The Build Fellowship Hub: Articles

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.

business

real-estate, financial-modeling, investment-analysis

Conduct Real Estate Valuation and Investment Analysis

Alnur Kassim-Lakha

Learn how to evaluate the potential of real estate assets and develop a strategic investment approach tailored to multifamily and affordable housing.

Finance Fellow

The type of work you will be doing replicates a “day-in-the-life" of an entry level real estate investment analyst. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Real Estate Financial Analyst and develop comprehensive financial models for value-added real estate investments. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll conduct in-depth economic and due diligence analysis on various investment opportunities in the real estate space. You'll become familiar with industry tools like Excel and ARGUS Enterprise Valuation Software to conduct investment analysis. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real private equity investment committee.

engineering

acm-aluminum-composite-material, shop-drawings, autocad, metal-panel-fabrication

Create Aluminum Composite Material Panels Shop Drawings

Milica Rajlic

Learn step by step process of ACM (Aluminum Composite Material) panels fabrication with focus on Shop Drawings and sketches.

Architecture Fellow

The complexity of material usage represents a big challenge in architectural and engineering design and the overcoming of that challenge is a great advantage for those who achieve it. In this Build Project you will go through the process of Shop Drawings creation for the ACM scope of work and learn how the panels are sketched. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you will be able to draw details for specific conditions of the building, recommend the solutions for better material usage and choose which systems are the best for the specific design. Your Project Leader will provide you with insight into panel fabrication process while giving you the concrete knowledge applicable in this always evolving industry. This will happen in an environment that stimulates the operations of a real team that creates Shop Drawings.

physical-life-science

immuno-oncology, research-development, molecular-biology, cell-gene-therapy, industry-insights, cellular-immunotherapy

Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment: Innovative Cellular Immunotherapy Strategies

Urjita Tendolkar

Learn about the current landscape of cell-based cancer immunotherapies and how to propose an innovative immunotherapy approach that addresses an unmet patient need.

Molecular Biology Fellow

Cell-based immunotherapy is a rapidly evolving field that has revolutionized cancer treatment. In this project, you will have the opportunity to propose a theoretical cell-based immunotherapy candidate after reviewing the current industry trends. Under the guidance of an experienced industry specialist, you will learn fundamental concepts and processes relevant to the development of cell-based immunotherapy products. This is an excellent opportunity for early researchers to delve into the science behind cell-based immunotherapies and get exposure to relevant skills crucial for research-based roles in this field.

computing-data-science

single-cell-genomics, drug-development, computational-biology, data-analysis

What’s in a Cell? Discovering Disease Mechanisms with Single-cell Transcriptomics

Maarten de Vries

Analyze single-cell transcriptomics data using Python and machine learning techniques to uncover novel disease mechanisms.

Data Science Fellow

Single-cell genomics is revolutionizing computational biology and drug development by providing detailed insights into cellular functions. Increasingly large mountains of transcriptomic data have been generated over the past few years, and its secrets are waiting to be unlocked!

In this Build Project, you'll assume the role of a Computational Biologist, analyzing single-cell transcriptomics data to identify novel disease mechanisms. Under the guidance of an industry expert, you will retrieve, clean, and process omics data, apply machine learning models for data analysis, and produce scientific figures. You will gain hands-on experience with tools and methodologies commonly used in the field, all within a simulated professional environment.

business

yield-curve-construction, fixed-income-analysis, interest-rates, python

Bootstrapping a Treasury Yield Curve

Vinay Bharath

Master the method to derive precise interest rates for different maturities by leveraging financial modelling techniques.

Finance Fellow

In this Finance Modeling Project, you'll step into the shoes of a Quantitative Analyst and construct a Treasury Yield Curve from scratch. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you'll analyze market data and implement a mathematical model in Python to estimate term structures of interest rates. You'll become familiar with industry tools and methodologies for data manipulation and bootstrapping techniques for yield curve construction. All this will provide invaluable hands-on experience crucial for entry-level roles in finance, where proficiency in quantitative modeling and data analysis is highly valued.

physical-life-science

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

Vital Components of Adult Hearing Care

Ling Zhong

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.

business

finance, accounting, microsoft-excel, financial-planning

Build a Budget for an Early-Stage Startup

Fernando Lemus

Learn how to build in Excel an operational and capital expenditure budget for a tech startup.

Finance Fellow

Wise financial planning is crucial for the success of any business; it becomes especially important for startups that have ambitious growth goals and limited resources. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Financial Analyst and build a full-year budget that allows a fictional startup to understand its expenses and how much capital is needed to cover all business costs. You will create in Microsoft Excel a budget for employees’ salaries & benefits using dynamic formulas. Also, you’ll create a budget for professional service fees. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you'll learn best practices in Financial Planning, specifics of operational and capital expenditure budgeting, and how to use Excel to create solid forecasting schedules. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real Financial Planning & Analysis team.

computing-data-science

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

Pixel to Point Cloud: Building a 3D Vision Pipeline

Martin Ingvaldsen

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

biotechnology, business, medical-devices, data-visualization, market-analysis, competitive-analysis

Identifying the Best: Competitor Analysis for a Medical Device

Ariel Seidner

Compare key qualitative and quantitative characteristics of Adipose Tissue Filtering Devices produced by Tiger Aesthetic Medical and its competitors.

Material Science Fellow

By the end of the project, you will develop a PowerPoint presentation that provides an overview of key qualitative and quantitative parameters of a medical device as well as be able to explain these parameters in a way that adds business value and gives a company’s executive team strategic direction regarding a class of products in the reconstruction and aesthetic space. You will also develop skills to present these findings in visually concise and appealing way with the use of plots and graphics. All these skills are critical to any budding entrepreneur or new product development engineer!

engineering

ipsc-derived-cell-therapy, process-development, bioreactor, flow-cytometry

Process Development: Driving Cell Therapy from Research to Market

Claire Wang

Exploring stem cell therapy with a focus on bioreactors and bioassays used for developing a scalable cell differentiation process.

Biomedical Engineering Fellow

Cell therapy refers to the transplantation of autologous or allogeneic cells into patients to treat diseases or repair damaged tissues. However, the gap between research-scale proof of concept and clinical patient doses is significant and multifaceted. This build project aims to explore key aspects of bridging the gap between R&D and clinical application in stem cell therapy, focusing on scalable/automated cell differentiation process development and cell-based analytical techniques.

You will delve into various types of bioreactors and close-system cell processing instruments, get exposed to different analytical techniques for cell phenotyping and drug efficacy assessment, and conduct an experimental proposal using the design of experiment (DoE) concept. The project will also introduce the drug commercialization process from the perspective of CMC (chemistry, manufacturing, controls) team. You will draft master batch records and raw material risk assessments, documents required for ensuring the drug consistent productivity and quality. This comprehensive project will equip you with practical skills in designing and scaling-up cell differentiation processes, applying advanced cell-based analytical techniques, and preparing documents related to therapeutics safety and regulatory compliance.

business

venture-capital, valuation-techniques, startups, entrepreneurship, portfolio-management

Venture Fund Investing: Aligning Founders and Institutional Investors

Nadia Koritareva

Develop an understanding of the fundamental principles that drive Venture Capital fund investing and get insights into ways to bridge the incentives gap between entrepreneurs and institutional investors.

Finance Fellow

Innovation is powered by funding yet the relationship between startup founders and investors is often marked by misaligned incentives and conflicting interests. Receiving funding from reputable Venture Capital (VC) firms is a strong positive signal of success for any entrepreneur, yet many founders could benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of what institutional VC investors look for when identifying their next big investment opportunity.

In this Build Project, you will put yourself in the position of a private institutional investor and analyze the performance factors of a successful venture portfolio, practice negotiating a term sheet, and develop an investment memo pitching a compelling startup investment opportunity to an Investment Committee. With the guidance of a professional with private institutional investing experience, you will calculate a venture portfolio’s performance metrics and practice identifying and pitching startup investments. You will master the fundamentals of key startup valuation metrics and portfolio management basics such as calculating pre-/post-money valuations, portfolio performance metrics, and others. This project will stimulate the operations of a venture capital firm and provide holistic insights into the skills both venture investors and founders need for success in the competitive venture ecosystem.

physical-life-science

gene-editing, gene-therapy, next-generation-sequencing, assay-development, data-analysis

Deep Insight with Novel Next Generation Sequencing Assay

Malvenderjit Jagjit Singh

Strategize and spearhead the development of an assay aimed at determining the therapeutic potential for curing genetic disorders by leveraging novel generation sequencing approaches

Molecular Biology Fellow

RNA-seq has been selected as one of the most reliable assays in biotech research for studying gene expression level. In fact, this assay has emerged as a widely used technique for quantifying all gene expression levels. In this Build Project, you’ll imagine you assume the role of a research associate for a well-known company. They have decided to assign you the task of on boarding this assay with the purpose of investigating gene expression levels within the context of assessing the genetic tool your company has developed as part of curing genetic disorders. You will be exposed to common therapeutic approaches being conducted at molecular level and will dive deeper into different next generation sequencing technologies. These experiences represent the daily task of a research associate in the biotech industry and will be a good learning curve as part of your career development.

computing-data-science

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

Highlight Reel: Automated Sports Content Generation

Paul Kefer

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.

business

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

Predicting Retail Sales with Data Analytics

Nicholas Yuwono

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

salesforce, low-code-programming, ecommerce, generative-ai

AI-Powered Customer Engagement for Retail Industry Using Salesforce CRM System

Syed Talal Hassan Rizvi

Leverage Salesforce CRM and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to personalize customer experiences in retail e-commerce, boosting sales and retention through a central hub for customer data and behavior analysis.

Computer Systems Analysts Fellow

In the retail eCommerce industry, configuring and managing CRM systems like Salesforce is a vital skill, especially for entry-level positions. In this Build Project, you’ll step into the role of a Retail CRM Specialist and develop configurations using Salesforce CRM, integrating AI tools like Einstein to automate customer response management and enhance data personalization.

Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you’ll focus on setting up and optimizing generative AI capabilities within Salesforce to transform customer data management and personalize shopping experiences. You’ll also become proficient with low-code tools like Salesforce Flow Builder to accelerate market implementation. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real retail eCommerce team.

engineering

electrical-engineering, pysyst-simulation, engineering-project-finance-modeling, electric-load-and-power-flow-analysis, engineering-project-development

Developing Renewable Energy Project using Simulation Tools

Harshvardhan Gupta

Develop a project proposal that includes PVsyst and PVWatts simulation tools for plant sizing and energy calculations, along with Excel models for project financing.

Electrical Engineering Fellow

The need of the hour is to transition over to clean renewable energy for our electricity demand. With the climate change moving to an irreversible tipping point, both state and federal governments along with international authorities have introduced policies (administrative and monetary) to support the building and operations of renewable energy power plants. This opens many entry-level opportunities for firms that build, own, and operate these plants and are in constant need of engineers to support their mission and vision.

In this Build Project, you’ll wear the hat of an electrical engineer and develop and present a utility scale power plant project proposal. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you’ll run simulations on the project’s electrical output, showcasing the project’s electrical power and energy calculations, and would also provide cost and financing models. You’ll become familiar with industry tools like PVSyst, PVWatts, and Microsoft Excel, for project cost and finance. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real electrical engineering project development team.

business

market-research, international-marketing, business-management, performance-marketing

Perform Market Research for a Global E-commerce Tech Company

Jessy Dienemann

Analyze and interpret performance marketing and consumer behavior trends to help global companies make international expansion decisions.

Market Research Fellow

"When the economy goes south, the ad market is the first thing to go." While most business sayings should be taken with a grain of salt, this one has proven to be particularly true in recent years. In the midst of economic downturns, global pandemics and the resulting change in consumer behavior, businesses all over the world have been struggling to identify new and creative ways of efficiently engaging and acquiring net new customers at a profit.

In this Build Project, you’ll wear the hat of a Customer Success Manager and perform an opportunity analysis to determine which geographical markets a client should invest in. Under the supervision of an experienced Build Fellow, you’ll research customer behavior in various European markets, conduct a cohesive customer data analysis and create forecasts for expansion opportunities. You’ll become familiar with data analysis tools in Excel and business pitch techniques.

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business

legal

Enhance Your Business Savvy with Legal Contracts and Templates

Louis Weston

Evaluate key contract elements across various work scenarios and collaborate on crafting contract templates.

Law Fellow

Contracts are a part of everyone’s business experience. Whether you are founding your own corporation or working as an employee, you will see more than one contract in your work life. It is important to know what to look for, to know how to use them, and that you are not daunted by them. This Build Project will show you how to analyze common business contracts. With guidance from an entrepreneur with previous Legal Counsel experience, you will also develop the tools you need to review and assess contracts through the utilization of templates.

This project is for everyone. Are you an engineer wanting to start your own company, a communications major signing on to work for an organization, or a business student interested in closing your first business deal? This project will give you the skills you need to assess contracts. Your signature means a lot, so sign up for this groundbreaking project today!

engineering

construction, critical-path-method, scheduling, project-controls

Demystifying Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling in Construction

Siddharth Chodavarapu

Develop a model Critical Path Method (CPM) schedule in Microsoft Excel for a typical highway or heavy civil construction project.

Civil Engineering Fellow

Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling is of immense importance today in the construction field and drives most construction planning and project controls processes. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Construction CPM scheduler/project controls professional. Schedulers and Project Controls professionals manage and monitor cost, schedule and risk on construction projects.

You will build a basic model construction CPM schedule for a typical highway or heavy civil construction project. Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you'll become familiar with the industry standard CPM scheduling methodology. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real Project Controls or Scheduling team.

business

empathy, cultural-awareness, mental-health-awareness, workplace-wellbeing, leadership-skill

Trauma-Informed and Culturally-Proficient Leadership at Work

Lidya Tandayu

Introduction to trauma-informed and culturally-proficient leadership skills to promote positive work culture.

Psychology Fellow

The US consists of a diverse population where people are becoming more aware of the need for diversity, inclusion, and mental health proficiency across the job market. In this project, you will learn to identify, explain, and distinguish mental-health-informed leadership qualities that will be effective in nowadays workplace environments. You will present a report of case study analysis, where you get to utilize and apply the skills that you have learned in the previous weeks. The case study will be displaying trauma-informed and culturally proficient leadership skill.

Under the supervision of an experienced industry expert, you will develop skills that will showcase the ability to navigate interpersonal interactions through the lens of mental-health awareness. You will be equipped for challenges outside your own context of culture or identity development to provide a positive and effective work environment.

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Read the latest articles from our Fellows

Data Science Overview: Joy He

Marketing Overview: Caroline Chong

Psychology Overview: Lidya Tandayu

Quantitative Finance Overview: Vinay Bharath

Data Science Fellow Overview: Nischal Subedi

Materials Engineer Overview: Abdul Al Alawi

Cybersecurity Fellow Overview: Andrews Osei Antwi

Venture Capital Overview: Nadia Koritareva

Data Science (Machine Learning) Overview: Paul Kefer

Electrical Engineering (Renewable Energy) Overview: Harshvardhan Gupta

Civil Engineering Overview: Siddharth Chodavarapu

IT and Retail Technology Overview: Syed Talal Hassan Rizvi

Biotechnology (Cell & Gene Therapy) Overview: Urjita Tendolkar

Financial Analyst Overview: Nicholas Yuwono

Biotechnology (Molecular Assay) Overview: Malvenderjit Jagjit Singh

Biotechnology (Pharmaceuticals) Overview: Claire Wang

Audiology Overview: Ling Zhong

Biotechnology Overview: Lavanya Venkatesan

Legal Industry Overview: Louis Weston

Data Science Overview: Maarten de Vries