Open Source Stories at Red Hat Summit 2019

When Open Source Stories first launched it was a documentary film series that showcased interesting ways to apply open source thinking, highlighting the stories behind open source technology and the people making a difference. We’ve told the stories of: a community-powered arts festival; a network of volunteers designing 3-D-printed prosthetics and giving them away for free; a high school that launched a student-run IT department; advocates for open health care records; organizations using open source to build self-driving cars; an art museum creating interactive and collaborative exhibits; and citizen scientists who are using open hardware to contribute to research.

However since the premiere of the first film in 2015, it has morphed into much more than that. What started as a passion project for Red Hat has grown into a celebration of how community, meritocracy and a free exchange of ideas can unlock potential across a range of disciplines. Open Source Stories now spans the film series, live talks, article series, and CO.LAB, which introduces middle school students to the principles of open source.

In May, we’re coming to Boston for Red Hat Summit 2019 and we’re bringing the Open Source Stories experience with us.

Attendees of Red Hat Summit 2018 experienced the impact of Open Source Stories Live first hand when we invited members of the open source community to share their stories with the audience. But they weren’t high-level executives sharing corporate strategy. Instead, it was coders and developers on the front lines and the next generation of open source, including a 12-year-old coder who runs coding and robot workshops for businesses and public organizations, and a young coder who gave a live coding demo (on her 11th birthday no less!).

Again, in 2019, we’re bringing those stories to the mainstage.  

If you haven’t done so already, we recommend you read our latest article series “Like Rockets,” and catch up on the inspiring story of Michael Bratsch and the Futureboys & Girls Club. Mr. B, as he is affectionately known, and some of his students will join us on the mainstage to share the story of how they use open source principles in their leadership program and what they learned in their CO.LAB experience.

Professor Neil Gershenfeld, director of the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms and Chair of the Fab Foundation, will join us to share the story of Fab Labs, the self-contained global maker workshops based on rapid prototyping.

Also joining us on stage we’ll have the subjects of our next film, focused on the future of agriculture and food. Dorn Cox, research director at Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment, co-founder of Farm Hack, GOATchri(Gathering for Open Ag Tech) and FarmOS communities, will share what the  future of agriculture looks like. And Melanie Shimano, founder of the Food Computer Program, will offer a live demo of the food computer she uses to teach Baltimore high school students about open source and agriculture.

After the keynote, stop by our booth to get a closer look at the food computer demonstrations from Shimano. Or you can chat with the Futuregirls and they’ll teach you how to make your own open hardware cards!

You won’t want to miss any of our Open Source Stories moments at Red Hat Summit this year, register now! Use the code RHBLOG19 and you'll receive $100 off your registration fees. (This code can only be used once per attendee, and cannot be combined with any other offer.