ScienceLab/2015roadmap

This page includes high-level, detailed plans and deliverables for the Mozilla Science Lab's 2015 key initiatives.

NOTE: This is an active draft.

The Science Lab launched in June 2013 to explore how Mozilla could help enable research that is not only like the web but of the web. Since then, we’ve and tested a model for the program built on Mozilla’s core values and expertise, and engaged in work with the community around open, *web-enabled* science.

We do this by:

- Building communities and technical prototypes;

- Teaching skills needed to further open practices;

- Empowering others to learn, solve problems and build new tools together.

This page will look at what we've learned in our first 18 months, and sketch out a plan to build on that foundation in 2015.

What we’ve learned

We’ve worked with open educational projects like Software Carpentry to train researchers in skills needed to do more efficient research and empower them to build on that knowledge, innovate and teach. Through that work, we’ve learned firsthand the need for skills training and mentorship in research if we’re going to shift practice. We’ve also seen the challenges in scaling and making sustainable volunteer efforts, as well as assessing their long-term impact.

Over the course of the past 18 months, we’ve also found our greatest successes in meeting the community where they are both in terms of skills and levels of awareness, working with them to support and amplify their work rather than the other way around. Through our work with Software Carpentry, we’ve also gained insight to the gaps in training in research settings globally, and the areas we can support as Mozilla across programs and pedagogy, rather than taking a boutique approach.

In 2015, we’ll be further exploring how we can, along with the community, build the supports for truly scalable and connected learning that incentivizes long-term engagement, from curriculum in data to train-the-trainers and a fellowship program. Beyond our learning strategy, we’ll also be focusing on how to engage and foster best practice in open research through technical projects with the community, and hone our engagement strategy to tie these efforts together.

Specifically, we plan to:

• Empower others to become open science trainers and agents of change within their own communities. (ie., Fellows, mentors, train-the-trainers.)

• Craft resources and pathways to foster long-term engagement and learning. (i.e., data curriculum, skills training workshops, teaching materials.)

• Serve as an intersection point for the community to foster dialogue, projects and innovation across disciplines, specialties and geographic location. (i.e., Sprints, MozFest, community calls, Collaborate platform, forum)

Below we’ve outlined our leading initiatives for the year to achieve these goals:

FELLOWSHIPS - Pilot a 10-month fellowship program to embed open research practice and values in university research environments.

DATA TRAINING

SPRINTS + PROTOTYPING

MENTORSHIP

MOZILLA FESTIVAL

Defining our community

The Mozilla Science Lab is helping a global network of researchers, tool developers, librarians and publishers collaborate to further science on the web. We believe a community of peers working, learning and building together is needed to make research thrive on the open web.

Below are some of the core characteristics of the diverse community we serve:

• Applying Mozilla's Values to Further Research on the Web

• Global and by Topic/Issue/Specialty – The Science Lab community is a global one, and community members are grouped together by interest in topics/issues and member organizations which are tied to both key regions and topics.

• Mozilla’s Role – Mozilla’s role is to facilitate and enable engagement between community members (individuals, organizations, technology providers, publishers). We do not direct the community; we enable it and help amplify.

• A Community of Practicioners -

• Value for All Community Members – We are modeling the Mozilla Science Lab Community in a way that provides value to all participants – from the individual researcher to the institution and funders.

2015 Milestones and Roadmap

Swim Lanes	2014 Wrap	Q1	Q2	Change of State
MSL Infrastructure	Build new site lessons learned reflections	Launch new MSL site Website testing (ongoing) Design and articulate terms on Collaborate Open up Collaborate to new projects	Community Blog Launch	Enabling more & easier engagement through website, Collaborate and the forum Increased discoverability of people, tools and resources.

Background links

• Planning etherpad