OAHack: open access hackathon

Join the MIT Libraries and Open Access Task Force for an Open Access Hackathon (OAhack)!

On Friday evening, April 6, from 5:30-9:30pm, on the 6th floor of the Media Lab (in the 6th floor multipurpose room), there will be a reception and short talks about open access and open research projects, and participants can get started on hackathon projects. On Saturday, April 7, from 9:00am-6:00pm, in 56-154, there will be an all-day hackathon and do-a-thon where participants can propose and work on open access and open research projects large and small.

Friday evening will feature talks from:

• Chris Bourg, MIT Libraries
• Peter Suber, Director of the Harvard Office for Scholarly Communication
• Kyle Courtney, Copyright Advisor for Harvard University
• Jessica Polka, ASAPbio
• Roger Levy, MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• plus short open access project pitches

Journal paywalls keep scholarly knowledge from many educators, journalists and scholars in developing countries. The opaque handling of research data contributes to the "reproducibility crisis." Balancing openness and student privacy in online courses is tricky. Many, many other challenges hamper our use of research and education to solve the pressing problems of today. OAHack invites you to tackle these challenges and more through projects which could involve software, design, business models, policy frameworks and other tools!

Attendees are welcome to come to just the Friday evening reception, and space is limited at the Saturday event. Please register for which events you plan to attend so we can get an accurate headcount. 

Note: there is a waitlist for Saturday; if you have joined it, please email oahack@mit.edu to confirm your interest. There is still space for Friday evening. Saturday will be on campus in building 56; Friday will be at the Media Lab.