GSoC proposal advice

This page is intended to give tips to Google Summer of Code aspirants looking to submit a proposal to work with our group.

IMPORTANT. For GSoC 2019, we are not offering projects with our kernel-based Linux XIA project. Instead, we are offering projects related to our denial-of-service (DoS) protection project, Gatekeeper.

The main point of information for students is the GSoC Student Guide; this manual describes how to approach an organization, find a project that's a good fit for you, and write a proposal. Another useful source of information is Google Summer of Code Frequently Asked Questions. However, we would like to emphasize that students interested in applying should adhere to the following suggestions to increase the likelihood that their proposal is accepted.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask our mailing list. We would be happy to help, and hope that this can be a mutually beneficial experience for our organization and all students involved. Thank you for your interest!

Table of Contents Project Ideas How To Write A Strong Proposal Background Information Time Constraints/Contact Information Requirements After You Are Accepted

Project Ideas

The project ideas that we have decided are appropriate for new students are listed on the Ideas list page. Please start your search there, since these projects are ones that we feel can be accomplished within the scope of a summer.

We want to accommodate as many students as we can -- and do not want to reject students while there are unclaimed projects -- so please consider all of the projects, including ones that would push you to the limits of your comfort zone. This does not mean that you should apply for a project for which you do not have the requisite background. However, you should select a project that will challenge you and force you to open your mind to new concepts. This is how you will learn the most!

It is possible to propose a new project that we did not describe in the Ideas list. This is more difficult to do since you must first develop an understanding of what would be relevant to Gatekeeper and then expand upon that idea to create a full proposal. If you choose to do this, the new project that you propose should be:

• relevant to Gatekeeper, systems programming, networking, cloud computing, attack measurement, etc.
• appropriate for your background and skill set, but also challenging for you.
• able to be completed within one summer.
• interesting and useful to the organization.
• able to be mentored by one of our available mentors.

If you would like to develop a new project idea, it is appropriate to consult our mailing list, especially in order to find a mentor who could oversee your project.

How To Write A Strong Proposal

• Suggestions for how to get started with Gatekeeper are here. Experience with completing Gatekeeper tasks such as setting up Gatekeeper or tackling any of our good first issues will add extra credit to your proposal.
• Start with a simple proposal and keep refining it as you learn more about Gatekeeper and your project. Once you have a proposal draft, it’s time to read in depth the material that relevant to your project, and try to make your proposal as concrete as possible.
• Keep in mind that a strong proposal should show some sort of guarantee that the student will deliver a successful implementation at the end of the Summer. So, please put effort into your application, and make sure that your proposal shows depth.
• A mock proposal is provided here. Starting in 2017, our students have made their proposals public, so check out our Ideas list to find their proposals.
• A strong proposal always has a detailed and realistic timeline, since it generally reflects your understanding of the project. Students are evaluated three times during GSoC. There is an evaluation after each four weeks of work. Therefore, proposals should take this fact into consideration in their timeline, so there are clear deliverables at each stage.
• Contact us early with questions as concrete as possible. The earlier you contact us the earlier you will be able to get feedback from us to improve your proposal. A good question is typically a concrete technical question.
• Submit your application early. Do NOT wait to submit your application until the deadline is very close, remember that a complete good proposal is far better than an incomplete perfect proposal. If you miss Google’s deadline, your proposal won’t be considered.
• As Google stated here, all proposals must be submitted to the program site. Proposals submitted outside of the program site will not be considered for Google Summer of Code.

Background Information

In your proposal, please submit more background information than is suggested by the student manual. In particular, be sure to mention:

• the university you attend.
• your year of study.
• any relevant courses that you have taken.
• any relevant projects that you have participated in.
• any relevant work in the industry.
• your technical strengths and weaknesses.
• examples of your work that we can view (your GitHub ID, for example).
• any professional profiles (LinkedIn, for example).
• any scholarships, awards, or accolades that you have obtained.

Please note that it is OK if you do not have scholarships, awards, or accolades listed in your application. It will not necessarily hurt your chances of your proposal being accepted. We realize that excellent work can sometimes go unrecognized.

Time Constraints/Contact Information

In order to gather a clear view of your time constraints for the summer, please be sure to include:

• an estimate of how many hours per week you will work on your project.
• which time zone you are located in.
• whether you will have any other commitments over the summer, such as jobs, classes, exams, or other projects, and an estimate of how much time you will spend on those other commitments.
• whether you will take a vacation during the summer, and if so: when? For how long? How can we contact you while you are away, if necessary?

In addition, submit the following contact information:

• which instant messaging clients you use, and your IDs for those clients (Google+, Skype, etc).
• your phone number.
• contact information for another person who could serve as a "backup" contact in case we cannot reach you. Please include an email address and phone number for this person, and describe your relationship to him or her.

Requirements After You Are Accepted

• Mentors and mentees are free to have one-to-one meetings to discuss progress and talk about the project.
• Keep a weekly report of your activities online somewhere (a blog or your wiki user page is great for this).
• Work with your mentor to set a realistic goal for mid-term. If you fail to meet your own goal we are more likely to fail you in the evaluations.
• Provide a midterm report link on your project progress to the mailing list as well as posting it to your blog or wiki log.