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Sahil D

- Research Program Mentor

MEng at Cornell University

Expertise

Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Natural Language Processing, Simulation, Game Development, Algorithms

Bio

Hi, I'm Sahil! I've been programming for the last 7 years. In that time, I've worked on a whole bunch of projects, had five internships, and studied machine learning, algorithms, operating systems, and more at University of Maryland and Cornell University. I've also done research in identifying bots on Twitter, and in Algorithmic Game Theory. I'm passionate about anything and everything related to computer science research. I absolutely love programming, especially when it comes to games and AI. Over the last few months, my personal projects include a physics simulator, a hangman solver, a Wordle helper, and tons of smaller programs. In my coursework this year, I made a translator (English --> Shakespearean English), a fake review identifier, and a bunch of general AI algorithms. Thanks for taking the time to get to know me, and I look forward to working with you! :)

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Generating Images from Text with DALL-E 2

This is an advanced machine learning project, which involves the text to image generation program DALL-E 2. It's absolutely fascinating, and I highly recommend checking it out here: https://openai.com/dall-e-2/. While this AI is not yet public, there is a basic open-source version which we should be able to experiment with! Requires familiarity with: - GitHub - Linux command line - Python - Deep learning

Basic Game AI for Chess, Snake, Blackjack, etc.

This is an intermediate reinforcement learning project involving teaching an AI to win at simple games. There is a lot of fascinating work out there that's been done in this field, and the nice thing is you get to pick exactly how complex you want this project to be. Requires familiarity with: - Game programming - Any programming language - Basic AI structure

Identifying Bots on Social Media

This is an intermediate natural language processing project that involves using data about users to predict if they are a bot. This field is growing quickly and there are a lot of directions this project could go in. Requires familiarity with: - Any programming language (Python is preferred) - Basic machine learning

Simulating the Stock Market with Monte Carlo Models

This is a beginner-to-intermediate statistics and programming project centered around Monte Carlo simulations. Monte Carlo simulations are random methods for modeling the outcome of a complicated process. These methods are used in finance all the time, so this project explores an early look at how we can use code to "simulate" the stock market. Requires familiarity with: - Statistics - Basic finance - Basic programming (any language)

Designing a Game from Scratch

This is an intermediate game development project centered around game development and looking at the entire development process from start to finish. You get to make up your own game! For example, you could make a 3-D game where you fight zombies, or a 2-D platformer with a twist. While this project doesn't require a ton of background, it will require a lot of work, but you'll definitely have fun. :) Requires familiarity with: - Any programming language - Geometry/Trigonometry - Time management

Implementing and Analyzing an Array of Algorithms

This is a beginner project for students with little to no computer science background. You will read about some (roughly 3 to 10) algorithms, implement them, and then analyze them yourself. For example, you could study sorting algorithms, maze solvers, or the stable marriage problem. Requires familiarity with: - Basic math - A bit about how computers work

Coding skills

[most to least proficient] Python, Java, Golang, C, OCaml, Matlab, JavaScript, SQL, C#, Rust, R

Languages I know

Spanish - intermediate (B1-B2), French - beginner (A1-A2), Esperanto - beginner (A2-B1), American Sign Language - beginner

Teaching experience

At Cusack Prep LLC, I tutored students in Precalculus, Calculus, and Mechanics. I met with students weekly assisted with homework assignments and studying for exams. At the University of Maryland, I was a teaching assistant for a course on engineering and the ethical implications of large-scale engineering projects. I taught a discussion section and assigned/graded homework.

Credentials

Work experience

Sync Computing (2021 - 2021)
Distributed Systems Intern
Confluent (2021 - 2021)
Backend Software Engineering Intern
Capital One (2020 - 2020)
Full-Stack Developer Intern
Wabtec Railway Electronics (2019 - 2019)
Software Engineering Intern

Education

University of Maryland
BS Bachelor of Science (2021)
Computer Science (B.S.), Mathematics (B.S.), Business Analytics (minor)
Cornell University
MEng Master of Engineering (2022)
Computer Science

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