Silence fills the room, only the sound of fingers tapping vigorously on their keyboards fill up the space. The mini project is due this afternoon, and us students are eager to finish the project that was assigned just a few days ago. The mini project covers a large span of areas, each group executing an experiment to solve their own unique problem. One group was tasked with finding a trend among the most viewed videos on Youtube, while another had to find the height of the church in Strängnäs using two distinct methods. Strängnäs is the theater of our project, the backdrop that we use and to which we have worked tirelessly to put on a great show.
The earlier part of the week was spent in the classroom, learning the ins and outs of LaTeX and Python, as well as the composition of a research paper. Rather than remaining in the classroom, we applied our new knowledge to a hands on experience. The mini project serves as a condensed version of the greater project we are about to start that will take on a new level of effort. It prepares us for the greater challenges we will face in research the following weeks, letting us dip our toes in research before jumping in. Although a bit tricky sometimes, the mini project has helped students gain experience within research to then build upon as the program continues.
/Louise Mellqvist, Rays 2017