Empowering Open Science: Meet the rOpenSci Champions Fostering Spanish-Language Contributions
|5 min read
Introducing the rOpenSci Champions
A fresh wave of talent is breaking through the open science community with the announcement of the new rOpenSci Champions cohort. This initiative specifically aims at fostering Spanish-language contributions to research software development, tapping into a pool of diverse expertise from Latin America. The projects these champions will lead promise to tackle genuine challenges across various disciplines, reflecting the unique needs and conditions of their respective regions.
Meet the Champions
The cohort is comprised of individuals from various scientific backgrounds, each bringing a unique perspective and project aimed at effective data management and analysis.
Bastián Olea Herrera
Bastián hails from Chile and is skilled in sociology, currently serving as the Undersecretary for Regional and Administrative Development. He’s passionate about cleaning and processing territorial data, and through the rOpenSci program, he aims to create an R package that simplifies data handling for communal and regional analysts.
Denisse Fierro Arcos
Denisse, a marine scientist settled in Australia, is close to completing her PhD at the University of Tasmania. Her focus is on developing a marine ecosystem model to project climate change impacts. Her endeavor within the Champions Program is to produce an R package that makes this complex model accessible for fellow researchers.
Durga Valentina Linares Herrera
Operating from Lima, Peru, Durga is committed to exploring how technology intersects with the labor market. She’s developing an R package designed to make processing microdata from Peruvian labor surveys easier, striving to lift barriers that often hinder non-technical users from accessing vital labor data.
Evelia Lorena Coss Navarrete
Evelia, a postdoctoral researcher in transcriptomics, is delving into the biological intricacies of lupus in Mexican patients. Alongside her research endeavors, she seeks to enhance bioinformatics communities in Mexico through the rOpenSci Champions Program, promoting the development of standardized, reproducible R packages.
Gladys Choque Ulloa
Gladys has a formidable academic background, currently pursuing her PhD while advocating for gender equity in data science as the founder of Women in DataLab. Her goal for the rOpenSci program involves refining her software development skills to facilitate broader participation in open science from the Latin American region.
José Daniel Conejeros Pavez
Working as a Lagrange Fellow in Italy, José focuses on epidemiology and complex systems. He’s developing a package for masking spatial data to safeguard privacy while ensuring reproducibility in public health research, making an important impact at the interface of ethical data usage and scientific inquiry.
Linda Cabrera Orellana
In Granada, Spain, Linda teaches AI applications in data analytics and aspires to create an educational R package aimed at users lacking a technical background. By addressing common errors in datasets, she hopes to bridge the gap between data collectors and analysts, promoting better practices in data management.
María Florencia Tames
Based in Argentina, María is dedicated to assessing air quality and environmental inequalities. With her expertise, she plans to improve the AirExposure R package for broader use among researchers, reinforcing her commitment to making scientific tools more accessible.
Marina Cecilia Cock
Marina, whose academic path led her from Argentina to a research role at CONICET, aims to delve into the R package review process and knowledge-sharing within the rOpenSci community, informed by her experience in both teaching and research.
Patricia Andrea Loto
As a co-founder of initiatives that promote reproducible research in Latin America, Patricia is driven by the potential of open science to elevate GB initiatives. Her project focuses on creating templates to streamline Software and Data Management Plans, which is crucial for academia and industry alike.
Estefania Torrejón
Estefania, a biologist in Portugal, is working on a pioneering R package that enhances our understanding of cell-to-cell communication through extracellular vesicles. Her participation in the Champions Program is a strategic move to ensure her software meets the high standards required for CRAN submission.
The Road Ahead
With these Champions embarking on a year-long journey of development, mentorship, and community engagement, the impact of their projects is poised to resonate throughout Latin America and beyond. Keeping tabs on their progress—via blog posts, newsletters, and social media—could provide valuable insights into the future of open science. If you want to stay updated on their collective efforts, follow their journey as they work diligently on creating tools that hold the potential to democratize access to scientific research in Spanish-speaking contexts.