that’s meaningful, accurate, and on point.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Balance these two, and you’ll have your audience engaged from start to finish.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-finding-the-right-pace&quot;&gt;📌 Finding the Right Pace&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ever noticed how a pendulum swings? Left, right, left, right — it’s rhythmic but predictable. As speakers, we risk losing our audience if we’re too slow or overwhelming them if we’re too fast.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;David taught me that pacing can be an art:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Go slow&lt;/strong&gt; at strategic moments to let your audience process key ideas.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pick up the pace&lt;/strong&gt; when covering familiar or less critical details.&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Modulate&lt;/strong&gt; — don’t stick to one rhythm. Alternate rhythms to keep things lively — don’t settle into a monotone “pendulum swing.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Pro tip: Use pauses strategically. They’re like a mental exhale for your audience.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-passion-is-contagious&quot;&gt;📌 Passion is Contagious&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Enthusiasm and confidence are infectious. So, if you show genuine excitement about your topic, your audience will mirror it.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;David encouraged me to imagine myself as an audience member: &lt;em&gt;How would I expect a confident speaker to act?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Bottom line? Own the stage, and don’t be afraid to enjoy the experience.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/format:webp/1*YPRapAGhTt_bHZ1Fqdclow.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;A full length image of the same African female, Debs, standing behind a lectern, with arms spread out beside her, as she speaks to an attentive audience.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-the-power-of-rhetorical-questions&quot;&gt;📌 The Power of Rhetorical Questions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Want your audience to think deeply? Ask rhetorical questions.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;A well-placed rhetorical question not only grabs attention but also invites the audience to ponder, think critically.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Bonus tip: Follow it up with a quick one-liner that subtly leads the audience toward the point you’re making.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For instance: “Wouldn’t it be great if coffee was free for a day? (&lt;em&gt;pause&lt;/em&gt;) Yeah, I thought so too.”&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-storytelling-the-secret-weaponmore-than-words&quot;&gt;📌 Storytelling: The Secret Weapon/More Than Words&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stories aren’t just for entertainment — they’re a bridge to connect with your audience on a personal level.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Personal experiences, when shared within appropriate boundaries, create a sense of familiarity and even intimacy. Using metaphors or idioms adds color and paints vivid mental pictures that keep listeners invested and engaged.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-keep-them-guessing&quot;&gt;📌 Keep Them Guessing&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;David encouraged me to embrace the element of surprise. Add something unexpected to your talk — an unconventional approach, a surprising fact, or a playful twist. It keeps the audience on their toes and leaves a lasting impression.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-emphasise-new-ideas&quot;&gt;📌 Emphasise new ideas.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Remember: your audience is hearing your material for the first time. Don’t gloss over fresh or complex ideas — slow down, articulate clearly, and make them count.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In short, &lt;em&gt;take your time explaining new ideas so they can fully absorb them&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-its-okay-to-say-i-dont-know&quot;&gt;📌 It’s Okay to Say “I Don’t Know”&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When faced with a tough question, honesty is key. Acknowledge the person for asking, repeat the question if necessary, and take a moment to process. It’s okay to admit you don’t know the answer — it builds trust and shows humility and authenticity.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Pro tip from my colleague Irene: Repeating the question back to the audience not only buys time but also makes the asker feel heard and valued.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-lead-the-slides-dont-let-them-lead-you&quot;&gt;📌 Lead the Slides; Don’t Let Them Lead You&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Your slides are there to support &lt;em&gt;you&lt;/em&gt;, not the other way around.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Speak before transitioning slides to keep the audience focused on you, not just your visuals. Advancing the slides too soon tempts them to read ahead of you.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/format:webp/1*atC5QRi3yXegnohWD8bJqA.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;Image shows Debs behind a podium, smiling at a large screen above her head, where her slides are being projected for the audience. The current slide reads &amp;quot;OPEN SOURCE OPENS DOORS&amp;quot; with logos of some open source projects below the title.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;h2 id=&quot;-final-thoughts-and-acknowledgements&quot;&gt;💭 Final Thoughts and Acknowledgements&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Working with David Kershaw was transformative, not just for my public speaking but for my overall confidence as a communicator. His approach was thoughtful, practical, and tailored.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;When he showed up to our first session with my slides printed out, I knew I was in capable hands. This level of commitment and care made me feel supported and confident.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Thank you, David, for sharing your wisdom and to the Society of RSE for making this incredible coaching experience possible.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If you’re preparing for a talk or just want to sharpen your presentation skills, I hope these lessons resonate with you.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Have questions or thoughts? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments!&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
        <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2025/01/08/public-speaking-tips/</link>
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        <title>Colleagues to Family: Highlights of the OLS Nigeria Meetup</title>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;There’s something magical about meeting people you’ve worked with virtually for ages and instantly feeling like family when you finally see each other in real life. That’s exactly how it felt when &lt;strong&gt;the OLS Nigeria Team met up for the first time&lt;/strong&gt; this past Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at the vibrant Art Tech District in &lt;strong&gt;Abuja&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Let’s set the scene: four of us, coming from different parts of the country, converging in one place. &lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#tajuddeen1&quot;&gt;Taj&lt;/a&gt;, our Program Coordinator for the Catalyst project, flew in from Kano; &lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#jilaga&quot;&gt;Jilaga&lt;/a&gt;, the creative force behind OLS’s branding, joined us from Lagos; &lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#npdebs&quot;&gt;Debs&lt;/a&gt;, our Web Developer and Community Manager extraordinaire, made her way from Port Harcourt; and &lt;a href=&quot;/people.html#seunolufemi123&quot;&gt;Seun&lt;/a&gt;, our Abuja-based Resident Fellow, welcomed us to his city.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By noon, we were all gathered, a mix of excitement and slight nervousness in the air—but that didn’t last long. It only took a few minutes of epic banter to break the ice: Debs and Taj debated whether the Art Tech District was really just a 10-minute walk from the hotel, with Seun chiming in to say he doesn’t trust Google Maps. (Spoiler: there’s a hilarious reason Debs and Taj couldn’t agree on the distance—read on!)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Needless to say, we clicked. Big time.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We kicked off our day with an &lt;strong&gt;escape room challenge&lt;/strong&gt;—“a team-building exercise,” we told ourselves. The mission? Solve a murder case within 30 minutes. Did we crack it? Nope. (Turns out we’re better at our jobs than catching imaginary killers.) But we uncovered bigger mysteries – Taj is great at Chemistry, Jilaga’s an undercover detective, and Seun will seize every opportunity to taunt Debs by fumbling with the light switch.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Next stop: the &lt;strong&gt;Discovery Museum&lt;/strong&gt;. It was a walk through Nigerian history, culture, and creativity. We soaked up every moment, from admiring the exhibits to singing along to iconic Nigerian throwback tunes.  A documentary on the effect of the “Boko Haram” insurgency had us reflecting deeply on the resilience of our nation, and feeling grateful for the gift of life. And, of course, we couldn’t resist snapping photos at every turn…&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/images/ols-ng-meetup/ols-ng-collage.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;A photo collage containing individual images, each telling a unique story. At the top left corner, the first picture shows two people sitting on a white bench in an art gallery: Seun, an adult black male wearing a blue t-shirt and gray jeans, and Debs, an adult black female with red hair extensions and a purple jumpsuit with white dots. At the top right corner, Seun is smiling in a photo with an adult black female, Jilaga, who has cornrows and dark shades. There are three images in the middle row of the collage: the first photo has Jilaga and Debs standing beside an adult black male, Taj, who is wearing a beige African &amp;quot;senator&amp;quot; outfit with glasses. They are in front of a large screen showing different Nigerian currencies. Next to this image, is a picture showing the evolution of Nigerian music, from 50s to 70s. The last image in the middle row contains traditional beads of the Igbos, and a screen displays palm kernels - above, a sign reads &amp;quot;Igbo culture.&amp;quot; The third and final row of the collage has two images: on the left, Taj, Seun and Jilaga pose for a photo, and on the right, a table is filled with dishes like rice, salad and chow mein.&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;By lunchtime, the conversation flowed as freely as the food. Fun fact: there’s a short list of things Nigerians love more than good food. We shared bites of our meals, in the same way we dove into each other’s worlds. We shared laughs, swapped stories, and found common ground in our unique journeys within OLS.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We got to learn about Jilaga’s background in Architecture–mind blown! She also gave us the inside scoop on the intricate process of design and branding. 
Taj, on the other hand, spoke about his academic pursuit, which has taken him across continents, and his growing passion for Project Management and AI.
Meanwhile, Seun talked about his Bioinformatics background, his activity within the OLS and his Community’s participation in The Catalyst project. And Debs? It was a time to reflect on growth and new possibilities.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;To wrap up the day on a sweet note, we made our way to a cozy spot for gelato.  It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable day—because what’s better than bonding over shared love for dessert?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/images/ols-ng-meetup/ols-ng-gelato.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;Photo shows four (4) separate cups containing two (2) scoops of gelato. Each cup is placed on a white serviette.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 70%; max-height: 500px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This meet-up wasn’t just a chance to put faces to names; it was a celebration of camaraderie. We may have started the day as colleagues, but by the end of it, we were more like a family.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;So, here’s to more in-person meetups! 🥂&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/images/ols-ng-meetup/ols-ng-cheers.jpeg&quot; alt=&quot;Photograph shows a group of four (4) raising their glasses in a celebratory toast. The glasses are filled with water, ice cubes and a slice of lemon.&quot; style=&quot;max-width: 70%; max-height: 500px;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;P.S.&lt;/strong&gt; Remember that epic Debs-Taj banter? Here’s the scoop: the city has two Chelsea Hotels, and the whole time, we thought we were staying at the same one. Debs only realised the mix-up when the cab dropped her and Taj off, and Taj headed up to his room—while Debs discovered she was at the wrong place. Luckily, Jilaga swooped in to save the day and took Debs to the right hotel. Classic misadventure, right?&lt;/p&gt;
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        <pubDate>Thu, 19 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://we-are-ols.org//posts/2024/12/19/ols-nigeria-meetup/</link>
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