Welcome Future Public Inventors and Invention Coaches!
Volunteering with Public Invention is a great way to support humanity’s future through directly contributing to humanitarian engineering efforts. Every project is open source, and freely nurtures collaboration and growth in key development areas. Alongside other passionate engineers, you can bring your expertise and enthusiasm to these projects and make the world a better, healthier, and safer place.
Volunteer candidates should be passionate about humanitarian service and will need to dedicate around 6 hours/week to support the efforts of Public Invention.
We are maintaining the most up-to-date list of current projects here. To keep up to date, however, subscribe to our newsletter!
Last Updated July 03, 2024.
General Volunteers
Public Invention needs individuals who want to invent things in the public interest without the need to be paid for their work.
We are attempting to create a movement to democratize invention. The future of invention is not the lone genius, but teams of people working in the light---in the public---and asking others for help.
Considering this aim, please remember that while we need engineers to work on building projects, we also need Public Inventors who are writers, photographers, testers, fundraisers, managers, and artists. If you feel that this mission resonates with you, no matter your expertise, feel free to reach out. Whatever skill you can provide, we can probably find a way to use it!
Volunteer Inventor Requirements (Not Coach/Leader – See Below)
These are the only required qualifications for volunteers of every skill. They must have:
- A Commitment to Public Invention and Collaboration: Dedicate approximately 6 hours per week for a duration of 6 months to actively contribute to the project. This includes attending regular team meetings, adhering to project timelines, and effectively communicating progress and challenges.
- Excellent Communication Skills: Clear communication skills to collaborate effectively with team members, remotely and if possible, in-person.
- Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to troubleshoot issues, optimize performance, and implement efficient technical solutions.
- Self-Motivation: Drive tasks forward independently and seek guidance from Coach/Leaders when necessary.
- Community Engagement: Engage with the open-source community. This could include contributing to forums, conducting workshops, or presenting at conferences to share insights and gather feedback.
- Documentation: Contribute to writing technical documentation, test cases, and user guides to ensure the system's reliability, scalability, and maintainability. This could include documenting code, writing technical specifications, or providing support and training as needed in a professional manner.
Keep in mind, however, that prior experience and basic knowledge in the area you would like to work in are required. While Public Invention seeks to foster career growth, it will not provide ground-up training.
We also are in need for creative spirits alongside STEM based backgrounds; hence, here are some general skills a volunteer could possess:
General Skills Needed
- Artistic Rendering: Create diagrams and aesthetic graphics for projects, the Public Invention website, and social media.
- Recruiting and Outreach: Work with social media and other avenues to recruit new Inventors in order to allow a wider community to know about us.
Invention Coaches - Drive Projects Forward
Are you highly experienced in any of the technical areas described? Public Invention’s greatest volunteer need is Invention Coaches. These volunteers take a project by the horns and drive it to success. In addition to proven abilities in relevant project technical areas, however, there are a few additional requirements to this role:
- Leadership Ability: You will be leading a team of volunteers, so previous experience in this area would prove very applicable.
- Teaching Ability: Many volunteers are on the younger side, or at the relative beginning of their careers, and some management and ability to pass on information and specific skills is important.
- Organization of Assets: Each project will have a limited amount of funds and volunteers available. In concert with other Public Invention leaders, you will help allocate these resources during the project’s run.
- Greater Time Availability: As an Invention Coach, your weekly availability will exceed the 6 hours per week requirement for general volunteers. Discussion with Robert Read and the specific project you work on will give a better timeline and hourly expectation.
If you fulfill these areas and are interested in becoming an Invention Coach, please connect with our staff and we can coordinate an interview to find an established project from our listing (linked above) or we can help you develop a new humanitarian project team in partnership with our current Public Invention leadership.
In Conclusion...
Excited about these opportunities? We would love to speak with you! If interested to volunteer, intern, or become a Coach Leader, please submit your resume and a statement of interest to volunteers@pubinv.org. After your application is reviewed, the Head Coach of Public Invention, Dr. Robert Read, will meet with you and provide next steps.
Volunteers for the GOSQAS Project Team
Public Invention, an innovative organization committed to advancing open-source technology, is spearheading the development of a Global Open Source Quality Assurance System (GOSQAS) to revolutionize project data tracking. Recognizing the expansive landscape of open-source initiatives worldwide, Public Invention aims to address the critical need for standardized quality assurance with data tracking.
This system, anchored by our open-source provenance tracker, known as Global Distributed Tracking (GDT), enables truthful and transparent documentation. GDT is accessible via simple website access, making it ideal for low-resource settings, allowing users to securely record their project data. Embodying our development philosophy of "Trust Through Transparency" (TTT), GOSQAS fosters improved global communication across diverse communities. Initially aimed at ensuring trust in open-source medical devices, GDT has expanded its reach to support humanitarian aid networks, biomedical engineering, scientific research, and distributed manufacturing sectors, serving an increasingly diverse user base.
If this project concept reasonates with you, then please consider joining their efforts. Public Invention is looking for volunteers to support their current team: Team Page Click Here!
Ideal candidates will need to be comfortable developing software.
Technical Skills Needed
- Testing: Conduct thorough testing to identify and resolve bugs and ensure the system meets functional and non-functional requirements.
- Agile Development: Participate in Agile development practices within a professional technical team. This could involve iterative development, regular sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and collaborative problem-solving.
- Computer Science:Use computer science principles including data structures, algorithms, and system architecture. Work with cryptography principles such as encryption, hashing, digital signatures, and secure communication protocols (like TLS).
- JavaScript/Node.js/TypeScript Expertise: Proficiency in JavaScript, Node.js, and TypeScript are helpful areas as these are the core languages for development. Additionally, you might practice asynchronous programming and server-side development using Node.js, and TypeScript for type safety and scalability.
- Frontend Development (Nuxt.js, Vue.js): Use expertise in frontend development using frameworks like Nuxt.js and Vue.js. This could include building responsive and scalable user interfaces, handling state management (Vuex), and integrating frontend components with backend services.
- Azure Blob Storage: Azure Blob Storage is essential for managing and storing binary large objects (BLOBs) such as images, documents, and other files securely in the cloud. Knowledge of Azure services for scalability, reliability, and security considerations is a great starting point.
- QR Code Integration: Generate, scan, and process QR codes within web applications using JavaScript libraries or native browser capabilities. Understanding of QR code standards, error correction techniques, and data encoding formats (like UTF-8) is valuable.
- Security Best Practices: Use security best practices in web development, including data encryption at rest and in transit, secure authentication and authorization mechanisms, and vulnerability assessment and mitigation.
- System Design and Architecture: Design scalable and maintainable systems using microservices architecture, considering performance optimization, fault tolerance, and scalability requirements.
- Version Control and Collaboration Tools: Use Git for version control and understanding branching strategies. Also, use collaboration tools like GitHub or GitLab for code review and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD).