abstract: In this post I’ll tell you about My open-source, decentralized vision of Academia, currently named The Independent Society of Knowledge
Hey everyone. My name is Amir and I am a physics student at University of Tehran. I am passionate about software development and getting to know the mechanism of the universe in their core picture. In this post I would like to share my experience about academia, and a little thing I have started called “Independent Society of Knowledge”.
I’ve been in science for five years, and I don’t believe I’ll go anywhere. I started university in 2019 and from then I was more or less always working hard to just get through exams and assignments, which I didn’t find useful at all. I never found the use in solving ridiculous problems in 2 hours to get an evaluation on how much I understand the world! Its unnecessarily dumb in my opinion.
This is my last year as undergraduate physics student and I am starting something, on my own, with the help of a few people who find the idea interesting.
I was always interested in how open-source movement worked out to be one of the most important pieces for advancing technology (software) with the help of people who might never met each other. Picturing this and how open, collaborative manner, has helped software to move so fast without authoritative junk blocking the way. I wondered about this to be in science and knowledge collaboration.
Then I was a little tricked into starting it 🙂 With the help and collaboration of my friends at the university, we were working on some codes, regarding different projects that we had. So, to start good and start right we made an organization at GitHub and started committing code in different repos it has under a singular name. The projects are mainly scientific libraries that we found to be useful for ourselves, but the names would suggest that they’re specially for a subject in physics as an example:
GitHub – Independent-Society-of-Knowledge/MoleKule: various solutions for molecular dynamics
various solutions for molecular dynamics . Contribute to Independent-Society-of-Knowledge/MoleKule development by…
is a project for making a meta-framework over previously built frameworks in molecular dynamics (yes, we know it’s with “c”; the K stands for Knowledge and also our fav programming language Kotlin!)
so, then I am also working on a software called Koncept, which is something like
or
but the blocks that you can use are endless via adding or developing plugins!
with that said let me give a brief formal definition of ISK:
The Independent Society of Knowledge (ISK) is a decentralized institute dedicated to the research and education of science, engineering, and philosophy. It operates on three core values: Decentralization, Open-Access, and Collaboration. ISK aims to revolutionize the way knowledge is created, disseminated, and utilized, leading to breakthrough discoveries, innovative solutions, and sustainable progress for future generations.
Decentralization: ISK believes that academia should not be bound by traditional authorities or centralized structures. It promotes a decentralized approach, empowering researchers to pursue their academic journeys without being constrained by external impositions. By providing platforms and frameworks that foster independence, ISK seeks to offer an alternative route for academic endeavors alongside traditional institutions.
Open-Access: ISK upholds the principle of open-access, ensuring that knowledge is freely accessible to all. It recognizes the power of collaboration and believes that by facilitating open and easy access to research and resources, the scientific and engineering communities can benefit significantly. ISK strives to create an environment where knowledge is shared openly, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and promoting the dissemination of ideas.
Collaboration: In the age of computers and digital technologies, ISK embraces the spirit of collaboration embodied by open-source projects. It aims to bring together researchers, scientists, and engineers from around the world, encouraging them to work together on shared projects and initiatives. By providing the necessary platforms and frameworks, ISK seeks to bridge the gap between academia and industry, facilitating seamless collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Vision: ISK’s vision is to establish a global network of collaborators, develop cutting-edge tools and resources, and catalyze meaningful change at the intersection of academia, industry, and society. It seeks to address the challenges faced by academia and empower scientific, engineering, and philosophical endeavors to flourish without constraints. Through its decentralized, open-access, and collaborative approach, ISK aspires to create an environment where knowledge knows no boundaries and groundbreaking discoveries can shape a better future for humanity.
ISK invites passionate individuals, organizations, and institutions to join its growing community. By exploring ongoing projects, participating in events and discussions, and actively getting involved, stakeholders can contribute to ISK’s mission of advancing knowledge and fostering a more inclusive and collaborative academic landscape.
I would stop talking right here and invite you guys to take a look at our github and our website:
for more information! Feel free to coantact me to know more about the vision and possible collaborations we can have. Also we have a discord server where we talk about our projects, if you like you can join, just contact me 😀