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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<title>ORCA — Open Research Community Accelerator</title>
<meta name="description" content="ORCA connects UVM undergraduates with faculty, researchers, and community organizations to build open source tools that create real-world impact." />
<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style.css" />
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin />
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@300;400;500;600;700&family=DM+Serif+Display:ital@0;1&display=swap" rel="stylesheet" />
</head>
<body>
<!-- ===== NAVIGATION ===== -->
<header class="site-header" id="site-header">
<nav class="nav-container">
<a href="#" class="nav-logo">
<span class="logo-orca">ORCA</span>
<span class="logo-sub">UVM</span>
</a>
<button class="nav-toggle" id="nav-toggle" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
<span></span><span></span><span></span>
</button>
<ul class="nav-links" id="nav-links">
<li><a href="#about">About</a></li>
<li><a href="#projects">Projects</a></li>
<li><a href="#culture">How We Work</a></li>
<li><a href="#internship">Internship</a></li>
<li><a href="#pods">Pods</a></li>
<li><a href="#join" class="nav-cta">Join ORCA</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
</header>
<main>
<!-- ===== HERO ===== -->
<section class="hero" id="hero">
<div class="hero-media">
<img src="img/UVMSAL_UVMCampus_May132020-8.jpg" alt="University of Vermont campus" class="hero-img" />
<div class="hero-overlay"></div>
</div>
<div class="hero-content">
<p class="hero-eyebrow">Vermont Research Open Source Program Office</p>
<h1 class="hero-headline">Research that <em>moves</em><br />the world forward.</h1>
<p class="hero-body">ORCA (Open Research Community Accelerator) student internship program connects University of Vermont students with faculty, graduate researchers, and community partners to build open source tools with real-world impact.</p>
<div class="hero-actions">
<a href="#join" class="btn btn-primary">Apply to Join</a>
<a href="#projects" class="btn btn-ghost">See Our Work</a>
</div>
</div>
<a href="#about" class="hero-scroll" aria-label="Scroll down">
<svg width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 5v14M5 12l7 7 7-7"/></svg>
</a>
</section>
<!-- ===== STATS BAR ===== -->
<section class="stats-bar">
<div class="container stats-grid">
<div class="stat">
<span class="stat-num">4–5</span>
<span class="stat-label">students per Pod</span>
</div>
<div class="stat">
<span class="stat-num">237</span>
<span class="stat-label">VT towns mapped by student teams</span>
</div>
<div class="stat">
<span class="stat-num">MIT</span>
<span class="stat-label">open source licensed</span>
</div>
<div class="stat">
<span class="stat-num">NSF</span>
<span class="stat-label">& Sloan Foundation supported</span>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- ===== ABOUT ===== -->
<section class="about section" id="about">
<div class="container about-grid">
<div class="about-text">
<p class="section-label">About ORCA</p>
<h2 class="section-heading">Turning research into open tools for everyone.</h2>
<p>The Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) is a student initiative housed within UVM's <a href="https://verso.w3.uvm.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vermont Research Open Source Program Office (VERSO)</a>. We bridge the gap between academic research and real-world impact through open projects with social significance.</p>
<p>Student teams — called <strong>Pods</strong> — partner with faculty, graduate students, and community organizations to translate research findings into publicly accessible, open source tools. Members gain hands-on experience with industry-standard engineering practices while creating products that matter.</p>
<div class="about-links">
<a href="https://verso.w3.uvm.edu/orca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-link">Program website →</a>
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/ORCA/wiki" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-link">ORCA Handbook →</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="about-image">
<img src="img/Howe Library Interior-2.jpg" alt="UVM Howe Library interior — collaborative workspace" />
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- ===== HOW IT WORKS ===== -->
<section class="how section bg-light" id="how-it-works">
<div class="container">
<div class="section-intro centered">
<p class="section-label">How It Works</p>
<h2 class="section-heading">Industry practices. Academic rigor. Community impact.</h2>
<p class="section-sub">ORCA teams operate like real open source engineering teams — with structured sprints, transparent collaboration, and a focus on shipping software that solves real problems.</p>
</div>
<div class="steps-grid">
<div class="step-card">
<div class="step-num">01</div>
<h3>Form a Pod</h3>
<p>You join a team of 4–5 students — including a Team Lead, members, and optional Business or Community Leads — to tackle a specific research challenge alongside a faculty sponsor.</p>
</div>
<div class="step-card">
<div class="step-num">02</div>
<h3>Sprint & Build</h3>
<p>Using Agile-inspired two-week sprints, you plan tasks collaboratively, hold brief stand-ups, and iterate openly. Every decision is transparent to the whole team and sponsor.</p>
</div>
<div class="step-card">
<div class="step-num">03</div>
<h3>Demo & Reflect</h3>
<p>At the end of each sprint, teams record demonstrations of completed work for sponsors. Rather than traditional grades, you're evaluated on stakeholder feedback and personal growth goals you set yourself.</p>
</div>
<div class="step-card">
<div class="step-num">04</div>
<h3>Ship Open Source</h3>
<p>Everything you build is publicly released under open source licenses. Your work lives on GitHub, cited in research, and used by communities — long after the semester ends.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- ===== PROJECTS ===== -->
<section class="projects section" id="projects">
<div class="container">
<div class="section-intro">
<p class="section-label">Projects</p>
<h2 class="section-heading">Built by students. Used by communities.</h2>
<p class="section-sub">Open source tools created by ORCA Pods — each addressing a real challenge identified by researchers, community partners, or state agencies.</p>
</div>
<!-- Photo projects -->
<div class="projects-grid">
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image">
<img src="img/20171108_Central_Campus-18.jpg" alt="Vermont landscape" />
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Geospatial · Housing</span>
<h3>Vermont Zoning Atlas</h3>
<p>A statewide zoning visualization covering all 237 Vermont towns — making complex zoning regulations accessible to planners, advocates, and the public to identify barriers to affordable housing and climate resilience.</p>
<div class="project-meta">Partners: Regional Planning Commissions, VT State Agencies</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/Vermont-Zoning-Atlas" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image">
<img src="img/20161011_Waterman-48.jpg" alt="Vermont campus building" />
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Infrastructure · Environment</span>
<h3>Wastewater Infrastructure Mapping</h3>
<p>A comprehensive town-level dataset of Vermont wastewater resources, supporting housing development and economic sustainability by identifying infrastructure gaps aligned with the Vermont Climate Action Plan.</p>
<div class="project-meta">Partners: Windham Regional Commission, Town of Jericho, VCGI</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/Wastewater-Infrastructure-Mapping" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image">
<img src="img/20171018_Old_Mill-5.jpg" alt="UVM Old Mill building" />
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">NLP · Audio · Research</span>
<h3>Heard & Understood App</h3>
<p>An AI-powered tool for exploring and classifying silences and conversational gaps using Random Forests, CNNs, Whisper transcriptions, and BERT models — in partnership with the Vermont Conversation Lab.</p>
<div class="project-meta">Partner: Vermont Conversation Lab</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/Heard-and-Understood-App" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image">
<img src="img/090808-Morgado-455.jpg" alt="UVM campus architecture" />
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Research Tools · Social Science</span>
<h3>Interactive Management App</h3>
<p>An open source tool for Interpretive Structural Modeling that creates flow diagrams helping groups solve collective problems — applied in research on thriving in open source communities.</p>
<div class="project-meta">Lead: John Meluso</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image">
<img src="img/IMG_0227.jpg" alt="Students collaborating" />
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Education · Open Source</span>
<h3>Open Resource Library</h3>
<p>An open source toolkit helping students and researchers get started with open source software development — covering licensing, version control, community governance, and documentation.</p>
<div class="project-meta">openresourcelibrary.com</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/Open-Resource-Library" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
<a href="https://www.openresourcelibrary.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link project-link--live">Live site →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image">
<img src="img/05-069_0494.jpg" alt="Vermont community" />
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">GIS · Emergency Management</span>
<h3>VRWA Mutual Aid Map</h3>
<p>A static web map for emergency water and wastewater resources across Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York — supporting mutual aid coordination during infrastructure crises.</p>
<div class="project-meta">Partner: Vermont Rural Water Association</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/VRWA-Mutual-Aid-Map" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
<a href="https://verso-uvm.github.io/VRWA-Mutual-Aid-Map/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link project-link--live">Live site →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<!-- Additional projects — gradient cards -->
<div class="projects-grid projects-grid--more">
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image project-card-image--gradient" style="--grad: linear-gradient(135deg, #1a4a2e 0%, #2d7a4f 100%);">
<svg class="project-card-icon" viewBox="0 0 48 48" fill="none" stroke="white" stroke-width="1.5" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><circle cx="24" cy="24" r="18"/><path d="M12 24h24M24 6C18 12 15 18 15 24s3 12 9 18M24 6c6 6 9 12 9 18s-3 12-9 18"/></svg>
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Geospatial · Policy</span>
<h3>Vermont Livability Map</h3>
<p>An exploratory data visualization combining zoning, wastewater, and flood-risk datasets to help policymakers, planners, and community members understand the factors shaping Vermont's livability and sustainable growth.</p>
<div class="project-meta">Built with Vue 3 + Vite</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/Vermont-Livability-Map" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
<a href="https://verso-uvm.github.io/Vermont-Livability-Map/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link project-link--live">Live site →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image project-card-image--gradient" style="--grad: linear-gradient(135deg, #0b2d5e 0%, #1a5fa8 100%);">
<svg class="project-card-icon" viewBox="0 0 48 48" fill="none" stroke="white" stroke-width="1.5" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M24 6l4 8 9 1.5-6.5 6.5 1.5 9L24 27l-8 4 1.5-9L11 15.5 20 14z"/><circle cx="24" cy="38" r="4"/><path d="M24 27v7"/></svg>
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Education · Open Science</span>
<h3>Open Science 101</h3>
<p>A community-driven continuation of NASA's Transform-to-Open-Science curriculum, rewritten and expanded by VERSO. Five modules equip researchers, students, and citizen scientists with open science knowledge and data management skills.</p>
<div class="project-meta">Based on NASA TOPS · MIT License</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/Open-Science-101" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
<a href="https://verso-uvm.github.io/Open-Science-101/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link project-link--live">Live site →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image project-card-image--gradient" style="--grad: linear-gradient(135deg, #3a1f05 0%, #8b4a0f 100%);">
<svg class="project-card-icon" viewBox="0 0 48 48" fill="none" stroke="white" stroke-width="1.5" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><rect x="8" y="14" width="32" height="22" rx="2"/><path d="M16 14v-4a4 4 0 018 0v4M24 25v4M20 25h8"/></svg>
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Game · Storytelling · Community</span>
<h3>Threadbare</h3>
<p>A story-driven, collaborative open source game where players don't just explore a world — they co-create it. Players recover knowledge, craft stories, and design characters and quests drawn from their own lives and communities.</p>
<div class="project-meta">GDScript · Mozilla Public License 2.0</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/threadbare" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
<a href="https://endlessm.github.io/threadbare/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link project-link--live">Play online →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image project-card-image--gradient" style="--grad: linear-gradient(135deg, #1e3a4a 0%, #2d6b8a 100%);">
<svg class="project-card-icon" viewBox="0 0 48 48" fill="none" stroke="white" stroke-width="1.5" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><rect x="8" y="10" width="32" height="28" rx="2"/><path d="M16 20h16M16 26h10M32 33v5M32 38h-8"/></svg>
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Infrastructure · Workforce</span>
<h3>VRWA Certification Platform</h3>
<p>A modern, secure system replacing VRWA's legacy Access database — automating course registration syncing, operator portal access for training records and certificates, and administrative tools for attendance tracking and regulatory compliance.</p>
<div class="project-meta">TypeScript · Partner: Vermont Rural Water Association</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/vrwa-certification-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
<article class="project-card">
<div class="project-card-image project-card-image--gradient" style="--grad: linear-gradient(135deg, #3d1010 0%, #8b2020 100%);">
<svg class="project-card-icon" viewBox="0 0 48 48" fill="none" stroke="white" stroke-width="1.5" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M24 8v6M24 34v6M8 24h6M34 24h6"/><circle cx="24" cy="24" r="8"/><path d="M24 16a8 8 0 000 16"/></svg>
</div>
<div class="project-card-body">
<span class="project-tag">Civic Tech · Alerts</span>
<h3>BTV Alerts</h3>
<p>A civic technology project providing real-time alerts and notifications for Burlington, Vermont — connecting residents with timely local information to support community awareness and safety.</p>
<div class="project-meta">Partner: City of Burlington</div>
<div class="project-links">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/BTV-Alerts" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="project-link">GitHub →</a>
</div>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<div class="projects-footer">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="btn btn-outline">All Projects on GitHub</a>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- ===== CULTURE ===== -->
<section class="culture section bg-dark" id="culture">
<div class="container">
<div class="section-intro centered light">
<p class="section-label">How We Work</p>
<h2 class="section-heading">Five principles that guide every Pod.</h2>
</div>
<div class="principles-grid">
<div class="principle">
<span class="principle-num">I</span>
<h3>Create Raving Fans</h3>
<p>Exceeding sponsor expectations generates referrals, trust, and lasting program growth. Good enough isn't the goal.</p>
</div>
<div class="principle">
<span class="principle-num">II</span>
<h3>Share Early</h3>
<p>Validating ideas with teammates before diving in prevents misunderstanding and saves time. Share rough drafts, not polished products.</p>
</div>
<div class="principle">
<span class="principle-num">III</span>
<h3>Iterate in the Open</h3>
<p>Changes happen transparently. Everyone on the team and every stakeholder knows what's changing and why — no surprises.</p>
</div>
<div class="principle">
<span class="principle-num">IV</span>
<h3>Be Curious, Not Judgmental</h3>
<p>Collaborative problem-solving elevates everyone. Approach challenges with questions, not conclusions.</p>
</div>
<div class="principle">
<span class="principle-num">V</span>
<h3>Collective Progress</h3>
<p>Teaching others to solve problems builds a more resilient team and a more impactful program than going it alone.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- ===== INTERNSHIP LIFE ===== -->
<section class="internship section" id="internship">
<div class="container">
<div class="internship-intro">
<p class="section-label">Life in a Pod</p>
<h2 class="section-heading">What the internship actually looks like.</h2>
<p class="section-sub">ORCA isn't a class with readings and exams. It's a real internship — with real deadlines, real stakeholders, and real software shipped publicly. Here's what a typical semester looks like from the inside.</p>
</div>
<div class="internship-body">
<div class="internship-narrative">
<div class="narrative-block">
<h3>Working inside a Pod</h3>
<p>You'll join a Pod of 4–5 students — a tight team with a mix of skills — working on a specific project for a faculty member, community organization, or state agency. Pods operate like small, self-directed startup teams: you make decisions together, divide up work based on strengths, and hold each other accountable. Unlike a traditional class project, the people using your output are real, and they're counting on you.</p>
<p>Multiple Pods run simultaneously across ORCA each semester, each on different projects. Teams share a co-working space, cross-pollinate ideas, and support each other — so you're never siloed, even if your Sprint work is focused.</p>
</div>
<div class="narrative-block">
<h3>Agile in practice</h3>
<p>ORCA uses an Agile-inspired sprint model. Every two weeks your team plans a sprint: you look at the backlog, talk through priorities with your sponsor, and each member commits to a concrete set of tasks. Brief daily or weekly stand-ups keep everyone aligned and surface blockers early. At the end of each sprint you record a short demo showing what you actually shipped — not slides, not a status update, but working software or data.</p>
<p>This rhythm teaches you to scope work realistically, communicate progress continuously, and ship incrementally rather than in one big push at the end of the semester.</p>
</div>
<div class="narrative-block">
<h3>Partnering with stakeholders</h3>
<p>Your project sponsor — a researcher, planner, nonprofit, or state agency — isn't a passive client. They attend Sprint Reviews, give direct feedback on your demos, and help you understand the real-world constraints your tool has to work within. You'll practice translating technical choices into plain language, managing expectations, and presenting work to people who care deeply about the outcome without caring much about the code.</p>
<p>This stakeholder dynamic is one of the most valuable parts of the experience. Learning to build software <em>with</em> someone, not just <em>for</em> them, is a skill most engineers don't develop until years into their careers.</p>
</div>
<div class="narrative-block">
<h3>Rapid prototyping & human-centered design</h3>
<p>ORCA projects are built for people — not for benchmarks or portfolios. That means you start by understanding who will use the tool and what problem they're actually trying to solve, then prototype quickly, test with real users, and iterate. UX Design Specialists lead wire-framing and usability testing; developers build to those specs; data specialists shape what the interface shows and why. Everyone participates in understanding the user.</p>
<p>The goal isn't perfection on the first try — it's learning what works, fast, so you can make it better. You'll ship things you're proud of and things you'd do differently. Both are part of the training.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="internship-practices">
<div class="practice-card">
<div class="practice-icon">
<svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><rect x="3" y="4" width="18" height="18" rx="2"/><path d="M16 2v4M8 2v4M3 10h18"/><path d="M8 14h.01M12 14h.01M16 14h.01M8 18h.01M12 18h.01"/></svg>
</div>
<h4>Two-week sprints</h4>
<p>Plan, build, demo, reflect — then repeat. The sprint cycle keeps work tangible and momentum high.</p>
</div>
<div class="practice-card">
<div class="practice-icon">
<svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="9"/><path d="M12 8v4l3 3"/></svg>
</div>
<h4>Stand-ups & async updates</h4>
<p>Short check-ins surface blockers before they become problems. Everyone knows what everyone else is working on.</p>
</div>
<div class="practice-card">
<div class="practice-icon">
<svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><path d="M17 21v-2a4 4 0 00-4-4H5a4 4 0 00-4 4v2"/><circle cx="9" cy="7" r="4"/><path d="M23 21v-2a4 4 0 00-3-3.87M16 3.13a4 4 0 010 7.75"/></svg>
</div>
<h4>Live sponsor reviews</h4>
<p>Stakeholders attend Sprint Reviews and give direct feedback — building your ability to communicate work to non-technical audiences.</p>
</div>
<div class="practice-card">
<div class="practice-icon">
<svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><path d="M12 2L2 7l10 5 10-5-10-5zM2 17l10 5 10-5M2 12l10 5 10-5"/></svg>
</div>
<h4>GitHub-first workflow</h4>
<p>Issues, pull requests, code review, and project boards — the same tools used in professional open source development.</p>
</div>
<div class="practice-card">
<div class="practice-icon">
<svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><path d="M12 20h9M16.5 3.5a2.121 2.121 0 013 3L7 19l-4 1 1-4L16.5 3.5z"/></svg>
</div>
<h4>Wireframes & prototypes</h4>
<p>UX-first thinking means you design before you build, test before you ship, and validate assumptions early.</p>
</div>
<div class="practice-card">
<div class="practice-icon">
<svg width="22" height="22" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/><path d="M12 8v4M12 16h.01"/></svg>
</div>
<h4>Self-directed evaluation</h4>
<p>You set your own growth goals at the semester's start and assess your progress at the end — with stakeholder feedback as a guide.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- ===== ROLES ===== -->
<section class="roles section bg-light" id="roles">
<div class="container">
<div class="section-intro centered">
<p class="section-label">Internship Roles</p>
<h2 class="section-heading">Find where you fit.</h2>
<p class="section-sub">ORCA offers five distinct internship positions. All roles require current UVM student status and a willingness to apply technology to real research and community problems.</p>
</div>
<div class="roles-full-grid">
<div class="role-card">
<div class="role-card-header">
<div class="role-card-icon">
<svg width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><path d="M17 21v-2a4 4 0 00-4-4H5a4 4 0 00-4 4v2"/><circle cx="9" cy="7" r="4"/><path d="M23 21v-2a4 4 0 00-3-3.87M16 3.13a4 4 0 010 7.75"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>Team Lead</h3>
</div>
<p>Guides a small intern team while contributing directly to open source development. Coordinates with project sponsors on goals and progress, researches relevant technologies, and provides technical mentorship throughout the semester.</p>
<div class="role-card-skills">
<span>Python / JS / Java</span>
<span>GitHub</span>
<span>Agile</span>
<span>Leadership</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="role-card">
<div class="role-card-header">
<div class="role-card-icon">
<svg width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><polyline points="16 18 22 12 16 6"/><polyline points="8 6 2 12 8 18"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>Software Developer</h3>
</div>
<p>Writes clean, well-documented code and contributes new features within an Agile team. Works through Git and pull requests, maintains documentation, participates in sprint planning and reviews, and debugs and optimizes shared codebases.</p>
<div class="role-card-skills">
<span>Programming languages</span>
<span>Git / GitHub</span>
<span>HTML / CSS / JS</span>
<span>Documentation</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="role-card">
<div class="role-card-header">
<div class="role-card-icon">
<svg width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/><path d="M2 12h20M12 2a15.3 15.3 0 010 20M12 2a15.3 15.3 0 000 20"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>Geospatial Analyst</h3>
</div>
<p>Creates and analyzes location-based datasets for research and community projects. Works with ArcGIS, QGIS, and Python geospatial libraries to build maps, generate metadata, and document workflows for partners and the public.</p>
<div class="role-card-skills">
<span>ArcGIS / QGIS</span>
<span>Python / R / SQL</span>
<span>GeoPandas</span>
<span>Data documentation</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="role-card">
<div class="role-card-header">
<div class="role-card-icon">
<svg width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><line x1="18" y1="20" x2="18" y2="10"/><line x1="12" y1="20" x2="12" y2="4"/><line x1="6" y1="20" x2="6" y2="14"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>Data Specialist</h3>
</div>
<p>Analyzes large datasets, identifies trends, and builds visualizations and interactive dashboards that make findings accessible to stakeholders. Documents methodologies, supports cross-functional problem-solving, and ensures data quality throughout the project lifecycle.</p>
<div class="role-card-skills">
<span>Python / R / SQL</span>
<span>Data visualization</span>
<span>Dashboards</span>
<span>Statistical analysis</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="role-card">
<div class="role-card-header">
<div class="role-card-icon">
<svg width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8"><rect x="3" y="3" width="18" height="18" rx="2"/><path d="M3 9h18M9 21V9"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>UX Design Specialist</h3>
</div>
<p>Leads user research, gathers requirements through stakeholder meetings, and designs wireframes, prototypes, and mockups from low to high fidelity. Conducts usability testing, creates design systems and style guides, and ensures accessibility standards are met throughout the build.</p>
<div class="role-card-skills">
<span>Figma / Miro</span>
<span>User research</span>
<span>Prototyping</span>
<span>Accessibility</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="roles-footer">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/ORCA/wiki/Roles" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="btn btn-primary">Full Role Descriptions →</a>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- ===== CURRENT PODS ===== -->
<section class="pods section bg-light" id="pods">
<div class="container">
<div class="section-intro">
<p class="section-label">Current Pods</p>
<h2 class="section-heading">Active teams this semester.</h2>
<p class="section-sub">Each Pod is named after a Vermont ski mountain. Four teams are currently running in parallel, each focused on a distinct problem domain.</p>
</div>
<div class="pods-grid">
<div class="pod-card">
<div class="pod-card-top">
<div class="pod-mountain">
<svg viewBox="0 0 80 40" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="pod-mountain-icon">
<path d="M0 40 L20 10 L30 22 L40 8 L55 28 L62 18 L80 40Z" fill="currentColor" opacity="0.12"/>
<path d="M0 40 L20 10 L30 22 L40 8 L55 28 L62 18 L80 40Z" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5" fill="none"/>
</svg>
</div>
<div class="pod-header">
<span class="pod-focus-tag">Prototyping & Rapid Development</span>
<h3>Sugarbush Pod</h3>
</div>
</div>
<div class="pod-projects">
<h4>Current projects</h4>
<ul>
<li>VRWA Certification App</li>
<li>City of Burlington Alert App</li>
<li>Additional rapid prototyping as needed</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="pod-members">
<h4>Members</h4>
<div class="pod-member-list">
<span>Henrik Van Tassell</span>
<span>Rustum Zia</span>
<span>Sadie Ellwood</span>
<span>Violet Vorus</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="pod-card">
<div class="pod-card-top">
<div class="pod-mountain">
<svg viewBox="0 0 80 40" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="pod-mountain-icon">
<path d="M0 40 L15 18 L25 28 L38 6 L50 24 L60 14 L80 40Z" fill="currentColor" opacity="0.12"/>
<path d="M0 40 L15 18 L25 28 L38 6 L50 24 L60 14 L80 40Z" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5" fill="none"/>
</svg>
</div>
<div class="pod-header">
<span class="pod-focus-tag">Data Science & Visualization</span>
<h3>Okemo Pod</h3>
</div>
</div>
<div class="pod-projects">
<h4>Current projects</h4>
<ul>
<li>Vermont Livability Map</li>
<li>Data analysis tooling</li>
<li>Reporting and data storage infrastructure</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="pod-members">
<h4>Members</h4>
<div class="pod-member-list">
<span class="pod-lead">Ian Sargent <em>(Lead)</em></span>
<span>Isaac Wedaman</span>
<span>Paige Dube</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="pod-card">
<div class="pod-card-top">
<div class="pod-mountain">
<svg viewBox="0 0 80 40" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="pod-mountain-icon">
<path d="M0 40 L18 22 L28 30 L42 4 L52 20 L65 10 L80 40Z" fill="currentColor" opacity="0.12"/>
<path d="M0 40 L18 22 L28 30 L42 4 L52 20 L65 10 L80 40Z" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5" fill="none"/>
</svg>
</div>
<div class="pod-header">
<span class="pod-focus-tag">Geospatial Datasets</span>
<h3>Bolton Pod</h3>
</div>
</div>
<div class="pod-projects">
<h4>Current projects</h4>
<ul>
<li>Vermont Zoning Atlas</li>
<li>Wastewater Infrastructure Map</li>
<li>Drinking Water Service Area mapping</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="pod-members">
<h4>Members</h4>
<div class="pod-member-list">
<span class="pod-lead">Gabe Christiansen <em>(Lead)</em></span>
<span>Joey Donohue</span>
<span>Louise Vaillancourt</span>
<span>Robert Jones-Perpich</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="pod-card">
<div class="pod-card-top">
<div class="pod-mountain">
<svg viewBox="0 0 80 40" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="pod-mountain-icon">
<path d="M0 40 L12 26 L22 32 L36 10 L46 22 L58 8 L70 20 L80 40Z" fill="currentColor" opacity="0.12"/>
<path d="M0 40 L12 26 L22 32 L36 10 L46 22 L58 8 L70 20 L80 40Z" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5" fill="none"/>
</svg>
</div>
<div class="pod-header">
<span class="pod-focus-tag">Software & Sustainability</span>
<h3>Killington Pod</h3>
</div>
</div>
<div class="pod-projects">
<h4>Current projects</h4>
<ul>
<li>BRIC / Endless Vermont Cup</li>
<li>Heard & Understood App (Dartmouth pilot)</li>
<li>Community engagement pathways</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="pod-members">
<h4>Members</h4>
<div class="pod-member-list">
<span class="pod-lead">Felix Walberg <em>(Lead)</em></span>
<span>Isabelle Kriz</span>
<span>Julien Chabert</span>
<span>Shade Rothkopf</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="pods-footer">
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/ORCA/wiki/Pods" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="text-link">View all Pods on the wiki →</a>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- ===== CAMPUS PHOTO DIVIDER ===== -->
<div class="photo-divider">
<img src="img/20171108_Central_Campus-18.jpg" alt="UVM Central Campus" />
<div class="photo-divider-overlay">
<blockquote>"Bridges the gap between academic research and real-world impact through open projects with social significance."</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<!-- ===== JOIN ===== -->
<section class="join section" id="join">
<div class="container join-grid">
<div class="join-text">
<p class="section-label">Join ORCA</p>
<h2 class="section-heading">Ready to build something that matters?</h2>
<p>ORCA accepts UVM undergraduate students each semester. Members can participate for course credit, as paid student employees, or as volunteers. No specific major is required — we welcome engineers, designers, communicators, and researchers.</p>
<p>Recruitment typically opens at the start of each semester. Check the VERSO website or reach out through the program office to learn about current openings.</p>
</div>
<div class="join-cards">
<a href="https://verso.w3.uvm.edu/orca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="join-card">
<div class="join-card-icon">
<svg width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5"><path d="M12 22s8-4 8-10V5l-8-3-8 3v7c0 6 8 10 8 10z"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>Program Website</h3>
<p>Learn about ORCA's mission, current projects, and how to apply.</p>
<span class="join-card-link">verso.w3.uvm.edu/orca →</span>
</a>
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/ORCA/wiki" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="join-card">
<div class="join-card-icon">
<svg width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5"><path d="M12 2L2 7l10 5 10-5-10-5zM2 17l10 5 10-5M2 12l10 5 10-5"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>ORCA Handbook</h3>
<p>Read about our policies, onboarding process, and what to expect.</p>
<span class="join-card-link">View on GitHub Wiki →</span>
</a>
<a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="join-card">
<div class="join-card-icon">
<svg width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.5"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10"/><path d="M8.56 2.75c4.37 6.03 6.02 9.42 8.03 17.72m2.54-15.38c-3.72 4.35-8.94 5.66-16.88 5.85m19.5 1.9c-3.5-.93-6.63-.82-8.94 0-2.58.92-5.01 2.86-7.44 6.32"/></svg>
</div>
<h3>GitHub Organization</h3>
<p>Browse all VERSO-UVM open source projects and contribute.</p>
<span class="join-card-link">github.com/VERSO-UVM →</span>
</a>
</div>
</div>
</section>
</main>
<!-- ===== FOOTER ===== -->
<footer class="site-footer">
<div class="container footer-grid">
<div class="footer-brand">
<span class="logo-orca">ORCA</span>
<p>Open Research Community Accelerator<br />University of Vermont</p>
<p class="footer-supported">Supported by the <a href="https://curioss.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sloan Foundation</a>, NSF, and <a href="https://curioss.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CURIOUSS</a>.</p>
</div>
<nav class="footer-nav">
<div class="footer-nav-col">
<h4>Program</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="#about">About ORCA</a></li>
<li><a href="#how-it-works">How It Works</a></li>
<li><a href="#projects">Projects</a></li>
<li><a href="#culture">Culture</a></li>
<li><a href="#join">Join</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="footer-nav-col">
<h4>Resources</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://verso.w3.uvm.edu/orca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ORCA Website</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM/ORCA/wiki" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Handbook (Wiki)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/VERSO-UVM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GitHub</a></li>
<li><a href="https://verso.w3.uvm.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VERSO</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="footer-nav-col">
<h4>Community</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Code of Conduct</a></li>
<li><a href="CONTRIBUTING.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contributing</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.11507476" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cite ORCA (DOI)</a></li>
</ul>
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