I just came across this WordPress blogpost congratulating their Google Summer of Code 2009 students.  And at the very bottom, Jane Wells, the author, asks: “Where are all the geek girls?” I’m sure this isn’t a surprise to anybody, but what is surprising is the fact that the number of GSoC applicants went down this year.  This is disappointing, since a lot of us are really trying to get the word out.  Just looking at the University of Toronto for example, we’ve held many info sessions for GSoC 2009.  We even had threads on our department bulletin board answering any questions students might have regarding GSoC.  And I’m sure we’re not the only ones promoting it, so I personally found this very surprising — at first at least.

But now that I stop and think about it, the GSoC application deadline was definitely during one of the busier weeks for post-secondary students.  Thinking back, I was extremely stressed out last year around this time as well, since there were so many assignments and other evaluations to take care of while I was trying to apply for GSoC 2008.  I eventually had to sacrifice my assembly programming assignment to complete my GSoC proposal.  But I’m really glad I did so, because my proposal got accepted, and I still managed to get a passing grade for that one assignment (barely!).

This year, many of my friends considered applying for GSoC.  However, on top of all the deadlines, many of my friends were still looking for PEY internship positions.  So they eventually had to give up this awesome opportunity.  I’m not sure if prolonging the application period would have helped my friends in particular, but I’m sure a lot of students would benefit from the extra few days, and maybe they could work around their busy schedules and submit at least one proposal. :D

For those of you who were unable to apply to GSoC this year, remember to do so next year!  It really was an awesome opportunity for me last year, and it has definitely helped me a lot in finding internship positions.  And for those of you who are wondering what I was working on last summer for GSoC 2008, click here!

• Reading – It wasn’t until this summer, had I realized how much reading a developer does. I devoted more time familiarizing myself with the Cytoscape code base than actually developing myself. I’ve also realized that reading external resources like books and discussion boards often facilitate your ability to work independently.
• Documentation – Over the summer, I’ve truly learned the importance of documentation. Spending the time to document your code while you develop it will save a lot of time for yourself and others that will have to work with your code in the future.
• Communication – In open source projects, developers are often located in all parts of the world. It is very important to have good communication skills so problems, ideas, and concerns can be addressed and brought to the others’ attention regardless of where they are.
• Be open to feedback - The feedback from others should always be valued, regardless as to whether the feedback is provided by a mentor, peer, client, or user. These may not always be the best ideas, but taking them into consideration will often inspire and shed light onto some great ideas!
• Be able to expand on the work of others - One of the most important things that I’ve learned this summer is that software development is not only about how impressive you can build something from scratch, but also about how you can successfully work with existing code and make contributions to it.

These were certainly not the only things that I’ve learned over the summer. Specifically, I’ve also strengthened my interpersonal skills and my ability to speak in front of people. The things that I’ve learned over this summer has been incredible. The skills that I’ve acquired has also helped me adjust to my third year of undergraduate studies. For those students who are thinking about participating in the Google Summer of Code program, go for it!

I’ve also created a screencast for this project. Enjoy!

Lastly, I’d like to thank Greg, Gary, Karen, Jen, and all the people that I’ve worked with and met over the summer. They’ve truly made my summer more enjoyable and memorable. I definitely look forward to having another chance to work with all of you in the future! :)

Hippo with Wings: 4

Hippo with Hat & Scarf: 15

Still waiting for votes from: Eran, Xuan, Ming, Dmitri, Nicole, Matt, Chris, Hardeep.

Sorry if I missed anyone!