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avatar for Kurtis

Kurtis

University of Guelph
MSc Student
Ontario, Canada

Contact Me

I’m really passionate about science communication. There are so many knowledge and communication gaps between scientists and the public, between scientists and other academic disciplines, and between scientists themselves. Helping to bridge these gaps, through online resources and tools that allow for access to knowledge, is essential. That is, more or less the mission statement for my life.

I’m currently an MSc student at the University of Guelph, in Ontario Canada, researching bioenergy in the School of Environmental Sciences. In my free time I run a youtube channel about science communication (www.youtube.com/scopeofscience). I make all kinds of videos, such as a music video about my thesis that has made me a finalist in the North American EURAXESS Science Slam Competition, and a video about solar energy that will be in a Vancouver Science World exhibition. I plan to film a number of interviews while at OpenCon, and string together a short video about the conference. If you’re reading this and thinking you’d like to take part – just send me an email!

The Scope of Science also has a blog (www.ScopeofScience.com), where I write more generally about topics such as data openness, meta analysis, and strange things I decide to do with data I can find on the internet. It is partly a sandbox for me to practice science communication, but mostly a way of introducing people to different concepts that relate to the production and presentation of science.

On twitter (www.twitter.com/kurtisbaute), I share links about topics such as open data and engage with others about various science topics. The openness of twitter has taught me a lot about how to communicate in the modern age, and it is responsible for introducing me to much of what I know about the open philosophy.

In my opinion, MOOCs are super cool. More precisely, I think they are a big part of the future of education. For now, I participate in MOOCs as a student, such as in Standford’s current ongoing course ‘Open Knowledge: Changing the Global Course of Learning’ (if you are also taking this course, or just want to talk about MOOCs, email me). In the future, I would like to work with others to develop MOOCs about science. These courses have been valuable learning experiences in the process and implementation of open educational resources, and they have been catalysts, allowing me to interact with hundreds of peers.

I’m really looking forward to learning more about open knowledge at OpenCon, especially as it relates to the production of science and the access of education. Basically, I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Licensed CC BY 4.0