In April 2008, the first call to participate in Project Bamboo went out to a number of institutions. We expected a modest number of responses (about 50) and ended up with well over 120 institutions and organizations interested in participating in Workshop One -- far more than our workshop venues could accommodate. Given this, the program team has been committed to creating opportunities to participate in Project Bamboo even if one is not able to participate in a face-to-face workshop.

Contribute Online

The first step for all interested parties is to help us analyze the data we collect and refine the concepts and ideas that will eventually define the scope of Bamboo. These activities occur on the wiki between workshops and are open to all, whether or not they've participated in a workshop. Community input is crucial as it helps us build a roadmap of shared technology services, initiates the first round of Bamboo demonstrator projects, and outlines aspects of the organization that will underpin implementation.

To join the Bamboo community and contribute to the wiki, all you need to do is sign up. Visit the Planning Wiki and click on the "Sign Up" link in the upper right corner of the page.

Participate in Workshops

For face-to-face workshops, we are seeking institutions and organizations that have serious interest in building a consortium and are willing to contribute their time and expertise to shape the direction of the project based on the input provided by the community. By the end of the planning stage, we hope a subset of these institutions and organizations will form both the core of the implementation project and the Bamboo consortium that will lead, guide and help sustain the effort into the future.

Workshop Four will be held in Providence, Rhode Island, on April 16-18, 2009. Registration is now open. Information on Workshop Five will be announced when it is finalized.