Your class project offers an opportunity to apply probabilistic graphical models (PGMs) and modern probabilistic AI techniques to real-world problems. Projects will be completed in teams of 2-4 students and are worth 30% of your final grade, consisting of the following deliverables:

  1. Proposal (5%): 2 pages, excluding references.
  2. Midway Report (5%): 4 pages, excluding references.
  3. Presentation (5%): In-class presentation.
  4. Final Report (15%): 8 pages, excluding references.

All submissions must adhere to the ICML style template.

Team Formation

Teams of 2-4 students are strongly encouraged. Once your team is formed, email the instructor with the names of all members. If assistance is needed, contact the instructor to help find project partners.

Deliverables and Deadlines

Proposal

Due: Friday, February 21, 2025, at 11:59 PM via Canvas.

  • Content:
    • Project title and team member list.
    • Problem statement and motivation (½ page).
    • Literature review of at least four relevant papers (~1 page).
    • Description of dataset(s) and planned activities.
  • Grading:
    • 40%: Clear and concise description of the project.
    • 40%: Quality of literature survey.
    • 10%: Feasibility and detail of activity plan.
    • 10%: Writing quality.

Midway Report

Due: Friday, April 4, 2025, at 11:59 PM via Canvas.

  • Content:
    • Conference-style format (5 pages).
    • Sections: Introduction, Related Work, Methods, Experiments, and Conclusions.
  • Grading:
    • 20%: Introduction and literature review.
    • 40%: Description and progress of methods.
    • 20%: Experimental design and updated activity plan.
    • 10%: Preliminary results.
    • 10%: Writing quality.

Final Report

Due: Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 11:59 PM via Canvas.

  • Content:
    • ICML-style paper (8 pages).
    • Sections: Introduction, Background & Related Work, Methods, Experiments, and Conclusions.
  • Grading:
    • 10%: Problem definition and literature review.
    • 30%: Methodology (soundness and originality).
    • 30%: Experiments and results.
    • 10%: Analysis and discussion.
    • 20%: Writing quality.

In-Class Presentation

Date: Tuesday and Thursday, April 29 and May 1, 2025.

  • Format: Each team will deliver a 10-minute presentation in class, summarizing their project. Presentations will include a brief introduction, methods overview, key findings, and future directions.

  • Grading:

    • 30%: Clarity and engagement of presentation.
    • 40%: Depth and quality of content.
    • 30%: Use of visuals and adherence to time limits.

Suggested Project Topics

TBA