The Build Fellowship Hub: Articles

Cancer remains one of the top three causes of death in the US and the next-generation immunotherapies are showing promise in clinical trials. However, it demands further research to fulfill the unmet medical needs. Before clinical application, the cell therapy product undergoes validation at the research scale.

In this Build Project, you will assume the role of Associate Scientist, tasked with designing a T cell-based therapeutic by understanding the requirements. Under the guidance of an industry expert, you will conceptualize and design hypothetical experiments, utilizing functional assays such as flow cytometry and co-culture assay to determine the efficacy of the therapeutic. In the end, you will evaluate the data using statistical tools such as GraphPad Prism and present your findings. This experience will mimic the highly interactive, data-driven environment of the industry, offering valuable insights into the daily responsibilities of associate scientists and importance of data interpretation in advancing medical research.

business

entrepreneurship, business-planning, market-research, financial-management

Build Your First Business Plan

Raisa Marcucci Pedro

and 1 more

Create a step-by-step business plan while learning essential strategies in market research, marketing, operations, and financial planning to launch your own venture.

Business Management Fellow

Small businesses and startups form the backbone of the global economy, but many fail within the first few years due to a lack of proper planning and strategy. In this Build Project, you'll step into the shoes of an aspiring entrepreneur and develop a comprehensive business plan, addressing the key challenges businesses face, such as understanding their market, crafting effective strategies, and managing finances. Under the guidance of an experienced industry professional, you'll conduct market research, create a value proposition, plan operations, design marketing strategies, and estimate financial projections. This project will expose you to fundamental business methodologies and tools, simulating the responsibilities of real-world business managers and entrepreneurs.

business

data-science, business-strategy, data-visualization, systems-analysis

Predicting Retail Sales with Data Analytics

Nicholas Yuwono

and 1 more

Create a statistical model that predicts future retail store sales to formulate appropriate business strategies.

Business Intelligence Fellow

Predictive analytics is crucial for retail companies as it enables them to optimize sales and inventory management, helping to meet customer demand, minimize excess stock, and maximize profits. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Business Intelligence Analyst at an imaginary retail company and develop a strategy to manage retail inventory and pricing for different seasons. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you'll develop prediction models based on historical datasets and deliver a strategy plan to improve sales in stores. You'll become familiar with Statistical Analysis and Data Science tools like Python and Jupyter Notebook. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real Business Intelligence team, supporting a business with insights about their industry so that they can make data-driven decisions.

computing-data-science

computer-vision, machine-learning, sports-analytics, media-technologies

Highlight Reel: Automated Sports Content Generation

Paul Kefer

and 1 more

Develop machine learning models to classify player actions from tracking data and automatically generate game highlights.

Data Science Fellow

In the fast-paced world of sports streaming, automated highlight generation is becoming increasingly crucial for engaging fans and providing quick insights. In this Build Project, you'll step into the role of a Machine Learning Engineer to develop an end-to-end system for automated sports action recognition and highlight generation. You will develop a fully functional automated sports highlight generation system, including a trained action classification model, a video processing pipeline, and a highlight generation algorithm.

Under the guidance of an experienced industry expert, you'll build machine learning models to classify player actions from tracking data, create a video processing pipeline, and implement highlight generation algorithms. You'll gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies like computer vision, deep learning, and large language models, simulating the workflow of a real data science team in the sports tech industry.

computing-data-science

computer-vision, python, 3d-reconstruction, image-processing

Pixel to Point Cloud: Building a 3D Vision Pipeline

Martin Ingvaldsen

and 1 more

Develop a comprehensive 3D vision pipeline, transforming 2D images into 3D point clouds using Python and computer vision techniques.

Mechanical Engineering Fellow

Embark on an exciting journey into 3D computer vision, where you'll learn to transform 2D images into fascinating 3D point clouds. This Build Project is designed to introduce you to the world of 3D vision, regardless of your programming background. Over eight interactive workshops, you'll construct a 3D vision pipeline step by step, with all the necessary code structures provided. You'll use Python and Jupyter notebooks, you’ll receive guidance if you're new to these. Each workshop will include prepared code segments where you'll fill in key functions, supported by built-in tests to verify your solutions. You'll explore concepts like camera models, image processing, and stereo vision through hands-on exercises. By the project's end, you'll have contributed to a working 3D reconstruction tool, gaining insights into computer vision, basic Python programming, and 3D data visualization. This project offers a gentle introduction to technologies used in exciting fields like robotics and augmented reality, providing you with a unique learning experience regardless of your starting point.

physical-life-science

healthcare-industry, private-practice, hearing-loss-treatment, hearing-protection

Vital Components of Adult Hearing Care

Ling Zhong

and 1 more

Explore hearing loss mechanisms and use cutting-edge research to educate adults on its impact, treatment options, tinnitus management, and hearing protection.

Audiology Fellow

Hearing loss is increasingly prevalent among adults, particularly older individuals. Research has highlighted its severe effects, including increased risk of falls, depression, cognitive decline, dementia, and higher rates of hospitalization. Despite these significant impacts, public awareness about the importance of adult hearing care remains low, with fewer than 20% of adults with hearing loss seeking treatment.

In this project, you will create an awareness overview resource aimed at educating the public on crucial aspects of adult hearing care. Your presentation will cover: the mechanisms and pathways of hearing, the pathologies and impacts of hearing loss, the characteristics and management of tinnitus, options for hearing devices, and strategies for hearing protection. This project will not only immerse you in the field of audiology but also provide you with valuable experience in advocacy and research. Developing the ability to critically review research literature is essential for evidence-based practice. The skills and knowledge gained from this project will be vital for your success in the healthcare field.

computing-data-science

software-development, python, mathematical-computation, drones

Drone Flight Planner System: Flight Path for Efficient Data Capture

Ayush Baid

and 1 more

Build a flight planner system which computes the photo capture locations to efficiently capture photos as per user specification.

Software Development Fellow

Capturing high quality image datasets is a rapidly expanding field with a wide range of applications: mapping, survey, digital 3D models, and datasets for AI. Drones are transforming the industry by providing a safe, cheap, and accessible platform which can navigate difficult terrain and capture datasets with remarkable precision and efficiency. In this project, you will wear the hat of a Roboticist and a Software Developer and develop a path planning system which can capture the image datasets in an efficient manner.

Under the guidance of an industry expert, you’ll develop data models in Python for user requirements and constraints, develop modular APIs to calculate the position and the speed of the drones, and build visualization tools to analyze the computed trajectories. You’ll learn about camera systems and the image capture process, mapping and photogrammetry concepts like overlap, and industry conventions to represent the path of robots. Your project leader will provide the mathematical concepts required for the project and simulate an environment of a real robotics software development team.

computing-data-science

data-exploration, insights-discovery, statistical-modeling, trend-analysis

Unveiling Health: Data Discovery Expedition

Coaine Richards

and 1 more

Explore public health data to uncover hidden trends, emerging disease patterns, and critical insights that shape the future of healthcare.

Data Science Fellow

Embark on an exhilarating journey into healthcare data analysis. From identifying trends in disease outbreaks to forecasting future healthcare needs, this project will challenge you to navigate real-world data complexities while sharpening your analytical skills.

You will produce a comprehensive project report that details the entire data analysis process, from initial data collection and cleaning to advanced predictive modeling and result interpretation. Additionally, you will create a visually compelling presentation that highlights key insights, methodologies used, and implications for public health research and practice. These deliverables will not only demonstrate your mastery of data science techniques in the healthcare industry but also showcase your ability to effectively communicate complex findings—an essential skill for future roles in data-driven positions within healthcare and beyond.

By mastering techniques in data cleaning, exploratory analysis, and predictive modeling, you'll not only unlock valuable insights crucial for public health decision-making but also equip yourself with the indispensable skills sought after in entry-level roles across various sectors of the U.S. society, where data-driven decision-making is paramount for addressing pressing healthcare challenges and improving population well-being.

computing-data-science

software-development, data-management, process-automation

Develop a Data Management Package Set

Alexey Mizyak

and 1 more

Use Python and Airflow to implement a set of tools that copies, sanitizes, minimizes and restores between data sources.

Computer Science Fellow

Data is the most critical asset for almost any type of business. Protecting this data is essential, but allowing production data to flow into less-secure environments can expose internal operations to risks. In this Build Project, you will take on the role of a Software Developer to implement a simple yet flexible set of data management instruments. This set of tools will automate the transformation, sanitization, obfuscation, and minimization of production data, ensuring its safety. Using Python and Airflow, you will design a tool that manages various data sources, such as relational and non-relational databases. This is an exciting opportunity to develop practical skills and create a project that showcases your ability to manage and protect data effectively.

engineering

programming, dynamic-systems, control-systems, simulation

Develop a Quadrotor Simulator and Controller

Roy Vorster

and 1 more

Use Python to write a simulator for a quadrotor, explore its behavior and write a feedback controller to stabilize it.

Mechatronics Engineering Fellow

A startup drone company is developing a new small drone and before building it, we need to evaluate its stability and iterate on the design. In this Build Project, you’ll wear the hat of a Robotics Engineer and develop a model to simulate the drone and write a feedback controller to stabilize it. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you’ll become familiar with feedback control and dynamics modeling techniques using tools like Python and NumPy. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real robotics team.

computing-data-science

python, cloud-computing

Cloud Data Pipeline for Dental Patient Data

Jerry Assan

and 1 more

Develop a scalable cloud Data Pipeline to Analyze Health Records

Software Development Fellow

Fast, reliable, and cost-effective diagnosis of dental radiographs is one of the grand challenges that dental healthcare providers face. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Junior Software Engineer and build an end-to-end data pipeline that can process dental patient data. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll learn how to use Python and rest api combined with google cloud to deploy a solution that can handle large data ingestion. You'll get exposed to the daily life of a Software Engineer in a data team and learn procedures and techniques that are must-to-know for any professional.

computing-data-science

software-development, software-engineering, computer-science

Build a Virtual Office Feature for Remote Teams

Xinyi Chen

and 1 more

Use JavaScript to develop a full-stack web application that allows remote teams to communicate via video calls. 

Computer Science Fellow

Web Development occupies a huge part of the total Software Engineer job market. For example, at Facebook, at least 30-40% of engineers are working on various Web Development projects. In this Build Project, you’ll wear the hat of a Software Engineer and develop a video call feature that can be used by remote teams. This task will allow you to develop skills across both front-end and back-end. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you’ll become familiar with web development frontend framework/libraries such as ReactJS and Redux and web development backend framework/libraries such as NodeJS. You’ll also get hands-on experience in using basic network concepts such as WebRTC and web socket, as well as using a real-time database. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real software engineer team. 

business

digital-marketing, content-marketing, artificial-intelligence, marketing-automation

Develop a Digital Marketing Strategy for a Business of Your Choice

Teena Minhas

and 1 more

Propose how a business of your choice can use multiple digital marketing channels to grow their audience.

Market Research Fellow

In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Digital Marketing Expert and design a digital marketing strategy for a business of your choice. Under the supervision of an experienced Project Leader, you'll identify target audiences, choose appropriate marketing channels, and prepare a report with your recommendations on the promotional strategy. You’ll gain solid understanding of the Kahn Retailing Success Strategy and omni-channel marketing (including search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and email marketing). All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real marketing team.

engineering

operations, project-management, climate-tech

Hydrogen Engineering Project and Supply Chain Mastery

Johannes Lamprecht

and 1 more

Develop and implement optimization models and project plans for hydrogen engineering projects, supply chains and operational processes to enhance efficiency and reduce costs in the deployment of hydrogen fuel systems for Class 8 trucks.

Operations Research Fellow

In this Build Project, you will take on the role of an Operations Research Analyst and Technical Project Manager, focusing on optimizing the supply chain and operational processes for hydrogen fuel systems and ensuring that your team of engineers is functioning at its highest level. This project is crucial for the deployment of clean fuel solutions in Class 8 trucks, aiming to reduce global emissions.

You will work on real-world challenges such as supply chain dynamics, supplier collaboration, and operational efficiency. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you will develop mathematical models, perform risk assessments, and utilize data analytics to support decision-making. This project provides a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a cutting-edge field that is pivotal for achieving a zero-emission future.

computing-data-science

data-science, gender-data

Analyze a Dataset from a Critical Gender Perspective

Belise Bwiza

and 1 more

Learn gender data best practices and audit a dataset of your choice and create an improved version of the dataset analysis.

Data Science Fellow

In the field of data science, the issue of data equity is an ongoing movement that aims to promote responsible data work. The current problem with major data practices is not that the data we have is insufficient, but that it doesn’t not accurately reflect the realities of women and non-binary people. For example, the gender binary (male/female) classification system in data collection will result in omission errors that make certain people’s experiences invisible. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Data Analyst and audit data cycle practices with a gender lens. Based on it, you'll produce a data visualization project that incorporates standard visualization frameworks and gender data best practices. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll uncover the flaws in current research methodologies that have led to inaccurate and incomplete data on the status of women and non-binary persons. You'll explore marginal changes that can be made to the way that we collect, analyze, and visualize gender data. You’ll become familiar with data visualization frameworks such as Tufte’s rules, Junk Chart’s trifecta, and Schwabish’s core principles, as well as such ubiquitous industry tools as Excel, R, or Tableau.  

computing-data-science

software-development, web-development, full-stack-development

Build a Full-Stack Software Application

Karan Kwatra

and 1 more

Learn how to use PostgreSQL, Typescript, React and Vue to create a software app.

Software Development Fellow

The deliverables for this project are focused on building artifacts that you can use to showcase your work in a job application. By the end of the project, you will have built a full-stack software application that follows multi-tier architecture. You will learn about databases, back-end systems, and front-end systems. You will learn how to build an application that is extensible and complete. The application can do what you wish but must have all the relevant components. At the end of the project, you will deploy your application for anyone on the internet to view. This way, you’ll have something tangible to show recruiters for future job prospects.

computing-data-science, business

python, portfolio-management, optimization

Application of Markowitz Portfolio Theory to Build Your Own Portfolio

Zhenan Li

and 1 more

Implement and apply the Markowitz Portfolio Theory to construct diversified portfolios that strike an optimal balance between risk and return.

Finance Fellow

In the ever-evolving landscape of financial markets, constructing and managing portfolios that optimize returns while minimizing risk is a fundamental challenge for investors. The Markowitz Portfolio Theory, introduced by Nobel laureate Harry Markowitz, offers a pioneering framework for portfolio optimization. This project aims to leverage Markowitz's model to build and back-test portfolios, providing valuable insights into the construction of efficient investment strategies.

The primary objective of this project is to implement and apply the Markowitz Portfolio Theory to construct diversified portfolios that strike an optimal balance between risk and return. By utilizing historical financial data, we will back-test these portfolios to evaluate their performance under different market conditions.

business

quickbooks-online, microsoft-excel, google-sheets, kinnser

How to Use QuickBooks Online

Bud Khurelbaatar

and 1 more

Get hands-on experience in QuickBooks, focusing on essential accounting practices, financial management, and real-world applications to enhance your practical skills and career readiness.

Accounting Fellow

QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting software that helps businesses manage their finances by tracking income and expenses, invoicing customers, paying bills, and generating financial reports. It's crucial for modern accountants to understand QuickBooks Online because it streamlines financial management, offers real-time data access, and enhances bookkeeping accuracy and efficiency. Approximately 80% of small businesses use QuickBooks, making it the most popular accounting software in the U.S., with over 26.5 million businesses utilizing it.

In my QuickBooks Online project, you will develop essential accounting skills through hands-on experience with the software, learning to navigate its features and manage accounts effectively. You will gain proficiency in generating and interpreting financial reports, including profit and loss statements and balance sheets. Additionally, you will build strong bookkeeping skills by understanding and performing fundamental tasks such as accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR), and bank reconciliations. By applying core accounting principles to real-world scenarios, you will enhance your practical knowledge and prepare for successful careers in the accounting industry.

computing-data-science

blockchain, software-development

Develop a Decentralized Lottery System Smart Contract

Mauro Delazeri

and 1 more

Create a decentralized, transparent, and fair lottery system leveraging blockchain technology for secure and tamper-proof draws.

Software Engineering Fellow

In this Build Project, you'll be asked to develop a smart contract that simulates a decentralized lottery system. Such a system requires transparency, security, and verifiability to ensure trust among participants. A smart contract is essentially a “black box” that executes predefined rules, but understanding its internal mechanics and ensuring its fairness can be complex. Therefore, comprehensive testing and evaluation are crucial to confirm the smart contract's reliability and performance. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll develop a fully functional smart contract that will be deployed in the Ethereum Sepolia Testnet. You'll also use various metrics and test simulations to identify potential vulnerabilities or failure modes.

engineering

mechanical-engineering, materials-engineering, structural-engineering, cad, automotive-engineering

Design an Enclosure for an Electrical Vehicle Battery

Luca Entremont

and 1 more

Use CAD to design a frame intended to provide safety for an Electrical Vehicle (EV) battery and provide structural support for the vehicle.

Mechanical Engineering Fellow

Electric Vehicle design has become incredibly widespread in the industry of mechanical engineering, due to new developments that make this technology more attractive than ever. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of an Electric Vehicle Mechanical Engineer and design an Electric Vehicle battery enclosure. Our goal is to make sure the function of the frame is fulfilled in a lightweight way, while still having structural integrity to ensure safety. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll learn how to use common formulas to evaluate the performance of the designed battery enclosure. You'll become familiar with useful and widespread tools like Google Sheets, FEA and CAD software. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real engineering design team.

computing-data-science

web-development, rest-apis, full-stack-development, react

Develop a Web App for Lobby System

Ruicheng Wu

and 1 more

From scratch to build a full stack web app: create a lobby system for hosting various types of virtual events.

Computer Science Fellow

Are you looking for entry-level software development experience with a wholistic vision? In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of Full-stack Software Developer and analyze the user needs, prepare necessary programming knowledges, plan stepwise approach for UI, API implementations and conduct the software development from scratch to support users playing tic-tac-toe using virtual web lobby to join or create the event. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you'll develop a full-stack web app using React, REST API using Node JS and Express framework and version control your code in a repository. You'll become familiar with full-stack software development like React, HTML, CSS, Node JS by following the Object-Oriented Principles. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real software development team.

computing-data-science

software-development, saas, devops, information-technology

Develop a Synthetic Monitoring Platform

Sonu Gupta

and 1 more

Use Python to build a Synthetic Monitoring Platform for real-time insights and proactive monitoring of network performance.

Software Development Fellow

The global synthetic monitoring market is growing rapidly, with a projected CAGR of 15.3% from 2023 to 2028. This growth underscores the importance and relevance of synthetic monitoring in the DevOps and Software Development industries, making it a valuable skill for entry-level jobs. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Software Developer and build a synthetic monitoring platform. Under an experienced Build Fellow's guidance, you'll create an application that executes the ping command at regular intervals and stores the results in the Time-Series Database. You'll then use Grafana to visualize these metrics in real-time. You'll become familiar with industry tools like Wireshark software and Grafana, as well as methodologies like observability and synthetic monitoring – which represent key skills in the DevOps and Software Development fields. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real software development team.

business

financial-modeling, corporate-finance, accounting, saas, startups

Construct a Pro Forma Financial Model for a Software Startup

Jasper Ng

and 1 more

Forecast and model the financial performance of a high-growth startup.

Finance Fellow

The ability to deconstruct and forecast the growth and quality of a business is foundational to a career in finance and investing. In this Build Project, you will mimic the work of a financial analyst and create a financial model that forecasts the trajectory of an early-stage software startup.

Alongside your project leader, you will build a 3-statement financial model that showcases future financial performance based on present and past business assumptions. You will familiarize yourself with software-specific accounting concepts like deferred revenue and accumulated deficit as well as spreadsheet modeling standards and techniques — all of which are skills used and valued by real finance teams.

computing-data-science

software-development, gaming-development, visualization

Develop an Interactive Web-Based 3D Visualization Tool

Qiaodong Cui

and 1 more

Use WebGL to create a web page that allows users to visualize and interact with 3D objects.

Software Development Fellow

In the rapidly evolving field of software development, the challenge of creating real-time, appealing visualizations and simulations is a critical industry demand (particularly in areas like gaming, virtual reality, and data visualization). In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Software Engineer and develop interactive web-based graphics tool for visualization of 3D models. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll design and implement user interfaces, optimizing graphics rendering performance, and integrating various types of data sources for dynamic visualization.

business, computing-data-science

renewable-energy, community-solar, business-intelligence, data-analytics, google-sheets, bigquery, tableau

Analyze Solar Projects Development to Inform Business Expansion

Pavel Shteling

and 1 more

Perform an analysis of Interconnection Queue data to drive renewable company expansion strategy.

Business Intelligence Fellow

To understand which markets to focus on in the future, Ampion needs to analyze open-source data provided by power grids called Interconnection Queue. Ampion is one of the industry leaders in Community Solar, providing opportunities to participate in shared solar projects through a concept called Community Solar. Through a software platform, Ampion connects residents, businesses, and other types of consumers with clean energy facilities, primarily Solar Farms. Interconnection Queue is a compilation of power generation and transmission projects seeking connection to the power grid. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Data Analyst/Business Intelligence Analyst and perform an analysis of Interconnection Queue data to drive Ampion's expansion strategy. Under the supervision of an experienced Project Leader, you'll become familiar with Structural Query Language (SQL), which is used by thousands of companies for communicating with and manipulating databases. You'll also learn how to translate big data into a visual story using Tableau, another tool popular in the industry. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real Data Analytics team.