Google Summer of Code
Orthogonal Research and Education Laboratory (OREL) and DevoWorm have hosted Google Summer of Code cohorts, sponsored and supported by the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) and The OpenWorm Foundation.
Under the guidance of OREL Lab Head Scientist & DevoWorm Senior Contributor Dr. Bradly Alicea, nearly 20 candidates have successfully completed the GSoC program since 2017, with associated summer cohort opportunities creating additional learning and professional development experiences for even more students.
What is Google Summer of Code?
Google Summer of Code provides opportunity for students to enhance their coding skills, gain experience in open-source development, collaborate with mentors and the open-source community, and potentially contribute to projects that have a broader impact.
Google Summer of Code: Main Program
Eligibility: The program is open to university students aged 18 and above, enrolled in an accredited institution.
Project Selection: Participating open-source organizations propose project ideas, and students apply to work on specific projects. The selection process involves a review of project proposals, student applications, and interviews.
Duration and Stipend: The program runs for approximately three months during the summer. Successful students receive a stipend for their work, which is paid by Google.
Mentors: Each student is assigned at least one mentor from the participating organization. Mentors provide guidance, support, and technical expertise throughout the project.
Coding Period: Once selected, students work on their projects remotely, collaborating with their mentors and the open-source community. They write code, submit regular progress reports, and communicate with their mentors.
Community Bonding: Before the coding period officially starts, there is a community bonding period where students get to know their mentors and the open-source community. This period helps foster relationships and understanding.
Midterm and Final Evaluations: Students undergo evaluations to assess their progress. These evaluations help determine if they are meeting the project's objectives and if they are eligible to continue in the program.
Project Completion: At the end of the program, students submit their final code and documentation. Successful participants receive a certificate of completion and gain valuable experience working on real-world projects.
History & Alumni
2023
R. V. Rajagopalan, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
OREL: "Exploring Open Source Sustainability via Agent-based Modeling"
Vrushali Nandurkar, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
OREL: "Virtual Reality for Distributed Research"
Sushmanth Reddy Mereddy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
DevoWorm: "D-GNNs: developing DevoGraph for computational developmental biology"
Himanshu Chougule, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI)
DevoWorm: "D-GNNs: developing DevoGraph for computational developmental biology"
Mentors: Dr. Bradly Alicea,Mayukh Deb, Jesse Parent, Ankit Grover & Brian McCorkle
2022
Materials
Brian McCorkle, University at Albany, State University of New York.
OREL: "Agent-based Collective Cognition for Open Source Communities" (link)
S. Hussain Ather, University of Toronto.
OREL: "Ethical Regulators for Open Source Communities" (link)
Himanshu Chougule, Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI)
OREL: "Reinforcement Learning and Collective Cognition for Open Source Communities" (link)
Karan Lohaan, (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University)
DevoWorm: Modeling Axolotl Embryos
Harikrishna Pillai, (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University)
DevoWorm: Digital Microsphere
Jiahang Li, Hong Kong Polytechnic
DevoWorm: DevoGraph: Modeling Cell Developmental Process of C. elegans using Graph Neural Network (GNN)
Wataru Kawakami, Kyoto University
DevoWorm: "GNNs as Developmental Networks
Mentors: Dr. Bradly Alicea & Jesse Parent
2021
Materials
"DevoLearn: Machine Learning Models and Education that Enable Computational Developmental Biology" (GitHub) - Mayukh Deb, Ujjwal Singh, Mainak Deb, and Bradly Alicea
GitHub Org: https://github.com/DevoLearn/devolearn
Mainak Deb, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University
DevoWorm: "Improving DevoLearn"
Mentor: Dr. Bradly Alicea
2020
Mainak Deb, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University
DevoWorm: "Pre-trained Models for Developmental Neuroscience"
Ujjwal Singh, IIT Delhi
DevoWorm: OpenDevoCell Integration
Mentor: Dr. Bradly Alicea
2019
Materials
Publication: Braitenberg Vehicles as Developmental Neurosimulation (ALIFE 2022)
Video Series: Developmental Braitenberg Vehicles Study Group
GSoC Mentees
Stefan Dvoretskii, Technical University of Munich
OREL: "Bra-Gen Brain"Vinay Varma, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University
DevoWorm: "Semantic Segmentation of the Embryogenetic Process"
Developmental Braitenberg Vehicle Cohort
Ziyi Gong, Duke University (OREL)
Ankit Gupta, IIT Kharagpur (OREL)
Jesse Parent, University at Albany, SUNY (OREL)
Mentor: Dr. Bradly Alicea
2018
Sam Felder, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
OREL: "Contextual Geometric Structures"
Cheng-Hsun (Jim) Hsueh, National Yang-Ming University
OREL: "Contextual Geometric Structures"
Arnab Banerjee, Pune University
DevoWorm: Developmental Networks and XML Frameworks for the C. elegans Embryo
Mentor: Dr. Bradly Alicea
2017
Siddharth Yadav, IIT-New Delhi
DevoWorm: "Image processing with ImageJ (segmentation of high-resolution images)"
Mentor: Dr. Bradly Alicea
Prospective Applicants
GSoC funding and opportunities are contingent upon several factors for OREL, DevoWorm, OpenWorm, INCF, and within Google & Google Summer of Code itself.
If you are interested in joining a yearly summer cohort, we recommend the following:
Contact Dr Bradly Alicea about upcoming opportunities
Monitor Neurostars web forum, where INCF offers potential proposals for its sponsored organizations
Pay attention to GSoC's Timeline and application processes
Submit your application (generally April-May)
If you are not selected during the application process, consider joining OREL & DevoWorms' summer cohorts to contribute to a desired project type alongside other members