OSE Extension

It would be rewarding to develop something like an OSE Extension project. This way, people could come to factor e or other future living collaboratories and do a free info session, or use a nexus of resource and collaboration websites, and gather pertinent knowledge and implementation resources to whatever project they want to pursue in their own community, whether its setting up urban or rural CSM cooperatives or just developing technology or agroecological knowledge in their garages,. This way they could contribute heavily to the OSE goals using their already present infrastructure, and further develop it using methods and models and technologies that can be collected in places like openfarmtech and appropedia, and then working with pre-existing extension projects in their own state, and develop resilient, sustainable and appropriate communities.

this could be something to begin as early as late next summer as factor e's infrastructure is more fully developed. Rapid building with a streamlined CEB, roofing and stucco process could result in a fairly robust living site for rapid and nuanced education, research and development. 12 permanent residents plus 12-24 temporary, anyone? Some of the first work can be done here in town through OSE MidMo. We have had ideas for several "extension" style community development projects that realistically would not be all too difficult to pursue.

Otherwise: >19. Student projects portal – each product or its parts can be turned >into research projects, such as implementing a living gene >bank/permacultural CSA/u-pick – or building parts of the Fab Lab. This >should include Semester Abroad and internships – but it should focus >on projects located at Factor e Farm, where students have to come here >to the living collaboratory. Otherwise, it's hard to keep students on >track with respect to the OSE mission and specs.

as far as UM>Factor E possibilities, given my talks thusfar with administration and faculty:

internships, researchships, work studies, capstone projects, thesis projects, extension programs, service learning are all possibilities.

service learning, capstone and thesis are the most likely, as they are mostly student. cultivating infrastructure at Factor E could lead to internships, extension programs, etc.

For Distrubuted Collaboration, a robust set of work nets and web resources are important, but bringing them together through a nexus style portal could be important as well