Twenty Four Students Sign Up for Calico 2016

Santa Clara, CA: March 26, 2016 — The Palisadoes Foundation, with the Jamaica Diaspora Technology Task Force, announce the initial application statistics for the 2016 Calico Challenge.

Applications closed on March 25 after a sustained campus education campaign by the UWI Computing Society and the UTech IEEE Student Branch student clubs. Activities included promotions on the Palisadoes Foundation’s Facebook and Twitter accounts,  email campaigns to the computer science student bodies at both universities, and weekly education sessions held as part of the student clubs days.

The interest in all three Calico Challenge projects was strong:

  • Harvest API: 3 Students.
  • Material-UI: 8 Students
  • Infoset: 13 Students

Student applicants ranged from high schools to university. All undergraduate years of tertiary education were represented from UWI and UTech.

“The level of interest really exceeded our expectations from the beginning. The Calico launch in February attracted over 120 students which has resulted in us receiving 24 applications. Of that number, 5 were from women in technology,” remarked Peter Harrison, President of The Palisadoes Foundation. “We hope to see similarly strong numbers of applicants for the Google Summer of Code, for which Calico is a stepping stone. This is very encouraging.”

Over the next week students will work with their mentors to clarify the scope of their proposed summer projects and will submit their formal proposals on April 1, for review by the Acceptance Committee.

Details on each project can be found at: http://calico.palisadoes.org/

 

About the Calico Challenge

The Calico Challenge is a partnership between The Palisadoes Foundation and the Jamaica Diaspora Technology Task Force. It is a summer work study program for computer science students in Jamaica. Each selected student works on enhancing open source software used internationally under the guidance of a Diaspora mentor. Calico is also a feeder program for the similar Google Summer of Code.

 

About the Palisadoes Foundation

The Palisadoes Foundation aims to provide new avenues to promote Jamaica’s technology businesses and talent using a series of programs aimed at creating increased awareness of the island’s abilities in the global marketplace.

 

About the Jamaica Diaspora Technology Task Force

The Jamaica Diaspora Technology Task Force is a group of expatriate Jamaicans interested in assisting in the continued development of new and existing technologies in Jamaica. It is a member of the Jamaica Diaspora Movement.

Jamaicans Replicating Google’s Summer of Code

The Palisadoes Foundation was featured in the Jamaica Observer today in an article titled “Jamaicans replicating Google’s Summer of Code“. You can download the PDF version here.

Here are some key observations from our student organizers in Jamaica.

“The programme has mentorships and workshops and it was right up UTech’s alley because at the time that was what we were working on. The expansion, however, has widened the horizon of what we can offer to students,” Chairman of UTech IEEE Student Branch, Jordan Jones.

 

“We were searching for a project that aligns with our vision and one that would make an impact on a cross section of students and not just members of the club”, Shane Richards, president of the UWI, Mona Computing Society, “we are eager to show others that a project like this can be successfully completed by students and it is not as difficult as it appears to be.”

About the Palisadoes Initiative

The Palisadoes initiative aims to provide new avenues to promote Jamaica’s technology businesses and talent using a series of programs aimed at creating increased awareness of the island’s abilities in the global marketplace.

Project Calico Announces Software Projects for 2016

Santa Clara, CA: The Palisadoes Foundation announces the initial software projects for Calico 2016.

Calico is an initiative to foster active software development among Jamaicans by sponsoring summer scholarship internships where students can contribute to a variety of open source software projects.

Detailed information on Calico’s entry requirements can be found on the Calico FAQ page at http://www.palisadoes.org/calico. Technical details of the approved projects can be found at
http://calico.palisadoes.org

The Palisadoes Foundation is proud of this accomplishment and encourages readers to both sponsor our students and encourage students to participate.

About the Palisadoes Foundation

The Palisadoes Foundation aims to provide new avenues to promote Jamaica’s technology businesses and talent using a series of programs aimed at creating increased awareness of the island’s abilities in the global marketplace.