Example Domains and Projects
Besides the formal student teaching and advising I do with my RISD, Brown, and the University of Washington responsibilities,
I also advise talented international students through a wonderful program called Tuding International and other contact points.
Tuding has provided a series of high performing students from China and India who have shown themselves to be tremendous
collaborators on research, code, and creative content generation. This page highlights those students and the work we've worked on
together — to inspire students and other mentoring sessions in which I might find myself involved:
Autumn 2024. A high school senior interested in theater seat optimization
We discussed and visualized results from a mathematical framework to support theater seat placement and seating preference evaluation, supported by a Python notebook and an academic paper submitted for grading as a requirement of her high school program.
Summer 2024. A local Iranian-American student's interest in facial recognition enhancements.
We negotiated a series of summer-long activities around the theme of investigating computer science while creating facial recognition supporting analyses.
Summer 2024. An Chinese student's interest in online 3-D games.
We developed a level for a 3-D escape game. Players have to avoid obstacles and flying debris and escape from a room before their health runs out.
Summer 2024. An Indian student's interest in hydrology modeling and irrigation.
We developed a Python notebook that adapted a previous student's hydrology model (in a forest study area) so as to be appropriate for an agricultural study area. The student added canals and hydrology logic for two-crop water use.
Autumn 2023. An Indian student's interest in creating 3-D web games.
We developed a web game that begins with a flat 2-D game level and then continues with a second 3-D level that uses the three.js JavaScript library. The cloud engine we developed is already reused in another game project.
Summer 2023. A high school student's interest in understanding different database management systems.
We developed various Python notebooks that provided database management services to compare data loading, management, processing, and analysis with different types of database engines and various real estate-based data sources.
Summer 2023. A Indian-American student's interest in creating an asteroid orbiting simulator.
We developed a web app, based on relevant physical formulas and the three.js JavaScript library.
The resultant sumulation is online.
Winter 2023. A Chinese student's interest in modeling a ski resort's operations.
We developed a Python notebook to model snowpack levels and characteristics, based on relevant physical data. Other notebooks include a snowmaking cost model, and a resort skier population use model.
We made sure we stayed pure to proper programming techniques, and best statistical visualization practices.
Autumn 2022. An Indian student's interest in object-oriented video game design.
We developed a platformer game by integrating various Python and Pygame tutorials into the student's vision of a mult-level game of interest.
We made sure we stayed pure to proper object-oriented programming techniques, and best art practices for a level-based game.
Autumn 2022. A Chinese student's interest in scanning Twitter feeds for stock advice.
We developed a Python notebook and website for parsing and evaluating Twitter feeds to find positive or negative news on stocks with machine learning methods. We then created an artificial portfolio to evaluate how investing based on the AI might perform.
Summer 2022. A Chinese student's interest in World War II aerial bombing analytics.
We developed a Python notebook and website for animating the cumulative effect of axis and allied aerial bombing missions during July 1944. The approach is easily extended to other months during the war.
Summer 2022. An Indian student's interest in good storytelling.
We developed a Python notebook to investigate popular stories so as to describe good beginning, middle, and ending techniques. The notebook aimed to predict whether a sentence from a story belonged to the beginning, middle, or end of the story.
Summer 2022. An Indian student's interest in counting faces in images.
We developed a Python notebook to use artificial intelligence machine learning and computer vision methods so as to compare their effectiveness at accurately counting faces in images. We developed image generators and then used online image data sets to compare results.
Summer 2022. An Indian student's interest in pollution analysis.
We developed a Python notebook to consider a geospatial analysis of air quality and water quality of 3943 cities around the world where pollution is being monitored closely, and then looked at correlations of air and water after creating a crude model of pollution transport with wind.
Winter 2022. A Chinese student's interest in environmental modeling.
We developed a Python notebook to model the water quality and quantity of the Huang Po river in Shanghai and then compared results of various
scenarios, including changes to forest and grassland cover through an interactive user tool and various computer algorithms.
Autumn 2021. An Indian student's interest in predictive chess for learning purposes.
We developed a Python notebook to support a comparison of various artificial intelligence approaches to predicting the winner
or loser of a chess match based on the first ten moves and the player's past success level (compute iteration v. percentage of correct prediction). We had modest success in
developing a predictive model, but gained great insight into the nature of chess openings through the study.
Summer 2021. A Chinese student's interest in creating web games
led us to build the foundation for a 3-D interactive math teaching web game using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (the three.js library in particular):
Spring 2021. An Indian student's interest in improving crop yields and health for agricultural in India
led to the creation of a Python notebook for various artificial intelligence support algorithms regarding
crop planting choices, response to environmental conditions advice, and predicting pepper plant health from leaf imagery:
Winter 2021. A Chinese student's interest in interactive web games
led us to the implementation of a platformer shooter game with proper techniques for HTML, CSS, and
JavaScript levels in the game's development:
Autumn 2020. A Chinese student's interest in interactive physics
led us to the implementation of an interactive physics visualization engine in JavaScript as a NPM module
that could be integrated with 3-D scene graphs:
Spring 2020. An Indian student's interest in brain computing interfaces
led us to develop a Python notebook to investigate EEG data streams to look for patterns that could be used
to drive software. The work evolved many data manipulation, analysis, and visualization techniques:
Summer 2020. An Indian student's interest in air traffic control
led us to the implementation of an air traffic control visualization engine in JavaScript with NPM modules
for flights and flight portfolio visualization:
Summer 2020. An Indian student's interest in climate visualization
led us to the implementation of a Python notebook investigating a portfolio of weather and climate data
manipulation, analysis, and visualization techniques:
Summer 2019. A Chinese summer student intern's interest in open source space visualization
led us to work with the Open Space visualization engine to
integrate COVE visualization features on planetary bodies.
Academic Year 2009-10. A Vietnamese student who delivered an honors thesis in his high school program.
