During the last semester of the Bachelor of Science, students work on the Bachelor Thesis a lab-based research internship. The thesis provides students an opportunity to pursue a directed, focused, and individual research project linked to the students' double major.
Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Ghjulia, I am French from Corsica and a former Bachelor student at Ecole Polytechnique. I majored there in Mathematics and Computer Science, and I am now studying Machine Intelligence at ETH Zürich, at the Masters level.
Can you quickly explain what the Bachelor Thesis consists of?
The Bachelor Thesis is a 2-month minimum full-time research project that we have to carry out during our last semester at the Bachelor program. It is an amazing opportunity to get started with academic research, which I personally deeply enjoyed.
What was the subject of your Bachelor Thesis?
I did mine - titled “Aerodynamics parameters and field reconstruction via distributed sensor network and physics guided machine learning” - at EPFL, because I was already planning on continuing my studies in Switzerland. With a very theoretical background in Machine Learning as provided by the Bachelor, I was looking for a project with a direct impact. My research focused on applying Machine Learning to drones, to allow them to navigate autonomously more reliably in view of the physical forces exerted on it.
What advice do you have for future students who will have to carry out this project?
I have several pieces of advice for future students regarding their Bachelor Thesis:
- Be bold! Don’t hesitate to e-mail researchers you’re interested in working with, independently of where they are, chances are they will be happy to have you on board.
- Start early! You don’t want to spend two months researching a subject you’re not interested in, just because you got caught up in the administrative deadlines.
- Enjoy! Those two months have the potential to be the most exciting ones you’ve known so far.