Undergraduate Independent Work

Undergraduate independent work is a great way to gain experience in Computer Science research. It is rewarding in and of itself, and serves as excellent preparation for graduate study.

I enjoy advising undergraduates on independent projects and theses. I have advised a number of excellent students. Some of my published research papers are co-written with undergraduate advisees.

If you'd like to work with me, please take one of our AI courses first. Examples are "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence", "Interacting with Data", or "Introduction to Probabilistic Modeling." If you have background in Statistics or Applied Mathematics, that is an appropriate substitute.

I'd like my potential advisees to give some thought to what they want to work on before meeting with me for the first time. There are three steps.

1. Spend some time looking at my web-page and the web-pages of my graduate students to get a sense of the kind of research that we work on.
2. Write up a page or two of a few concrete ideas (1-2 paragraphs each).
3. Email me (and attach your ideas) and we can schedule a meeting. Your initial ideas will give us something to talk about in discussing potential projects.

Please be aware that I typically schedule meetings one week in advance. If you want to work in my group, please begin this process early.