https://csresearch101.netlify.app/

Shashank

https://shashank-srikant.github.io/

Neeldhara

https://neeldhara.com/

October 31, 2022 to November 5, 2022

CS Research 101

Modules 1, 2:

We've appreciated the importance of research; started assessing fit. Importance of courses.

Module 3:

Began understanding what value system + skill-set will benefit even before starting any research

- Learn to take initiative

- Focus on building a portfolio

- Manage your coursework. Make time for research

- Loneliness, impostor syndrome

Where are we in our journey?

Maintaining portfolio. Effective ways to actually improve technical writing and communication through issues, stack overflow posts!

How to do research, how patient you need to be, qualities that be attained by a researcher

how to cold email more effectively to professors

your recap

TECH skills

https://csresearch101.netlify.app/m3.html#other-skills

Linux-like environments

Git, version control

Literature search

Meeting notes

Calendars

Latex **

Graphics software **

Reading papers **

impostor syndrome

Happens to everyone

Learn to recognize and acknowledge it

Counseling, therapy: make sure you have a support system that encourages you

do your homework

Start with a few problems

do your homework

Prototype

Find out who's doing what

prototype

Don't be tempted to just "ideate".

You likely do not know enough.

Pick up a concrete task:

install and run a package, replicate results from a paper, attempt to write out a proof that's already been described in a paper, etc

prototype

You gain knowledge in your specific topic

find out who's doing what

Use this knowledge to find out who's doing what

Everything everyone does will seem interesting and "fascinating". Concretize.

CS Rankings

find out who's doing what

You will learn some new topic or extension

Your topics of interest could "randomly" originate from this exercise

Move to prototype

find out who's doing what

This is a hard thing to do.

Be patient and persistent: constantly evaluate whether you’ve understand things well enough

find out who's doing what

Actions matter, not ideas

find out who's doing what

Once you have worked some non-trivial amount, consider reaching out to a prof with something thoughtful

find out who's doing what

Hi Sir,

I am XYZ, a software engineer in ABC, EFG. I am interested in secure computing and privacy. I have gone through some of your works and I find one on methods of porting software application to secure enclave exciting. I am experimenting with gramine framework (one of the methods explored in your work), to port some basic application to Intel SGX enclaves and make it work with IUDX Authorization (AAA) server. As part of my core job, I mainly do Devops and now doing work in Cloud Security.

I would like to do research project in collaboration with you through ABC on secure computing, especially understand, explore your in-house Porpoise framework to achieve secure enclaves for applications.

Please find my CV attached and also a quick bio on what projects I have done and education at url: https://xyz.github.io . Looking forward to have conversation on confidential compute and privacy problems!

submission

Dear Dr. XYZ,

I am XXX a third year B.Tech student YYY College of Engineering, India. I had developed an interest and acumen for research during undergraduate thesis work and would like to pursue doctoral research under your guidance.

I would like to work on the project " Morphological computing and the connection between computation, information and cognition via interacting agents on different levels of organization". You have done extensive research on these studies. Your expertise and experience in the field would help me immensely with this project.

I am driven and passionate and I feel that with my background and previous experience, can be an asset to the team. I have attached my research proposal for your kind perusal. I look forward to discussing more the project. Thank you for your time and consideration.

submission

communicate!

When in doubt, communicate.

If you’re stuck on something you think is non-trivial

If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing

If you missed a milestone that you agreed upon with your mentor

If you made a mistake in your analysis or writing that your mentor reviewed, but now are too embarrassed to tell them

publications

Important to write out your work.

Teaches you how much more you need to improve

Understand why the myth of publications exists

Walk away from bad opportunities

Learn to recognize toxic environments and appointments.

Walk away.