Global blockchain university program launches

August 14, 2020 John Blockchain 0

The Oasis University Program is partnering with blockchain infrastructure providers to provide real-world experience to students.

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Several global universities and blockchain infrastructure providers have joined forces to launch the Oasis University Program, which is aimed at giving students firsthand experience with the development of decentralized technologies like blockchain.

The program will offer student blockchain clubs and departments at several universities access to blockchain teams and blockchain infrastructure providers, according to the Oasis Foundation, an organization focused on building a responsible data economy and the Oasis Network, a scalable, privacy-first blockchain.

The program has over 25 founding members and is the largest to launch on a blockchain network, according to the Oasis Foundation. Its mission is to bring together a broad community of people passionate about data privacy and distributed networks. 

As active members of the Oasis ecosystem, university members build apps, run validators, and engage in governance on the Oasis Network, the foundation said. The program also provides technical support, tutorials for student participants, and provides them with direct access to events focused on responsible data like the ongoing Responsible Data Summit.

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“With many universities actively engaged in the Oasis Network development today, the University Program has proven a great way for university clubs and departments to be involved in building a responsible data economy and the Oasis Network that supports it,” said Jernej Kos, a software engineer at The Oasis Foundation, in a statement. 

“In addition to participating in the network, universities will have the opportunity to foster the growth of a broad and substantive ecosystem focused on building a responsible data economy,” Kos said.

University teams will run local events and take part in tutorials focused on emerging technologies including secure computing, distributed systems, and machine learning, as well as engaging in the long-term planning of the network, Kos said.

Participants in the Oasis University Program will be provided with resources and direct support as they create decentralized applications (dApps), run validators, and participate in Oasis Network governance. 

“Through the university program, we’ve been a part of the Oasis Network since its earliest testnet,” said Liam DiGregorio, co-president of the Blockchain at Berkeley organization at the University of California at Berkeley.  “It’s been a great way for our team to learn more about the network and confidential compute technology more broadly.”

To connect universities with other members and experts within the Oasis Network ecosystem, the Oasis Foundation has partnered with infrastructure and community partners including Bison Trails to work with the universities to provide technical and staking support. For example, Bison Trails will work directly with many universities and also assist the community in reviewing technical details of the Oasis Network architecture.

“Supporting university blockchain clubs and computer science departments as they engage with the Oasis Network aligns with our mission to democratize access to blockchain technology,” said Aaron Henshaw, CTO and co-founder of Bison Trails.

Program members

The university program members come from top computer science programs and clubs from around the world, according to the foundation, and include:

  •  University of Aberdeen AI and Crypto Club

  • Australian National University (ANU) Blockchain Club

  • Blockchain at Berkeley

  • Cambridge University Blockchain Society

  • University of Cape Town Cryptocurrencies Club

  • Cornell Blockchain

  • Digital Currency Initiative at MIT

  • University of Edinburgh Fintech Society

  • Frankfurt School Blockchain Center, Geothe University of Frankfurt

  • Imperial College Blockchain-Crypto Technologies Society

  • King’s College London (KCL) Blockchain Society

  • London School of Economics (LSE) Blockchain Society

  • London Blockchain Labs/UCL Blockchain Society

  • University of Lausanne Blockchain Society

  • University of Leeds Blockchain Society

  • Centre for Distributed Ledger Technologies, University of Malta

  • McGill University Blockchain Club

  • Oxford University Blockchain Society

  • University of San Francisco Department of Computer Science

  • University of Technology Sydney Fintech Club 

  • University of Sydney (UYSD) Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Society

  • Student Association of Digital Finance, Tsinghua University

  • University of Washington Blockchain Club

Support from infrastructure and community partners includes Bison Trails, Blockdaemon, En[code] Club, and Simply VC, which will work with the universities to provide technical and staking support as needed, the foundation said. 

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