On the cold morning of March 11th, 2026, over 35 dedicated open hardware enthusiasts gathered at the Pyle Center. Filling their cups with warm coffee, the attendees began to chat. They shared ideas from across tables, across industries, and across departments, forging new connections and strengthening the role of open source on campus.

The Open Source Program Office was proud to host the inaugural Build, Create, Share: Fostering Innovation and the Role of Open Source Hardware, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s first open hardware focused conference. Featuring two keynote speakers and an array of Madison based presenters, over thirty excited participants flocked to the event. The conference’s goal was to connect builders from across the world. As the builders began to chat, finding solutions to each other’s problems or inquiring about each other’s work, it became clear that the connections forged would last long past the few hours provided by the gathering.

Although open source software has grown in popularity, its hardware counterpart remains comparatively niche. The practice of open hardware necessitates a combination of computer sciences and computer engineering. With their confidence and passion, however, the conference’s attendees made the practice of open hardware look easy. They represented a wide range of departments, emphasizing how open source can support research in almost every field. 

After a quick introduction from the DSI’s director Kyle Cranmer, the event’s keynote speakers steered the discussion. The keynote speakers and their presentations were as follows:

Katherine Scott, Developer Advocate at Open Robotics and Board President of the Open Source Hardware Association: Scott presented on the history and development of open source hardware through the perspective of a professional in the field. 

Paul French, Researcher for the Francis Crick Institute: French displayed his project openScopes, an entirely open source microscope that can efficiently analyze cell biology.

Both keynote presentations engaged the audience, garnering question after question from speakers and attendees alike. Laced between the keynote presentations were speeches by hardware builders from UW Madison. The UW Madison presenters were as follows:

Kevin Elicieri, Co-Director of the UW Madison Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation: Elicieri exhibited his work on an open source microscope, alongside the challenges of open source work and how his lab overcame them.

Stephanie Whitehorse, Director of Physical Sciences IP at WARF: Whitehorse’s presentation covered how open source professionals might be able to license their work in a complex field. 

Matt Sinclair, Director of the Heterogeneous Architectures Lab: Sinclair showcased his lab’s work on the Gem5 project, and how open source can be used to advance computer architecture research.

Micheal Botts, High-throughput BioDesign Facility Leader: Botts discussed how his lab is using open source to accelerate the bioeconomy.

Lennon Rogers, Director of the Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Labs: Rogers explained how his lab connects with manufacturers, with attention brought to how he connected with distributors for Badger Shields during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Emily Bick, Assistant Professor of Entomology: Bick showcased her lab’s design for the insect eavesdropper, a new technology built to help researchers understand insect population dynamics.

Local hardware enthusiasts got to join in on the action too. The event featured a presentation from:

 Chris Meyer, founder of Sector67: Meyer presented on his local hackerspace, Sector67, and discussed how locations like it can create community amongst local enthusiasts.

The conference ended with an hour-long networking period. Attendees talked for the whole hour. They shared new ideas for open source innovation and discussed their experiences in the open source community. Some even gave insight into their future projects, garnering support and enthusiasm from new faces.

The Open Source Program Office is proud to call the event a success. Every attendee left with new experiences, new ideas, and new connections. As open source continues to grow in importance, it is essential that innovators be able to find each other. The support provided by these connections will foster new innovations and provide a path forward for the ever growing open hardware community.

Copies of the presentations can be found on the event website: https://indico.global/event/17245/