Accelerated Research Program

Algorithms, Data Structures, and Python

Faculty Advisor: Professor, School of Mathematics, Georgia Institute of Technology

What is an Accelerated Research Program?

Our Accelerated Research Program combines recorded and live sessions with the Faculty Advisor. It allows students to achieve tangible outcomes and potentially earn a letter of recommendation in a shorter period of time.

Research Program Introduction

Algorithms are sets of instructions to execute tasks, from simple tasks like sorting alphabetically a set of words to complex ones such as the reconstruction of genomes from biochemical experiments. An efficient algorithm can potentially reduce the costs of complex tasks from billions to hundreds of dollars.

This program provides an overview of algorithms, data structures, and Python, the programming language. Students will learn the basic concepts and implementations through videos and other materials. At the end of the program, students will understand how many real-world programs work and be able to write their own programs in Python.

The students will be provided with a range of possible final projects. Each project consists of developing and programming an algorithm. Students will be asked to write a 3 to 5-page paper/report based on their findings and submit it to the faculty advisor for a final review.

Possible Topics For Final Project:

  • Given a binary tree, find the Maximum Independent Set (MIS) size

  • Given a chessboard, print all sequences of moves of a knight on a chessboard such that the knight visits every square only once

  • Given a set of positive integers, check if it can be divided into two subsets with equal sum

  • Write an efficient algorithm to find the longest common prefix (LCP) between a given set of strings

  • Other professor-approved research topics in this subject area that you are interested in

Advanced Project Topics (optional):

These projects go beyond the topics described above in the program content. Students interested in these projects will be provided with all the necessary materials (videos, notes, and codes)：

  • Learn about number theory and cryptography. Learn and implement the RSA algorithm in Python. 

  • Learn about bioinformatics. Learn and implement the algorithm used to reconstruct genomes in Python. 

  • Learn about geometric group theory (an area of pure mathematics). Design an algorithm to compute the free generators of a subgroup of a free group. Implement the algorithm in Python.

Program Details

  • Cohort size: 2 to 5 students

  • Duration: 4 weeks

  • Target students: 7 to 12th graders interested in machine learning, computer science, and/or mathematics and wish to complete a research project with a prestigious professor rapidly to boost their research experience and obtain deliverables that can be used for college applications and other programs.

Program Structure

  • Week 1: Students and the faculty advisor will discuss the available project topics in a live session and agree on a set of goals for the project. 

  • Week 1 to 3: Students will complete an extensive recorded video research program, including core videos that must be completed and optional advanced videos for students with higher aims.

  • Week 4: Students will complete their research project and submit it for review. They will also have a second live session with their faculty advisor to ask questions, discuss their findings, and positively conclude their research experience.