
INCF applies to GSoC 2022!
4 February 2022This week, we are applying to participate in the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) for the 12th time running. GSoC is a long-running program where contributors new to open source work with mentors on coding projects supported by a stipend from Google.
Originally, the program was set up to introduce students to open source development. As Google describes it:
“Google Summer of Code began in 2005 as a complex experiment with a simple goal: helping students find work related to their academic pursuits during their school holidays. The perfect answer came from encouraging students to participate in open source projects.”
INCF has participated in the program since 2011. We function as an umbrella organization, so mentors and ideas are contributed by many different open source projects in our community.
The program starts with a two week long “community bonding” period where the GSoC contributors get to know community members involved in the project they will be working on.The long term goal is turning GSoC contributors into community members and future mentors. In fact, several of our long running projects are now co-mentored by past students!
The core of our application to Google is our Ideas List. We build this list by sending out a call to the wider neuroscience tool developer community for project ideas. Many INCF community tools have been improved, extended, and made more interoperable as a result of GSoC.
This year’s Ideas list has 47 projects supported by 56 mentors from 20 different projects.
We encourage all interested participants to visit our GSoC section on the Neurostars forum, where they can discuss project ideas with mentors and get help forming their own project plan.
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