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Sam S

- Research Program Mentor

PhD at Brown University

Expertise

Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Theoretical Computer Science, Mathematics, Game Design, and Procedurally-Generated Content.

Bio

Hi! I'm (S)am. I'm an artificial intelligence researcher who's working to make great education more scale-able using technology. My PhD research was in using machine learning to make educational assessments (tests, quizzes) shorter and more accurate. I now run a startup that applies machine learning to educational data. I love teaching, and I also love everything nerdy. I like making video games, writing raps, reading science fiction, and doing science! Mentoring research projects is something I really enjoy, because it lets me work with amazing people on fascinating ideas.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Machine Learning - "For Science!"

In this project you will learn about the fundamentals of machine learning (including techniques like Deep Learning) by analyzing a dataset of your choice. You will write a scientific paper in the style of a major AI conference where you apply existing machine learning algorithms to this dataset, and possibly invent your own!

Make Your Own Website

In this project, you will learn the fundamentals of web development by creating your own website. You will deploy this website to the world wide web, and create several different pages with content of your choice. Will you make a professional page with your resume and bio? A site with games for your friends? Maybe a blog or collection of articles?

Making Machines Make Art - Procedurally Generated Content

Computers and people can cooperate to make infinite varieties of creative content. In this project, you will learn how to create infinite images, music, video game levels, 3d objects, or text using techniques like neural style transfer, genetic algorithms, rejection sampling, Perlin noise, or Voronoi tessellation. You will create a functioning content generator that can be showcased on a website or at a research conference.

Coding skills

Python (Pytorch, Sci-kit Learn), JavaScript/Typescript (React, Angular, Ionic), Java, Ruby, C++, Mathematica, Matlab, Lisp, Visual Basic, Racket.

Teaching experience

I have mentored more than a dozen students on research projects, taught high school classes, and lectured at Brown University. My teaching experience covers computer science, mathematics, machine learning, and game design. I also advised the production of more than a dozen music videos covering machine learning topics. My wife and I co-lead a teen leadership group in Providence, so I have lots of experience with High School students outside of school as well.

Credentials

Work experience

Edapt Technologies (2021 - Current)
Founder and CEO

Education

University of Kentucky
BS Bachelor of Science (2016)
Computer Science, Mathematics
Brown University
MS Master of Science (2018)
Computer Science
Brown University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2021)
Computer Science

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