Michael Nielsen

Michael Nielsen, a 37-year-old, Australian quantum physicist, just completed a 17-city tour in seven countries, doing a series of presentations to promote the open sharing of data and research to advance science. On top of that, he spent a month traveling to promote his book, Reinventing Discovery: The New Era of Networked Science (Princeton University Press, 2011). His talk of changing the culture of science has drawn audiences beyond typical academics. Nielsen’s passion, credibility as a scientist, and knack for storytelling has helped propel the issue of Open Science into the mainstream.

For being a thought leader and demonstrating how doing science in the open can promote change and bringing the discussion to a new level, SPARC honors Nielsen as the January 2012 SPARC Innovator. 

July 2011: PLoS ONE

January 2011: Ventura R. Pérez

June 2010: Authors of the Panton Principles – A Call for Open Data in Science

January 2010: Optical Society of America

July 2009: Mike Rossner, Executive Director, Rockefeller University Press, New York

January 2009: R. Preston McAfee

June 2008:
Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Addendum: Stanford University School of Education passes open access policy in wake of Harvard’s action

SPARC Innovator - December 2007:
AGENTS OF CHANGE - Student Activists for open access

SPARC Innovator - June 2007:
Ted & Carl Bergstrom

SPARC Innovator - December 2006:
Melissa Hagemann
Program Manager of the Open Access Initiative, Information Program, Open Society Institute 

SPARC Innovator - July 2006:
University of California

SPARC Innovator - April 2006:
Herbert Van de Sompel

SPARC Innovators are named by the SPARC staff in consultation with the SPARC Steering Committee. Individuals can nominate their colleagues as potential SPARC Innovators at http://www.arl.org/sparc/innovator/nominate.shtml. Criteria include but are not limited to a commitment to: 

• Reducing barriers to access, sharing, and use of scholarship, particularly in the scientific research field;
• Advancing the understanding and implementation of open access to research results;
• Working to create a balanced scholarly communication system;
• Use of technology to develop alternative publishing and communication solutions;
• Refusing to be constrained by the status quo and implementing new and creative ideas that are backed by research;
• Vision of the library as a focus for and/or supporter of change;
• The belief that individual actions can have a profound and positive impact in the scholarly communication field.

A SPARC Innovator can be an individual, a group of people, an institution, or another group that has been active in the areas listed above. Their actions may be broadly defined and may include online activity (i.e., postings on listservs and Web sites); on-campus programs and conferences; writing and editing (i.e., articles and books); promoting awareness and activism among others; and creating technologies and/or programs. There is no monetary award for SPARC Innovators.

For further information, please see the SPARC Web site at http://www.arl.org/sparc/.