Selker John, Udell Chester
Dewpartment of Biological and Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2025 Jul 31;383(2302):20240281. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2024.0281.
Advancing understanding of climate change and ecological vulnerability requires new talent and new tools. The Oregon State University Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) Laboratory, founded in 2015, works to enpower talented undergraduate students with challenging opportunities as they address their personal values through innovation in Earth sensing systems. OPEnS' overarching goal is to develop sensing technologies addressing critical environmental challenges, advancing both scientific discovery and technological innovation. OPEnS inventions leverage novel microelectronic sensors, three-dimensional printed components, embedded microprocessors, parametric system design, wireless telemetry and cloud-based data delivery. A key area for development is what we refer to as 'Born FAIR' data systems (sensor-embedded code so data are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) where sensor data are fully contextualized by metadata collected at installation. OPEnS interweaves technological progress with educational opportunities seeking to develop the next generation of sensor systems and their engineers. Despite openly published designs, most users of OPEnS technology do not wish to make their own gear, and thus OPEnS is increasingly engaging industrial partners. OPEnS has shown that direct connections between scientific clients, teams of engineering students, industrial collaborators, national labs and international partners advance scientific discovery and technological innovation.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Hydrology in the 21st century: challenges in science, to policy and practice'.
深化对气候变化和生态脆弱性的理解需要新的人才和新的工具。俄勒冈州立大学的开放出版环境传感（OPEnS）实验室成立于2015年，致力于为有才华的本科生提供具有挑战性的机会，使他们通过地球传感系统的创新来践行个人价值观。OPEnS的总体目标是开发应对关键环境挑战的传感技术，推动科学发现和技术创新。OPEnS的发明利用了新型微电子传感器、三维打印部件、嵌入式微处理器、参数化系统设计、无线遥测和基于云的数据传输。一个关键的发展领域是我们所说的“天生公平”数据系统（嵌入传感器的代码，使数据具有可查找、可访问、可互操作和可重复使用的特性），其中传感器数据通过安装时收集的元数据得到充分的情境化。OPEnS将技术进步与教育机会交织在一起，力求培养下一代传感器系统及其工程师。尽管设计是公开出版的，但OPEnS技术的大多数用户并不希望自己制作设备，因此OPEnS越来越多地与工业合作伙伴合作。OPEnS表明，科学客户、工科学生团队、工业合作者、国家实验室和国际合作伙伴之间的直接联系推动了科学发现和技术创新。本文是“21世纪的水文学：科学、政策和实践中的挑战”讨论会特刊的一部分。
