SpaceUp – A Space Unconference
I’m a big fan of the BarCamp format*, especially when applied to space. So I have great news for you (which I’ll tell you more about in a bit).
If you are not familiar with BarCamps, they are an increasingly popular open-format collaborative working meeting format where those attending are encouraged to present to others on a topic of their choice. The barcamp format has been catching on in pockets around the space community. @edgufry and I had an opportunity to plan a BarCamp this fall which was hosted by the NASA Space Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) at Johnson Space Center in August. It was such a success that we are now in the process of planning a second event for January 29th (creatively entitled “Barcamp: A Sequel“). The goal of the the SLSDBarCamp events is to increase enthusiasm and communication within SLSD, create a platform for SLSD members to share their work, bridge gaps, facilitate knowledge management, brainstorm for new ideas and utilize existing ones. Our hope was to bring together members of our local community together and introduce the idea of hosting BarCamps at NASA JSC. Unfortunately, since this format is very new to the NASA community, we haven’t been able to convince management to open the SLSDBarCamps up to *everyone* yet (aka non NASA badged people) - but we are trying. In the near future, we hope to host BarCamp events that are open to the public at NASA Johnson Space Center, and for now we encourage those attending our events to join outside barcamps after their in-house experience.
But, we have great news for everyone! A new space barcamp event is being organized called “SpaceUp” – and this venue is open to YOU! As their website advertises, “you will be amazed at what comes out of SpaceUp. Based on similar unconferences in other industries, you might see businesses started, problems solved, projects kicked off, plans hatched, and amazing friendships born.” We encourage you to check them out! The first SpaceUp will be in San Diego this upcoming February or March. Pre-register here.
* Why I’m a big fan of the BarCamp format (and why it’s better than your normal meeting as originally posted here):
1. All the people in the room attend voluntarily
2. If anyone feels they cannot contribute further, they can apply the law of two feet** and get up and leave
3. People join meetings on the basis of their interest and ability to contribute
4. Whoever is talking is doing so to share, teach, and ask/learn, not to look smart
5. Even in a crowded room, the conversation is facilitated in such a way that all those who wish to participate actively can
6. No judgment
7. No rank pulling
8. Content is king
9. Questions are welcome
10. PowerPoint is accidental
** There is one general law that governs all barcamps, it’s called the “law of 2 feet” which essentially means if people don’t like what they are seeing, they can get up on their two feet and move to another session or engage in a discussion with someone else. Yes, that’s actually encouraged and is the beauty of barcamp!
6 Responses to “SpaceUp – A Space Unconference”
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@chris_radcliff on December 5th, 2009
Thanks for the kind words about SpaceUp. Maybe with our combined efforts we can sway NASA toward opening yours up.
Oh, and I'm totally stealing your 10 reasons why BarCamp is better. It's the best summary of the format's strengths I've seen yet.
mrdoornbos on December 5th, 2009
Great comments and thanks for supporting this event. Love your 10 reasons list
Engineer in Houston on December 8th, 2009
OK, I'm missing something here. What is a BarCamp for? Obviously, it isn't for a PDR level meeting. I can't see this format being applied to any meeting I've ever attended in the last 25 years on Aerospace and Defense. It seems to me like something that might be viewed in a year as a passing fad an old buzz-word, left behind for the next new thing. It may be great for getting people excited and talking about stuff, if your goal is to … get people excited and talk about stuff. OTOH, if this is just another name for a sort of free-form or casual brainstorming, it doesn't seem to be any different than most lunches I've had with friends and co-workers.
Pardon my cynicism, but can you give me a "for-instance" – a few examples of where this style of meeting might be productive?
Kaliya on December 22nd, 2009
So, The Law of 2 Feet comes from Open Space Technology and GOES WITH the Principles of Open Space. I hope that you will familiarize yourself with that method that is a precursor by 20 years to BarCamp
. I have a lot of material on the unconference blog about running successful unconferences for professional settings. http://www.unconference.net
For the Engineer in Houston – well designed and professionally facilitated unconferences are regularly used in the information technology industry to get real work done across companies and industry niches – It helps if they have a clear purpose and a proactive invitation team. The internet Identity Workshop is one such event – http://www.internetidentityworkshop.com.
The Mass Technology Leadership Council has now hosted 3 of them and was written up in Inc. Magazine for their latest event – http://www.inc.com/magazine/20.....ome-to-t...
@chris_radcliff on December 28th, 2009
Engineer in Houston: You're absolutely right that this isn't a PDR-level meeting. It's part brainstorm session, part lecture hall, part debate session, part demo stage. It's local, low-key, and frequent. It's also progressive; the debate from one session becomes a brainstorm in the next, and might be a demo at the next. (At tech BarCamps, that's where the VCs are seen circling.)
It's productive to the extent that standard ways of communicating aren't perfect. The conversations we've all had in conference hallways (or at those lunches) are the prior evidence. Here they're made the focus, among a group of people you might not think to invite. It can be nurturing, enlightening, unsettling, or all three.
Why an unconference for space, though? I postulate that there's an untapped well of capability, enthusiasm, and resources in the space community that's sorely needed right now. I want to connect up the scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers, students, and advocates I've talked to over the past few years, and I hope SpaceUp will be a place for that. We'll see.
Kaliya's right, by the way. Open Space gave us with the Law of Two Feet two decades ago. (I learned it from her at MashupCamp four years ago.) BarCamp is a particularly successful implementation, still expanding globally, but it's just one of many. I doubt it's a fad, but either way it should last at least until spring.