Advice

The idea is to recommend that we do a paper planning exercise early (rather than later) to map out the path to a paper. The idea is to use a “pre-paper talk” to force us to write down the plan in enough detail, to have a plan in written form for discussion, and to use an informal talk as a way to iterate on the plan.

If you are currently an undergraduate and interested in getting involved in a project, please read this. A lot of students seem to be interested in doing “research” these days, and I’d like to set the expectations correctly.

Short version: (1) understand research vs. projects; (2) don’t do research / directed study until you’ve done the requisite coursework; (3) I will say no if you are not a Wisconsin student; (4) consider things to build your portfolio on your own.

There’s also the general question of “I am interested in the topics you are interested in, how do I learn more about them”. If you’re interested in graphics, robotics, or data vis there is some on that here too.

I have written some advice on how to give a talk - that is the basis for a lecture in my grad classes.

This is advice for undergraduates who are thinking about going to graduate school. There is specific advice for students who are applying to Wisconsin, and even more specifically, might like to work with me.

Making a final writeup for your directed study project (or summer intern project, or honors thesis project, or …) is important. Reflecting on what you’ve done is an important part of the learning process.