Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
of what we would have needed to develop the tool without the support of the open source
hardware community. Today, we literally save several thousand dollars every day that we
make multiple prototype heat exchangers.
Increased Visibility, Citations, and Public Relations
Sharing following the open source paradigm can improve academics' visibility not just
within their specialty and among their peers, but also with the general public. This im-
provedvisibilityofresearchcanoftenattractmediaattention,whichincreasespositivepub-
lic relations for the university. At many schools, this “good ink” (publicity) is highly val-
ued because it assists with recruitment, alumni donations, and an overall sense of pride that
brings high morale through the association with a particular institution.
Citations
(which occur when another academic references your work) are a prized fig-
ure of merit for an academic over which the individual has very limited control. Open
source hardware, however, provides an easy path for others to replicate and build on past
work for all academics working in experimental research. If other research groups can
quickly and cheaply build copies of the experimental apparatuses, it increases the impact
of a specific research group's work in their discipline—and it can also assist in increasing
citations.
