OSEL Blog

Google has done it again!Google generously donated $300,000 to the OSU Open Source Lab, demonstrating continued support to the Lab and ongoing open source education in the university.  Google has been donating to support the OSU OSL for three subsequent years now, providing more than one million dollars in contributions.  Contributions will make it possible for students to keep working for the OSUOSL, supply hardware for better hosting, and allow the OSL to take more development projects.Official Press Releases:

• OSU
• Google’s Open Source Blog

Thank you Google!

The Open Source Education Lab is hosting another fabulous BarCamp at OSU’s Kelley Engineering Center.  Saturday, April 4th from 10AM through 7PM though the end time is flexible.  Setup, for those willing, begins at 9AM followed by introductions at 10:30.  Sessions will begin at 11. For more information, check out beaverbarcamp.org and remember to register.  As always, everyone is invited.

What is a BarCamp? Unlike traditional conferences that do silly things like make schedules ahead of time, at BarCamp the schedule is created throughout the day by popular consensus. Anyone who wishes to lead a talk on any topic can do so. We have enough rooms to host a bunch of different tracks going at the same time. Pick what is most interesting at the time, jump between sessions or just run one yourself!

Curious about the new Oswald device/Fuzzy Walrus/Platform for Learning?  We’ll have 10.  Want to talk OLPC? Done. Learn more about Python web development with Django? Not a problem. Learn to juggle or crochet? We’re there for you. How about mirroring the success of our own Open Source Lab at other universities? Go for it! Anything that you want to talk about is fair game, just sign up for one of the conference rooms in the lobby and whoever wants to partake in that discussion will join. Sound fun? It is! BarCamps in Seattle, Portland and throughout the world have had phenomenal success with these “unconferences.” Their flexibility and fresh material makes for a fun, thought-provoking day.

Note:  Thank you mburns for the wonderful write up

Summer is approaching fast!  Not only does that mean an imminent return to sunny weather but also and means Google Summer of Code is back.

Google is accepting summer of code applications through April 3, programming begins on May 23.  Join the festivities!  Find a cool project and apply.

This year, Google is paying a stipend of $4,500 for successful projects.

Also, a big congratulations to the Open Source Lab for being accepted as a mentoring organization again for 2009.

If you are interested in working with the OSL this summer, check out the ideas page and submit a proposal!

Articles:

Original Network World article

KVAL article

The OSU Open Source Lab has been voted one of the nations 10 coolest university networking labs due to its renowned open source project hosting history and interesting development projects.

Specific cool lab features sited were:

• The Linux kernel - We even have had a “Woozy Beaver” kernel version committed on OSU’s campus in the LUG.
• Drupal - Drupal is heading the way of Firefox.  What was once another program to create and maintain web sites is gaining popularity and is now widely used both on OSU’s campus and in the open source community.
• Apache Software Foundation including the Apache web server - The OSL helps keep the internet running.  Apache is used on more than half of the web sites in the world.
• Oregon Virtual School District - The OSL is developing an online learning and support system for K-12 students with Moodle.
• Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON)

Google donated $300,000 to the OSU Open Source lab, continuing to support Open Source development, hosting, and software use at OSU.  Google’s contribution will promote growth within the OSL and allow the lab to continue hosting large, innovative or essential, projects such as Drupal and Apache.

Thank you Google!

 The Official Press Release

The OSU Engineering Expo, held in Kelly Engineering Center, gave this year’s graduating seniors a venue for showcasing their senior design projects, including the OSL’s capstone students Peter Sandin and Andrew Cunningham.

Both Peter and Andrew worked diligently to write a preliminary video chat application for the OLPC using the helix media player and helix server.

While focused on senior design projects, the Engineering Expo also offers the College of Engineering and the general student population a chance to show industry representatives, high school students, and parents what interesting engineering innovations are happening at OSU.  The OSEL was there to represent Open Source at OSU by talking about the OSL, work with the One Laptop Per Child Project, OSU’s Linux computing facilities, and general Linux use in the College of Engineering.

The Open Source Education Lab is hosting a BarCamp at OSU. Friday, February 29th at 6:30pm for introductions, reception and conversation, Saturday, March 1st at 9am for the real deal. You are welcome to come to one or both. The two day Beaver BarCamp conference is free to register for and is welcome to all community members!

What is a BarCamp? Unlike traditional (read: lame) conferences that do silly things like make schedules ahead of time, at BarCamp the schedule is created throughout the day by popular consensus. Anyone who wishes to lead a talk on any relavant topic can do so. We have enough rooms to host a bunch of different tracks going at the same time. Pick what is most interesting at the time, jump between sessions or just run one yourself!

Want to talk OLPC? Done. Learn more about Python web development with Django? Not a problem. PHP module development for Drupal? Cake. How about mirroring the success of our own Open Source Lab at other universities? Go for it! Anything that you want to talk about is fair game, just signup for one of the conference rooms in the lobby and whoever wants to partake in that discussion will join. Sound fun? It is! BarCamps in Seattle, Portland and throughout the world have had phenominal success with these “unconferences.” Their flexibility and fresh material makes for a fun, thought-provoking day. Come see what all the hype is all about: 9am at Kelley Engineering Center at OSU with a smile on your face.

Sponsors include: Software Association of Oregon Corvallis Chapter, MyStrands, Jive Software, Sanda Communications, WoodstocksPizza, OSU College of Engineering, Insights Now!, Microsoft, Mozilla

Students Mike Burns and Justin Gallardo have been getting a lot of good press lately, with stories in the Eugene Weekly and the Corvallis Gazette Times. Mike and Justin helped forge the connection between the United Nations sponsored OLPC project and OSU. Mike made the initial connection, and Justin ported the word processor for the OLPC. That has led to many more connections to the project. Picture shown is from the Corvallis Gazette Times article.

The winter 2007 edition of the Oregon Stater, the OSU Alumni magazine, includes an article profiling Corey Shields and the Open Source Lab. The article also discusses the OSEL, our OSEL student evanglists Brandon Philips and Alex Polvi, as well as one of the students projects the OSEL is involved with, the Open Laptop per Child project and student Mike Burns.

Shown at left is Dennis Wolverton, photographer for the Oregon Stater, making friends with Tux at a LUG Hacking social during the preparation of the article.

You can find an on-line version of the article on the osu alumni web site.

The current issue of Red Herring names Scott Kveton, CEO of Portland startup JanRain, one of the magazine’s “Tech Tots: 25 Young Rebels Who Will Rock the World.” Formerly director of OSU’s Open Source Lab, and a member of the team that developed the concept of the Open Source Educational Lab, Scott left osu in June of 2006 to take the helm at JanRain. Way to go, Scott!