Action Initiatives

It's been some time since we've all talked about original research in CG for undergraduates. Last year, we had a fantastic session at SIGGRAPH, where four working groups came up with the beginnings of four white papers. I hope to get some of this published and online shortly. This coming summer, at SIGGRAPH in Boston, we will again meet to begin working on plans for what we can do to foster research for UGs. I'd like to use this blog as a platform to get some ideas out early and, hopefully, to act as a springboard for our meeting, this summer. Our BOF is schedule for Monday, July 31, 10-11:30, convention center room 213.

And you're doing what?

Well, I guess it's time for me to ask what each of you is doing regarding computer graphics research for undergraduates. Do you advise undergrads in CG research? Do you work with undergrads on CG research projects? If you can answer yes to either of these questions, then what's the nature of the work? How is the wokload shared? What sort of facilities do you use? Have you and/or your undergrads sublitted/presented the work anywhere?

Lots of questions. Now it's time for you to respond.

Even Freshman Can Do Research

One of the issues many of us have struggled with is exactly what sort of preparation do undergraduates need in order to start meaningful reasearch in CG. I'd like to propose that even first year students, with essentially no background, can do research.

Why do I say this? Is it because I'd like to see students getting involved as soon as possible? Well, yes, I'd have to plead guilty to that, but I also believe that when it comes to undergraduate research, interest and motivation are as, if not more, importrant than skills and knowledge. I'd rather have a highly motoivated B student than an apathetic A student any day.

Of course, if one allows for entering students to become engaged in research, the question looms as to what sort of CG work they could do. These newbie students might (perhaps) have some programming experience, or have worked with graphics, but neither can be assumed. But, they supposedly do have an interest in CG and, one might assume, at least a layperson's understanding of the field.

So, why not capatilize on this and have the students do research into a specific technique, learning as much as they can about it, and then creating a report they can present at the end. Along the way, these students will no doubt stumble across more questions than they actually get to answer. They're not performing original work, in the sense that a new problem is being solved; rather, they're exploring the state of the art in order to create an on-going study. And, they're learning a lot about CG as well.

I suppose this all derives from my definition of the term "research". I define the trerm as any focussed exploration, whether or not it's solving a novel problem. If this is a valid definition, then it seems obvious that first year students can do CG research.

The Council on Undergraduate Research (http://www.cur.org" state that "faculty members enhance their teaching and contribution to society by remaining active in research and by involving undergraduates in research." The National Science Foundation has a program that supports Research Experiences for Undergraduates (http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/reu/start.htm). Clearly, the support is there, so why is there not a greater momentum to get first year students involved?

Bring out the comfy chair!

This past term, I've been on sabbatical, and have visited several schools in the Northeast to see what they've been up to regarding student research. I learned quite a bit, but there was one aspect of my trips, one gem I learned I'd like to pass on. That is, if you're going to engage students in research, you can benefit greatly not only from labs to do work in, but also from places to sit and talk. Let's call then Community Spaces, okay? Great!

These Community Spaces came in various forms, but for the mostr part had the following: comfortable seating, low tables and optionally boards to write on. Now, if one wants to set up a space like this in a school where only undergrads exist, then justification rears its head. Also, I'm sure that for many of you, space is always an issue, and setting aside even a little bit for a Community Space can be a battle.

Still, the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks, the struggles you might encounter. Also, they be used solely by students when doing work on their own. At WestConn, I've convinced (sort of) our chair to purchase some comfy chairs, a coffe table, and have additional boards mounted in a space where we already have aq table and chairs. I've also convinced others to stick a wireless connection in the area.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you have Community Spaces? If so, whaqt are they like? How effective are they?

What sort of computer graphics projects are appropriate for original undergraduate research?

Not all types of projects are appropriate for undergraduates, with respect to original research. Some may be too lengthy, and not doable within a semester or two, which is the amount of time most undergraduates can allot. Some may be too complex, and beyond the abilities of undergraduates. So, here's where we all get to throw in ideas for topic areas, themes, whatever, that are, to quote Littel Bear, "Just right!"

Blog away!

What makes an undergraduate student a good candidate for research?

At SIGGRAPH 2004, we held a BOF on Computer Graphics Research for Undergraduates, at which we worked on a series of White Papers. (You can contribute to these White Papers at http://cs.wcsu.edu/phpwiki?CGResearch)

The question this posting asks is: What are the attributes, the qualities, the skills an undergraduate student needs to have before undertaking original research? Hopefully you'll come up with a good list of attributes, which we can add to the White Papers.

Blog away!