Episode 3: Stephen Jacobs on Open@RIT and the future of Open in universities

Guest Stephen Jacobs Show Notes My guest today is Stephen Jacobs, a Professor in the School of Interactive Games and Media at Rochester and the Director of Open@RIT. Find out what Open@RIT is and how Stephen got into his open source journey. We also learn how Stephen Jacobs started an Open Source Program Office at RIT, the grant that was given to him by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and more about the Critical Digital Infrastructure Program. [00:01:00] Stephen tells us what Open@RIT is and how he got into open source. [00:03:44] We learn about Stephen’s involvement in One Laptop per Child and how he got his students involved. [00:07:38] Stephen tells the story of how he went to the VP of Research at RIT and told him he wanted to start an Open Source Program Office. [00:09:45] Richard is curious to know from Stephen the scale of Open@RIT. [00:12:04] Stephen explains how an OSPO (Open Source Program Office) works on a day to day basis. [00:18:23] We find out about the students at RIT and how they own their own IP. Also, what projects are happening at RIT right now and what collaborations does Stephen have already that he thinks will blossom under this. [00:23:56] Richard wonders if Stephen thinks it’s an advantage for him being a non-research based professor and if this particular placement has helped him along with this. [00:28:49] Stephen tells us all about the grant given to him by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and he explains all about the Critical Digital Infrastructure Program with the Ford Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. [00:36:08] Find out where you can find Stephen on the internet and learn more about Open@RIT. Links Stephen Jacobs-RIT [email protected] (email) One Laptop per Child Rochester Institute of Technology Ford Foundation-Critical Digital Infrastructure Research OSPO ++ Open@RIT Election Day Hackathon at RIT Credits Produced by Richard Littauer Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree Sound Show notes by DeAnn Bahr at Peachtree Sound Special Guest: Stephen Jacobs.