[Bf-committers] Google SOC 2006

[Tom M]

> As somebody who had to go through about 150 proposals, mostly
> cut and paste from the suggested projects page, I still suggest
> not having such a page this year. Many other .org's felt the
> same way.

Yikes, didn't realize it was 150 applicants last year.

> The rest of your post seems like a lot of effort to spoonfeed
> stuff that the students should have the aptitude to find out
> themselves.

Well it was more intended to accomplish two tasks

1) make sure they aren't doing proposals for stuff that we already
have done or that is on other peoples definite todo lists for after
2.42

2) give the individuals some idea of what they are getting into so we
can weed out those who are unsuited more easily.

>Considering the number of applicants, I think it's better to raise
the bar of entry higher than this. If you give links to code, papers,
etc., they will just cut and paste it into proposals, and we will not
be able to tell if these people have any abilities to research this
stuff themselves.

That is a a good point.  Something noted in the FAQ is that
prospective SOCers can contact the foundations prior to acceptance
(assuming the organization doesn't object).

[QUOTE]16. Should I contact the mentoring organization directly at any
point prior to my application being accepted?
That depends on which mentoring organization youd like to work with;
you can contact the organization directly via the contacts listed on
their website to see if they have the resources to start an early
dialogue with you. [/QUOTE]

perhaps we can put out an annoucement that it would be appreciated to
have applicants show up at an IRC Sunday meeting prior to decisions? 
Also perhaps it would be good to check on the various lists to ensure
that a proposal doesn't duplicate existing/planned work.

LetterRip