Debrief of SORTEE Code Club: Local Open Science Meet-ups - Tuesday September 17

The Member Engagement Committee runs Code Club every third Tuesday of the month. Time can vary depending on the host and will be announced at least two weeks in advance on SORTEE’s Slack. For more information, see SORTEE’s Code Club page.

Code Club returned from midyear break with a training session on local Open Science meet-ups. Kaija Gahm shared her experiences with running weekly “Hacky Hours” in her department at the University of California, Los Angeles, which serves as a collaborative coding and working space. We discussed the value of such local Open Science meet-ups and how to organize them.

The value of local Open Science meet-ups

Do you sometimes feel like you are in an ‘Open Science bubble’? Open Science (OS) initiatives and events often only attract innovators and early adopters. But for OS practices to be widely adopted, we need to reach critical mass to achieve cultural change.¹

We discussed how informal, local meet-ups are extremely valuable for the normalization of OS practices. Their peer-based character and format make OS more accessible. Moreover, seeing that your peers are adopting OS practices in their daily work makes OS visible and tangible. Local meet-ups thus lower the bar for adopting new practices and allow researchers to easily find support from colleagues and mentors.¹

Kaija discussed how particularly having meetings in-person is part of their success. Hacky Hours in her department create a social and collaborative space that allows for mini-workshops on the fly, brainstorming on the whiteboard, and connecting across labs in the department. She emphasizes how local meet-ups foster a community of practice: “Individuals are empowered by easy access to information, knowing who to turn to for help, and having a network of people for positive change within their institute”.

Photo: Hacky Hours at Kaija’s department (credit: Kaija Gahm)

How to set up your own local meet-up

To organize your own local meet-up, you need a time, a place, and a format. Kaija recommends to settle on a time and place and stick to it. “Consistency and predictability will allow for the community to build up over time”, she says.

We discussed different formats that a local Open Science (OS) meet-up could have. An easy way to start could be by scheduling a recurring slot in your existing lab meeting schedule that is dedicated to discussing an OS topic. Another way is by choosing an existing format, such as the journal club ReproducibiliTEA who provide a ready-to-use format and reading lists.

While lab meetings or journal clubs are more structured, you could also choose a more open format, such as a Hacky Hour or Code Club. The Hacky Hours that Kaija runs have no scheduled seminars or discussions, but simply provide a space to work and ask people for help. This type of open meeting requires a longer duration. Kaija recommends 2h so that people can really get some work done.

Time investment leads to success

The success of local Open Science (OS) meet-ups depends on the amount of time people are willing and able to invest. OS innovators and early adaptors are needed to bring the necessary knowledge and skills to the table for the majority to benefit, contribute, and build upon them1. This can be challenging when only a few people have the necessary knowledge and expertise. Potential solutions to this challenge include following openly available tutorials together (for example learning git) or inviting speakers from outside your lab group or department.

Long-term viability of local OS communities requires support and preferably funding from your institution1. Kaija, for example, acquired some funds from her department to buy snacks to increase engagement and attendance at their Hacky Hour. She recommends having an attendance sheet and/or mini-survey at the start of each meeting. This information allows you to make the benefits of your local meet-up tangible and encourage continued funding.

How can SORTEE help encourage local communities?

We discussed whether SORTEE could play a role in stimulating local Open Science communities. The society could increase its impact by formally encouraging members to organize local communities at their own institutions, by providing guidance and inspiration for organizing local meetings, and by creating a network of local meeting coordinators.

A network of local meeting coordinators would also provide the opportunity for more formal goal setting. For example, we could implement an ‘Open Science challenge’ that local communities can sign up for (e.g. October challenge where local communities try to implement registered reports in their labs).

Are you excited about SORTEE creating a network of local meeting coordinators? Join SORTEE’s Membership Engagement committee next year and help make this happen! Apply now to volunteer for SORTEE.

What’s next

The next Code Club meeting will be at the SORTEE conference! Come join us for a Hackathon on Wednesday 16 at 7-9h UTC +00:00 (sign up for the conference here). We will write a Code Standard: an accessible and easy way to implement ORT practices in your own coding by example. The “perfect” ORT codes we will produce will be made openly available on Github, listing all the people who contributed during the Hackathon.

You can check the Code Club schedule here for upcoming meetings. To receive calendar invites in your local time zone, sign up here.

Become SORTEE’s Code Club Leader 2025!

Are you interested in Open Science practices related to code and code review? Would you like to learn more? We are looking for you to lead Code Club in 2025!

No prior experience needed, just a willingness to learn and invest some of your time. Perks include meeting lots of nice and like-minded people, the chance to develop your leadership skills, and planning Code Club sessions on topics that you’d like to learn more about. Tasks include scheduling Code Club meetings, planning topics and potential speakers, and writing debriefs. Apply now to volunteer for SORTEE.