Final Project
As part of the class requirements, you will work on a final project. There are two types of projects:
Summary: This project consists of reading a paper and writing a report that summarizes the contribution and main ideas in the paper. This is an opportunity to learn about cutting-edge results in the field and to explore topics of your choice in depth. The project is not limited to reading exactly one paper: You may pick only certain parts of a paper to present, and you may also read and synthesize more than one paper (in particular, you may need more resources for background reading). We expect most students to pick this type of project.
A good report is one that shows that you have understood in depth the main ideas and techniques employed in the paper. However, you should keep in mind the big picture: Make sure to present the problem that the paper is trying to solve, explain the motivation behind the problem, and where the paper fits with respect to related work. When presenting proofs, statements should be mathematically correct and accurate, but it is preferred to give sketches that focus on high-level ideas and not on technical details. The level of exposition should be suitable for a graduate student who is taking this class.
The following questions may guide you in writing the report (yet you are not limited to answering all of them or just them):
- What is the problem that this paper addresses?
- Why is it interesting and what are the previous attempts?
- What are the main results of the paper?
- What are the new ideas in the paper and how are they motivated?
- What are the main steps of the proof?
- What are the limitations (if any) of the proof technique?
Research: This project consists of working on a research problem related to the material in this class. You do not need to solve the problem or to succeed in proving results, but we do expect to see reasonable effort. The report should include an exposition of the problem and its motivation and a summary of what you tried: why you tried each approach and what it had yielded (or not). This type of project works well for students who are interested in doing research in this field beyond the scope of this project.
You may work on the project in pairs, and this is especially encouraged if you are choosing to work on a research project. The length of the final report is expected to be 5-10 pages (yet we will be flexible as long as the length is reasonable and the project adheres to the spirit of these guidelines). Try to take this project as opportunity to practice good writing.
The project consists of the following milestones:
Project proposal: A short description (1-2 paragraphs) of the topic that you choose to work on. For a summary, it can be a description of a problem and which results you are planning to present. For research, it can include the problem you are planning to work on, and potentially the first research direction you are planning to try. Due date: Monday, October 29 at 11:59 PM.
Project checkpoint: A draft of 50% of the final report (mostly the introduction). The goal here is to give you feedback on the progress so far and make sure you are on the right track. Due date: Wednesday, November 28 at 11:59 PM.
In-class presentation: The last meeting of class (Thursday, December 6) will be devoted to project presentations. For more details, see the Piazza post.
The final report is due Thursday, December 13 at 11:59 PM.
All can be submitted via Gradescope or by email to the TA.
List of Suggested Papers
We created a list of suggestions for papers you may pick for the project. The list will be updated over time (also indicating papers that have already been claimed by other students). You are not limited to this list and are encouraged to look up more papers that match your interests.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HI95SAU6w3dt1mIBh2XkABCYvmPg3eaTJvFUrzpCOyo/edit?usp=sharing