If you've ever wanted to have something related to NASA on your resume without having to know how to pilot a space shuttle or spend years studying astrophysics, you've got a pretty interesting opportunity right now. The US space agency is offering the public two online educational courses focused on so-called open science. And the best part is, they're free.
This is not an unofficial training course using only the NASA name. The Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101 courses are offered directly by the US space agency through its Open Science program. According to current information from NASA, both programs are available to the public through digital learning platforms and upon successful completion, participants can receive a digital badge and certificate.
Two NASA courses you can take from home
NASA currently offers two variadepending on how deeply you want to delve into the issue. The first is called Open Science Essentials and is a shorter introduction to the world of open science. According to NASA, it will take approximately two hours to complete.
The course explains the basic principles, procedures and tools used in open science. Participants will learn about, for example, open data, open-source software, open publishing of results, licenses, repositories, version control or FAIR principles. Interestingly, NASA also included the role of artificial intelligence in modern open science among the topics.
The advantage is that it is not a study lasting several weeks. Open Science Essentials is designed as a self-contained and relatively short course for people who want to get a basic overview without a large time investment.
Open Science 101 takes approximately 12 hours to complete
Those who want to go more in-depth can choose the second program called Open Science 101This is considerably larger and consists of five modules. Each of them, according to NASA, will take approximately two and a half hours, with the total duration of the program estimated by the agency to be about 12 hours.
Open Science 101 focuses not only on the principles of open science, but also on their practical application. Participants will learn how to search, evaluate, create and share open data, how to work with open source code, and how to properly publish research results.
The program also covers legal and ethical issues, rules for collaboration between researchers, and procedures used in planning open science projects. So it's not just a few general lectures about how NASA works, but a real educational program focused on the procedures used in contemporary science and research.
You don't have to be busy.ancby NASA
Perhaps most interesting is who the courses are aimed at. It might seem that NASA's educational system would be available primarily to employees.ancto the agency's employees, scientists, or people collaborating on its projects. But that is not the case in this case.
NASA explicitly states that its courses are available to the public and internal employees.ancThe agency also explicitly mentions researchers, students, and the general public in the Open Science 101 program. People outside NASA can create an account, register, and then work through the course at their own pace.
This is also important because you don't have to complete everything at once during your studies. The course progress is saved, so you can return to individual parts later and continue where you left off.
At the end you can get a NASA certificate
This is probably the biggest attraction of the entire program. Upon successful completion, participants are eligible to receive, according to NASA digital badge and certificateThe agency directly states that it can subsequently be used to present the achieved result.
Of course, it is not a university degree or professional qualification that will make you employable.ance NASA. However, the certificate can be an interesting addition for students, developers, researchers, data analysts, or people involved in technology and science.
What you will learn in NASA courses
Open Science Essentials is divided into several thematic areas. NASA first explains the meaning of open science and its benefits, then discusses the barriers to its implementation, the ethics of working with data, and researchers' concerns about publishing results.
The next sections deal with FAIR principles, data management, open software and publishing results. Finally, more practical tools come, including digital identifiers, open licenses, repositories, version control or the aforementioned artificial intelligence.
Open Science 101 goes even further. Its five modules gradually cover the basics of open science, working with data, open source, scientific collaboration, and publishing results. NASA wants to use the program to show not only why science should be more open, but also how to achieve these principles in practice.
How to enroll in a free NASA course
The safest thing to do is to start directly on NASA's official Open Science Trainings page. Here you can choose between Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101 and continue via the appropriate registration link.
NASA currently offers registration for both programs on its website. Non-agency users can create an account and then complete the course online. The exact registration process may change over time, so we recommend following the current links posted by NASA.
The official page of the Open Science Trainings program can be found directly on the NASA website.
You can have your first course ready in two hours
If you're only marginally interested in the topic, Open Science Essentials might be an interesting way to try out NASA's educational program. Two hours isn't a huge time investment, and you can complete the course at your own pace.
Pro For students, scientists, programmers, or simply technology enthusiasts, the twelve-hour Open Science 101 may be more interesting. In both cases, however, the most pleasant fact is that NASA does not lock its educational materials only behind the doors of its own research centers. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and a few hours of time.
Hello. Are you sure that registration is open? The website says that registrations were until 16.7. Proyes, please add the exact link you mean. Thank you
Except that registration was possible until mid-July, that's a bit outdated 😅
Are they looking for extras for the month again? 🤣