Open Science – The Great Equalizer: Decolonizing the tools, technologies, and results of science in the 21st century

Open Science, as we commonly define it, has grown steadily over the past two to three decades, thanks to the proliferation of electronic data and information, as well as ease of access to computers with high speed Internet connectivity. What began as a mechanism to share the products of our scientific research has evolved into a global movement involving journal article manuscripts, source code, copyright, access, and intellectual property negotiations, digital repositories, cloud-based tools, and data in a variety of formats.

This presentation will briefly define Open Science, and enumerate and describe common elements of Open Science through a brief history of the movement. It will also touch on both triumphs and challenges faced by proponents, discuss the role of professional publishers, aggregators, and other traditional gatekeepers, and will propose scenarios for the future of the movement. Questions, anecdotes, vexations, and suggestions from attendees are welcomed at the end of the presentation, with the goal of generate deeper discussion around the future and sustainability of Open Science.