6.885: Geometric Folding Algorithms: Linkages, Origami, Polyhedra (Fall 2007)

Prof. Erik Demaine       TA: Nadia Benbernou

Project

1. A paper describing what you did.

   This should be a well-written document describing the problem you tackled (be it an implementation, mathematical, or artistic challenge), what approaches you took, what difficulties you encountered, and what results you found, in addition to citing the relevant literature.
   Aim for on the order of 10 pages, say in the range 5–20 pages.

2. A presentation describing what you did (or how far you've gotten at the time of presentation).

   For slides, I will assume that you will be using a data projector (showing PDF, PostScript, PowerPoint, or your own programs). You should ideally send me the files ahead of time for use on my laptop (and send a draft early for testing), but you can use your own laptop if necessary. If you need other technology, let me know. Pure blackboard presentations are discouraged except for the experienced.
   The exact length is to be determined, but the presentations will be during normal lecture time.

3. If your project involves writing software, then you should submit the source code. If your project involves a physical object, you should show it during your presentation.

1. Implement an algorithm, an illustration of a result, or a tool for experimenting with a problem.
   Typically, a good format for such an implementation is a web applet (written in Java or Jython or JavaScript), but other environments are fine too.

2. Design and create a sculpture that uses ideas from this class.
   Such a sculpture should be both artistically compelling and technically grounded (though the latter need not be explicitly visible). The sculpture can be physical or virtual, though in the latter case the standards will be higher because of the reduced challenge. (One way to compensate is to make several virtual sculptures, e.g., connected in a theme.) Sculpture is to be loosely interpreted, e.g., you could make several aesthetic models illustrating a particular algorithm like folding and one straight cut.

3. Pose an open problem (or collection of related open problems).
   You might pose open problems related to another field of research with which you are familiar, or pose something that comes to you out of the lectures. Ideally you should think about solving the problem, or how it relates to other problems.

4. Survey a collection of 2 or 3 or more related papers.
   Ideally you should avoid overlap with the textbook, Geometric Folding Algorithms: Linkages, Origami, Polyhedra.

5. Try to solve an open problem.
   This is the most ambitious kind of project, so the expectations in terms of results are correspondingly lower. What is important is to describe a clear problem, take (at least) one good approach to that problem, and describe to what extent it worked or did not work. You should not feel pressure in terms of grades to produce results, but you should spend time thinking and trying to solve the problem. (In particular, if you succeed, you/we can write a research paper and try to publish it.) Collaboration is particularly encouraged for projects of this type, as is participation in the open-problem solving session.

No matter what you choose, project proposals must be approved by me. You should do this as soon as possible, and no later than Wednesday, October 31, 2007.

Deadline

By MIT policy, the paper is due on the last regularly scheduled lecture of this class, Wednesday, December 12, 2007. The presentation is due somewhat earlier depending on when it gets scheduled into a lecture slot; if your presentation is earlier, you are expected to have made less progress, but you should still give a clear description of the problem you are tackling and what you plan to do.

Collaboration

In any case, you should tell me who you are working with as the collaborations arise (i.e., before you turn in your project paper). Collaborations should also be clearly marked on the paper and presentation slides.