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Short Abstract

Citizen science in cosmic-ray research has shown how open hardware can turn classrooms into global observatories. This session explores how we can evidence impact by focusing on collective capability, access to open tools, and shared ownership of data.

Abstract

Citizen Science in astroparticle physics—through projects such as HiSPARC, QuarkNet, and CREDO—has demonstrated how distributed detector networks and open hardware can transform classrooms into scientific observatories. Students and teachers across the world collect and share data on cosmic rays, learning experimental methods and contributing to frontier research. These initiatives exemplify how access to open tools and shared infrastructures can foster inclusion and scientific literacy, even in remote or resource-limited regions.

This session explores how open hardware and open data can serve as alternative indicators of inclusion: through shared tool development, distributed collaboration, and the co-creation of knowledge.

Drawing on insights from the APPEC Citizen Science strategy and the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, and learning from the experience of organizations like the "Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH)" and the "Open Science Hardware Foundation”, this contribution examines how openness itself can become a measure of empowerment. Inclusiveness can be traced through sustained networks, equitable access to resources, and the sense of agency that emerges when participants help build the instruments they use.

This contribution builds on the recent CS strategy of the Astroparticle Physics European Consortium (APPEC), and on insights from the Open Science Hardware (OscH) workshop to be held at CERN in January 2026. It explores how lessons from astroparticle physics can inform future open science hardware strategies, and how open hardware can foster inclusion, scientific literacy, and innovation, ensuring that even remote or under-resourced regions can engage directly in frontier research. From cosmic rays to climate and beyond, the methods proven in astroparticle physics can guide the next generation of open, globally connected science classrooms, advancing a new framework for inclusive impact that values empowerment and collaboration.