Mission
The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) is a community 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.
The core Public Lab program is focused on “civic science” in which we research open source hardware and software tools and methods to generate knowledge and share data about environmental health. Our goal is to increase the ability of underserved communities to identify, redress, remediate, and create awareness and accountability around environmental concerns. Public Lab achieves this by providing online and offline training, education, and support, and by focusing on locally relevant outcomes that emphasize human capacity and understanding.