ComS 573: Machine Learning
Department of Computer Science
Iowa State University
Spring 2008

Term Project

Students enrolled in Com S 573 are required to complete a research or design project in AI on a topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor. A written report on the project and an oral presentation is expected at the end of the semester. You may choose to work individually or in small groups (consisting of 2-3 members each) on the project. If you choose to work in a group, there
has to be a clear understanding of each group member's contributions to the project.

An ideal project should be one that demonstrates some creativity, attempts to answer some interesting research questions, or offers an interesting machine learning solution to a problem of practical
interest. If your background is in another discipline (e.g., engineering, biological sciences, business, etc.) you are encouraged to pick a topic that would allow you to explore the application of machine learning to solve a problem of interest in your area of expertise.

Timeline

• By April 7, submit to the instructor and TA your project topic, an outline of what you want to accomplish during your project and how you will do it. If your project is a group project, submit your group members and a description of what each group member is doing.
• By April 21, set up project webpage skeleton (page should include your info/group members info and tasks assignment, project description, bibliography, source code, results, data, report, etc.). Send to the instructor and TA the link to your project webpage.
• The week of April 28 - May 2, oral presentations in class, to be scheduled.
• May 2, 5pm, project due. Submit to TA your source code, data, and the final report, as well as make them available at the project website.

Instructions for Preparing the Term Paper / Project Report

The term paper will be graded on the basis of originality, technical soundness, organization, clarity of presentation, grammar and style, adequacy of the bibliography, as well as the significance of the results. It should be presented as a technical paper and will be evaluated as though it is being refereed for presentation at a conference. You are encouraged to look at papers published in one of the major national or international conferences (e.g., AAAI, ICML) as a model for your term paper. You are encouraged to use AAAI's latex macros or word templates.