Hardware Fellow

Starting: September 16th
Commitment: roughly 15-20 hours/week (200 hours over approx. 8-12 weeks)
Fellowship Stipend: $2,500
Where: This fellowship is not location-restricted, however strong preference will be given for applicants in Providence, RI

About Public Lab

Public Lab is a community, supported by a 501(c)(3) non-profit, that develops and applies open-source tools to environmental exploration and investigation. By democratizing inexpensive and accessible do-it-yourself techniques, Public Lab creates a collaborative network of practitioners who actively reimagine the human relationship with the environment.

About the Fellowship

This Fellowship is part of the Oil & Gas Water Fellows Trio and is an opportunity to advance real-world outcomes of open science hardware used by people to monitor the environmental impacts of the oil & gas industry.

The major goals of this Fellowship are to:

1.) Create documentation of Public Lab water quality monitoring tools to make the tools more accessible to others. Tools will include Arudino-compatible sensors from the DF Robot collection,

2.) Develop activities relevant to oil and gas monitoring that can be replicated by others, and

3.) Work in collaboration with the Monitoring Methods and Community Fellows to draft and compile materials for a “Research Area Review” on Water Quality Monitoring on PublicLab.org.

You will:

• Work with the DF Robot sensor collection to develop simple working prototypes.
• Draft research note documentation on PublicLab.org that includes use case information about the tools and field test.
• Create and document simple activities using the tools to model real-world issues (such as sensing at multiple points along a river).
• Engage the Public Lab community in-person and remote on questions and resources related to tools used in water quality monitoring.
• Host a local workshop using the DF Robot sensor collection, documenting questions and design/method ideas from the event. (Some event funding support available).
• Research existing tools available to consumers (off-the-shelf, DIY, and affordable lab testing).
• Select 2-3 existing methods (in consultation with PL team) to test and report back on.
• Compile materials into easy-to-print documents that can be used with kit distribution.
• Support the work of other Oil & Gas Water Fellows by helping to match tools to study design, and by contributing to wikis.
• Work with the Monitoring Methods and Community Fellows to run a “Research Area Review” for water quality monitoring, including soliciting input from peer groups on the state of water quality monitoring, updating documentation on PublicLab.org related to current water quality monitoring methods available through the Public Lab store, seed and help answer questions for others to help answer on water quality monitoring, and organize and participate in an OpenHour interactive seminar on the state of water quality monitoring in relation to oil & gas concerns.
• Join the Public Lab Oil & Gas Slack channel.
• When possible, attend a weekly Fellows call or check in with weekly project updates.
• Maintain and adhere to nonprofit policies and procedures, Public Lab values, and the Code of Conduct.

This role may be for you if you are:

• An exceptional written and oral communicator: You have excellent interpersonal skills - you’re a collaborator and a problem-solver who is often praised for your organization and attention to detail.
• Team oriented: You work collaboratively, both in-person and with remote colleagues, to envision and promote positive change, and to be supportive of others;
• A helper who includes everyone: You’ve taught or facilitated a workshop and can facilitate activities among a highly diverse community of people from many different fields and experiences.
• Tech savvy: You are excited by technology and to learn new programs with support from colleagues. You are interested in, or have used technology the context of advocacy. You have experience working with Arduino and Raspberry Pi, including basic troubleshooting, some familiarity with sensors.

This Fellowship will be hosted through Public Lab. Public Lab is committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. We encourage people with different ability sets, people of color, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities to apply.

To Apply

Send a resume and the answers to the questions below in a single document to jobs@publiclab.org by August 29th. Please specify which fellowship you are applying for in the subject line of your email. No phone calls, please.

1.) Why are you interested in this Fellowship? What about working on this issue intrigues you?

2.) How would your experiences benefit your work as a Fellow?

3.) If awarded the Fellowship, what would you hope to learn, and what would you hope to accomplish?