Team Formation + Topic Selection

This is the first project milestone. Teams have four weeks from the start of the course to form and commit to a research topic.

Deadline: Sep 20, 2026, 11:59 PM US Eastern Time

Graded on completion

Unlike the three project deliverables that follow, this milestone is scored on completion rather than against a rubric. Submit it and you have the marks. The point is to get teams settled early so the rest of the semester goes to the work itself.

What to submit

Team member names and GT accounts, with all members having accepted the team
Your chosen research topic or problem statement
Initial thoughts on potential data sources

If you don't form a team

Any student still unassigned after the deadline is auto-assigned to a team by the instructor. You will get a team either way — forming your own just means you choose who you work with.

What comes next

Once the team and topic are set, the project runs through three graded deliverables, each with a published rubric.

Deliverable	Due
Deliverable 1: Proposal & EDA	Oct 25, 2026, 11:59 PM US Eastern Time
Deliverable 2: Progress Report	Nov 15, 2026, 11:59 PM US Eastern Time
Deliverable 3: Final Report	Dec 13, 2026, 11:59 PM US Eastern Time

Frequently Asked Questions

Who submits for the group?

Any group member can submit for the entire team. If two members submit, the later submission takes precedence.

Can I update my submission?

Yes, until it has been reviewed — we look at the last submission. Deadlines are strict: 11:59:59 PM ET on the due date.

Can we change our topic later?

Small refinements are expected and fine — your research question will sharpen as you explore the data. Abandoning the topic entirely after Deliverable 1 is not, because the later deliverables build directly on it.

What format should submissions be in?

Submit a single PDF so TAs can review it in the browser and leave comments.