Deploying and Customising KerkoApp: a successful internship project

Have you or members of your institution been looking for an easy way to present a searchable collection of resources? KerkoApp is an open-source Python-based web application that provides an easy to use, searchable and browsable interface for bibliographic records stored in the Zotero reference management system. It is being used at the University of York to present a catalogue of the research outputs of a 5-year multi-institution plasma project (TDoTP) and as a community-driven resource for collating datasets and tools for researchers focusing on the human voice (YorVoice Catalogue). The initial deployment and customisation of KerkoApp at York was the first project undertaken by our current year in industry RSE intern. It gave them the opportunity to learn aspects of a wide range of languages and technologies including virtual machines, Docker, Puppet, Python, Flask, Jinja, CSS, nginx and LLMs. They also developed their interpersonal and presentational skills through working closely with researchers on the TDoTP project and presenting the catalogue at the project's final advisory panel meeting. Poster attendees will find out more about KerkoApp and how it has been deployed and customised at York. Attendees will also learn about the experiences of an RSE intern and the benefits that employing an RSE intern brings to the intern, the RSE team and the wider institution. This project demonstrates the value and benefits of establishing RSE career pathways and promoting RSE skills development within the context of DRI.