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== Interested in joining the RCS Lab? == Welcome! We are always interested in bright, motivated new students and (we think) we have a bunch of cool MS Thesis topics and MS Projects available. Unfortunately, Dr. Sass doesn't have unlimited time. To be fair to current and potential advisees, Ron has to be very selective when agreeing to take on new students. This page has some information that you may find helpful when trying to join the lab. == Prepare == * '''Read the RCS web pages!''' One of the most important things you can do is figure out ahead of time what sort of projects are going on in the lab currently. The information may be slightly out-of-date but it gives you an idea of what Ron has supported in the past. * ''' Take the Fundamentals of Reconfigurable Computing class.''' Pretty much any project or thesis that comes out of the lab will require the skills and knowledge that is in this class. You will need it. * '''Establish a relationship.''' Before you ask to do a project or thesis in the lab, you should have some sort of relationship with Dr. Sass. You can do this by taking his classes, attending talks, or by introducing yourself and taking on a small project (see diagnostic test below). == Expectations == Ron expects more than the department's minimum requirements for a Master's Project. * At minimum, you will need two semesters to complete a project and you will have to have the background before you start (i.e., have taken the Reconfigurable Computing course). Even though you work on your project over multiple semesters, you take the 3-credit independent study in the ''last'' semester. For example, if you start in the Fall and you expect to finish in the project in the Spring semester, you take your project hours in the Spring. * The department requires that you do an oral presentation of your project after it has been completed. However, RCS students are required to produce both an oral presentation and a written document. The document needs describe what you did and how you did it. The idea is that a future MS student may pick up where you left off and we need to have something in writing so that they can duplicate your work. This also has big advantages for the student looking for employment. Having something physical that you can share with a potential employer gives them the ability to look at you on their own time. * Ron also expects that Master's students will have prepared a draft report suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed conference. This can be the written documentation just described or an article written to communicate your results to the community. * There are many cool projects out there. But, be aware, part of running a lab means keeping the projects cohesive. Ron's may be interested but won't supervise projects that are not directly related to lab actives. * You will also be expected to contribute to the lab. This might include things like lab maintenance but also coming to the group meetings, supporting your fellow students, and social activities. * RCS students also take or attend the Reading Group class. This 1-credit course can be repeated and meets once a week. The topics vary but are generally related to high-performance computing. == Test/Diagnostic == If you have not demonstrated your capabilities to the lab (by, for example, doing exceptionally well in important courses) then you should expect to take some sort of diagnostic test. Ron will typically give you a small assignment that you have 1-2 weeks to complete. Based on your performance, you may not be invited to join the lab. The test is not meant to be intimidating. The real objective is two-fold: * Given that there are more students than we can take, there has to be some quantitative way of selecting the students. This test is part of that evaluation. * Ron needs to assess your background before recommending a project. For example, you may want to do a really cool project --- but if it would take you two semesters to get the background you need, you'll never finish your degree on time! It is far better to know this at the beginning. What sort of diagnostics will Ron assign. Here's some currently ideas. (Note these are not full descriptions; just something to give you an idea.) Diagnostics has been moved to its own page: [[SmallProjects|Small Projects]] == The Team == There is one final requirement. The functions as a team and it is necessary that everyone gets a long. Before Ron accepts a new student, he always consults with the current students. We have to all agree this is a good candidate who will make the team stronger. So students interested in joining the lab should probably introduce themselves to the students already in the lab. == Assistantships == One final note about financial support. There are always more worthy students than external funding. Moreover, Ron assigns assistantships based on performances, appropriateness, and rank. Currently we have six PhD students in the lab who have been producing results for several years. It is unlikely a new student will be able to compete for support in their first semester or two. However, if you do great work and show results, the lab does have assistantships.

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