OSN is a dynamic “open science” network which promotes ethnobotanical education through the use of web-based technologies and the continual exchange of educational techniques, materials, and experiences across institutional and international borders. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation and is a Research Coordination Networks in Biological Sciences (RCN) Undergraduate Biology Education (UBE) award recipient.

OSN uses an “open-philosophy” approach which supports a perpetual network generating science curriculum through team efforts of universities, science institutions, educators and students (including non-traditional), using an open-group evaluation model similar to open-source software. Unlike a static repository of information, the system’s technological capabilities will be flexible enough to house the collective knowledge of both expert and user and evolve as the knowledge and needs change.

Open Science Network Support

The primary support for the Open Science Network in Ethnobiology has come from the many individuals who have contributed their time, ideas and links to this effort.

We also have major institutional and financial support from the National Science Foundation, the Society for Economic Botany, the Botanical Research Institution of Texas, and the University of Hawai’i.