51 BITS Pilani students selected for the Google Summer of Code this year

BANGALORE, INDIA: Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani has announced that 51 BITS students have been selected for the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) this year.

The Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is an annual program where Google awards a stipend of USD 5,500 each to all students who successfully complete a requested free and open-source software coding project during the summer. The 'Google' tag attracts tremendous participation from students across the globe. High competition coupled with a rigorous selection process makes being part of GSoC very prestigious at the college level.

Manoj Kumar, a student who has been selected for GSoC for the second time, said, "It is not only about the technical knowledge but also about the time you are willing to dedicate to your project. It shouldn't be about the money. It should be about the interest to learn and apply coding in the real world. " His advice for his juniors is to be open and to work hard as he considers these attributes to be primary prerequisites for success besides knowledge in coding.

The Google Summer of Code is a program that gives students all over the world an opportunity to write code for open source projects, and also earn a significant stipend for being part of the program. All students who successfully complete a requested coding project for their mentor organisation over the summer receive stipends from Google. The program is open to students aged 18 or over.