2026 OPEnS AGU & Adjacent Workshops

Join us on Sunday, December 06, 2026 at TBA

for a full-day, hands-on workshop hosted by the OPEnS Lab (Openly Published Environmental Sensing). In this immersive experience, you’ll get firsthand access to powerful, low-cost, open-source sensor technologies designed for environmental research. Gain practical skills in sensor calibration, data logging and plotting, field deployment techniques, and troubleshooting, along with insight into open-source hardware/software ecosystems that support real-time, in-situ environmental monitoring (e.g., temperature, humidity, rainfall, air quality, water height, salinity, soil moisture, and more).

You’ll be introduced to several cutting-edge systems developed by OPEnS Lab and its NSF/USDA-funded collaborators including: stream water quality, geo-hydrology, magnetic zero-friction dendrometer, isotopic rain water collector, evaporation, and air quality monitoring, and work hands on with one system of choice in small groups from below:

• Water quality monitoring – SmartRock
• Real-time atmospheric and hydrological sensing – Chimes (Climate Hydrology Instrumentation for Monitoring Environmental Systems)

These tools are already in use across a range of NSF-funded projects and community-driven environmental efforts. Whether you're a seasoned researcher or just sensor-curious, this workshop provides a flexible, inclusive environment with personalized support and scalable content to match your experience level. The day also includes opportunities to shape future directions for OPEnS tools, so bring your expertise, your curiosity, and your use-case ideas!

This workshop is part of an NSF-supported collaboration between OPEnS Lab and CTEMPS (Centers for Transformative Environmental Monitoring Programs). It’s a unique chance to meet, collaborate, and build while connecting with researchers, students, and technologists shaping the future of researcher-driven, community co-designed environmental sensing.

Register by November 29, 2026! (Links Go to the Specific Registration Payment Type)

• Students: $150 early-bird / $200 regular

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• Professionals (academic, nonprofit, government): $250 early-bird / $325 regular
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Early-Bird Deadline

Early-bird rates apply until Friday, November 06, 2026.

Regular rates apply from November 22 until registration deadline.

Registration Deadline

Closes Sunday, November 29, 2026, unless capacity is reached earlier.

Fees include: instruction, facilities, supplies and digital materials for hands-on labs, coffee/snacks, a (net)working lunch, and a guided tour of [TBD]. A limited number of need-based discounts are reserved for students, postdocs, and community scientists; determined on a case-by-case basis (contact Ally Lanz for details).

Workshop Details

What/When/Where

Title: DIY, Open, Environmental Sensor Technologies and Monitoring Applications

Date: Sunday December 06, 2026

Location: TBA

Contact Information for Registration & Logistics

Name: Ally Lanz, Office Specialist 2, OPEnS Lab and CTEMPs Lab

Affiliation: Oregon State University, Biological & Ecological Engineering

E-mail: ally.lanz@oregonstate.edu

Contact Information for Class Organizer

Name: Chet Udell, Associate Professor of Teaching, Director OPEnS Lab

Affiliation: Oregon State University, Biological & Ecological Engineering

E-mail: udellc@oregonstate.edu

Interested in joining us and want to stay updated? click here to fill out our interest form! 

Instructors:

Who Should Attend?

• Anyone interested in measuring water quality, hydrological and geohydrological processes, air quality, soil moisture, rainfall, isotopic sampling, plant transpiration.

• Graduate students, postdocs, and early-career researchers in hydrology, environmental science, or monitoring programs
• Faculty and researchers seeking hands-on training with open-source environmental sensing tools
• Community scientists and practitioners interested in building and deploying low-cost sensors
• No prior electronics or coding experience is required. Step-by-step guidance will be provided.

Prerequisites:

1. Curiosity and enthusiasm
2. Preference for which system to work with hands-on (SmartRock or Chimes)

Not required, but handy:

3. Laptop Computer with Mac OS X or Windows, if you wish to install software on your own machine.

Materials provided:

Kits during hands-on activities

Class Overview

General Learning Objectives:

1. Participant Introduction and Introduction to the Openly Published Environmental Sensing Lab
2. Sky-high overview of select sensor systems: SmartRock, Chimes, Dendrometer, Isotopic sampler, Evaporometer, Wisp. Information session on applications and current initiatives with each system.
3. Learn how a variety of environmental sensors work through hands-on activities.
4. Intro to Loom, a peer-reviewed open source arduino sensor prototyping library and environment.
5. Intro to Hypnos hardware and library, a core tool in environmental sensing projects

Networking Lunch, Expo Session:

6. Showcase posters and demos of our many OPEnS sensing platforms while munching.

Small Groups:

7. Overview of system-specific sensors and applications
8. Pre-field in-lab calibration activities
9. Hands-on field deployment walkthrough, techniques, best practices
10. Practice data retrieval and plotting techniques
11. Configure sensors, logging periods
12. Learn to troubleshoot common issues.
13. Discuss relationships between research questions, sensor applications, and sensor placement.

If time permits:

14. Installing development software on your computer

Wrap-up, Tour

15. Wrap up activities, conclusive remarks

Schedule – Sunday December, 2026

8:00 – 8:30        Participant Arrival

8:30 – 9:00        Presenter and participant introductions, Learning Objectives

9:00 – 10:00      Introduction to OPEnS, OPEnS systems: SmartRock, Chimes, Dendrometer, Isotopic sampler, Evaporometer, Wisp, and more!

10:00 – 11:00    Sensor functionalities explained, Loom and Hypnos Overview - mile high

11:00 - 12:00     SD Data Retrieval, Calibrating Sensors Overview, If time MongoDB, ear2earth

12:00 – 13:30    Working Lunch: Networking, Expo demos of OPEnS systems, Identify Opportunities for Collaboration

Small Groups:

13:30 – 14:30    Hands-on Sensors Review, lab calibration activities, things to do before the field

14:30 – 15:00    SD card functions: retrieve data, configure your device.

15:00 – 16:00    Staged field activities. Discuss and exchange strategies, best practices. Look at some demo data.