California State University, San Bernardino has been selected as the recipient of a $15,000 grant from the Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) project, in support of CSUSB’s Open Science Initiative.

Stewarded by Jennifer Beamer, faculty librarian for scholarly communications, the award aims to propel open scholarship by providing essential training, resources and collaborative opportunities for CSUSB researchers, students and faculty. The funding will support a series of hands-on workshops focused on open-access publishing, data management, research transparency, and collaborative research practices. Open Science is an umbrella term for an approach to knowledge creation that favors transparency, inclusivity, and reproducibility of all components of the research process.

Using the newly acquired CSUSB-branded Open Science Framework (OSF), a platform facilitating data sharing and open-access materials, providing access for CSUSB participants, an Open Science Ambassadors program is to be established. The initiative, open to all majors and departments, will seek to empower students and faculty advocates to foster a culture of open sharing of knowledge across campus and ensure the project’s sustainability beyond the award period.  If you are interested in becoming an Open Science Ambassador, sign up here for more information.

“We are excited to partner with ORCA to elevate open science at CSUSB,” said Beamer, a recent Fulbright Scholar who holds a doctorate in communications and information science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “This support will increase transparency, accessibility and collaboration within our scholarly community.”

Rebecca Lubas, dean of CSUSB Libraries, who is working with Beamer in launching the Open Science Ambassadors program, said, “The ORCA grant is a milestone in the library’s strategy to support knowledge creation and sharing by the CSUSB community. We welcome and encourage participation in this important initiative.”

For more information on the CSUSB Open Science Initiative, contact Jennifer Beamer at jennifer.beamer@csusb.edu.