The 2024 UC Tech conference—hosted this year at Davis—featured two sessions led by the UC Open Source Program Office (OSPO) Network, bringing together members of the wider UC community to learn what the OSPO Network is and what it has to offer. A panel session gave an introduction to the network, its functions, and the specific on-campus efforts, and a Birds of a Feather session provided an opportunity for the OSPO team to hear from the community about the needs and challenges of different departments (faculty, students, IT, etc.).
Panel Session¶
Facilitated by Jarrod Millman, the panel familiarized participants with OSPO concepts, discussed examples of how OSPOs influence research and learning activities in higher education, and how everyone can participate in forming the UC-wide OSPO Network. Panelists included Jarrod Millman (UC Berkeley), David Minor (UC San Diego), Stephanie Lieggi (UC Santa Cruz), Vessela Ensberg (UC Davis), Amber Budden (UC Santa Barbara), and Tim Dennis (UC Los Angeles).
Key discussion highlights¶
Institutional Goals: The UC OSPO network, supported by the Sloan Foundation, aims to encourage broader campus participation and support for open-source projects
The three themes the UC-wide OSPO approach uses to guide our efforts:
Education: Integrating open-source resources into academic curricula
Sustainability: Using data to identify and support critical projects
Discovery: Enhancing transparency through innovative tools like a dedicated repo browser
Where each campus is in the OSPO formation process
How UCOP can support the OSPO Network
Birds of a Feather Session¶
The BoF session filled its room and revealed strong and enthusiastic interest in the OSPO approach from the broader UC community, as well as demonstrating the need for campus OSPOs as participants expressed concerns and challenges across many areas of open source adoption:
Security Concerns: Developing robust risk assessment and auditing processes
Licensing Complexities: Navigating the intricate landscape of open-source licensing
Resource Limitations: Addressing funding and support needs for sustainable implementation
Collaborative Strategies
Participants proposed innovative approaches to overcome these challenges:
Establishing a shared UC code review team
Building campus communities around key open-source tools
Conducting comprehensive needs assessments
Developing educational resources and best practices
Looking to the Future¶
Over the coming months, the OSPO Network will continue to develop its Open Source Repository Browser (ORB), and begin connecting open source projects with aspiring contributors. Santa Cruz will host UC Open, a UC-wide conference aiming to bring attention to open source efforts throughout the UC system and collaborative activities under the UC OSPO Network. Stay tuned!