Rep. Panetta Announces $900,000 Federal Grant for Open-Sourced Software Research at UCSC

SALINAS, CA – Today, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) announced a $900,000 National Science Foundation grant to the University of California, Santa Cruz Center for Research in Open Source Software (CROSS) and Adjunct Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Carlos Maltzahn. Professor Maltzahn and his colleagues will conduct research on the reproducibility of computer software, seeking to better comprehend and bolster the "market of reproducibility."

"Based on the unique and commendable research done at UCSC, I'm proud that the federal government continues to reward their work," said Rep. Jimmy Panetta. "This deserved grant will support UCSC in their open sources technology research and allow them to continue their work in this cutting-edge field. Securing federal resources for institutions that are exploring state-of-the-art technologies and innovations is how we can stay competitive as a country in the global economy."

"There's a huge shift going on," said Maltzahn, Director of UCSC CROSS. "I think it has to do with the realization of how much value the industry places on open source, and that open science and networks of expertise have to be more inclusive and involve stakeholders across academia, industry, government and open source communities. That becomes especially important when you talk about revitalizing U.S. high tech manufacturing."

UCSC's role in this project will be to convene a world-wide program in 2023 called the "Summer of Reproducibility," following the model of CROSS's Open-Source Research Experience program, which matches students with mentors working on open source projects. This will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the experiments they have repeated as compared to just reading about them and allow the mentors to better understand what is needed in order for their work to be truly reproducible.

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