2023: Growth and Institutionalization

VERSO’s second year marked significant expansion of its reach, deepened research contributions, and strengthened partnerships both within UVM and across national and international communities. Building on the foundation established in 2022, 2023 demonstrated the office’s growing maturity and influence. This year demonstrated the office’s capacity to scale operations, establish itself as a thought leader in academic open-source practices, and build a sustainable model for student engagement and research collaboration.

2023 marked significant expansion in research output. The Penumbra of Open-Source, exploring longevity and collaboration in decentralized open-source projects, was published in EPJ Data Science. Concurrently, The OCEAN Mailing List Dataset was released on arXiv, presenting comprehensive network analysis across mailing lists and code repositories. These publications established VERSO as a contributor to scholarly understanding of open-source ecosystems.

Spring 2023

Spring 2023 established VERSO as a visible contributor to national conversations on academic open-source practices. Kendall Fortney presented at the Vermont Council on World Affairs on international innovation and entrepreneurship (January 31), and again on cybersecurity across sectors (April 5). The organization also participated in the CNI Annual Meeting (April 3-4, Denver), where Kendall Fortney discussed “Early Lessons from Open Source Program Offices,” contributing to a broader dialogue among academic and research institutions.

VERSO expanded its educational outreach with guest lectures at Champlain College (January 30), multiple UVM courses including Narrative Data Design (February 22), Advanced Programming (March 20-21), and Data Science 1 (April 20), deepening engagement with diverse academic departments and student populations.

Summer 2023

Summer 2023 positioned VERSO as a key voice in international and national open-source conversations. John Meluso delivered a keynote address at the Open Source Festival 2023 + Sustain (June 15-17, Lagos, Nigeria) on “Building Thriving Communities: Learning Through Research With African Open Source Communities,” co-presented with Tamutswa Mahari. VERSO served as a sponsor of this important event, demonstrating commitment to global open-source communities.

Kendall Fortney participated in the United Nations OSPOS for Good panel (June 21, New York City) on “Cooperating OSPOs – Across Society,” and contributed to the Earth Science Information Partnership Annual Meeting (July 18-21, Burlington) discussing expansion of the open-source geospatial analytics ecosystem. A collaborative virtual event with Code for BTV and the Burlington Data Scientist Meetup focused on Open Street Mapping and Vermont flooding (July 11). In August, VERSO partnered with Bluehouse Group on a UX design sprint exploring medical app user experience (August 15).

Fall 2023

Fall 2023 intensified VERSO’s educational and community engagement efforts across multiple domains. Guest lectures continued at UVM with Design Innovation (September 19), Advanced Programming (October 24), and Creativity and Innovation (October 26), while a graduate seminar on research methods (October 2) brought senior researchers into dialogue with VERSO’s mission.

VERSO expanded beyond campus with targeted community initiatives. An “Open Source Connector” event (September 27) brought David Kopec from Champlain College to discuss open-source license fundamentals. A collaborative UX/UI Design Jam with the City of Burlington (October 11) engaged students and faculty in improving the Burlington Open Data Portal. The Interdisciplinary Open Practices Workshop (October 27-28) bridged disciplinary gaps on openness practices, bringing together faculty and students from across UVM.

Year Two Summary

2023 demonstrated VERSO’s transformation from a fledgling startup to an established contributor to academic open-source discourse. The organization doubled down on research with two significant publications contributing to scholarly understanding of open-source ecosystems, while expanding its international profile through keynotes at major conferences in Nigeria and New York. Staff restructuring strengthened the research component, positioning VERSO to balance community engagement with rigorous scholarship. Educational engagement deepened dramatically, with guest lectures across multiple UVM departments and collaborative community initiatives including design jams and interdisciplinary workshops.

By year’s end, VERSO had established itself as a bridge between UVM and broader academic and international open-source communities, demonstrated by its sponsorship of global events and leadership roles in national forums. The organization moved beyond internal pilot projects toward systemic engagement with Vermont agencies, nonprofits, and the broader research community. Student engagement reached new heights with ORCA participants logging 338 hours on real open-source work and 60% retention rate, validating VERSO’s educational model. These metrics, detailed in the impact measurement section, demonstrated the tangible value of the program. With four active repositories and expanding partnerships, VERSO completed its second year positioned for sustainable growth and deeper institutional integration, setting the stage for the expansion and repositioning that followed in 2024.