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WHAT ARE SOME COMMON CHALLENGES THAT STUDENTS FACE WHEN WORKING ON CLOUD COMPUTING CAPSTONE PROJECTS

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One of the biggest challenges that students face is properly scoping the project. Cloud computing is a very broad field that touches on areas like infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, software as a service, and more. Students need to carefully identify the specific problem or application they want to focus on early in the process. Otherwise, there is a risk of the project becoming too broad or ambiguous in scope.

Related to project scoping is effectively managing expectations. Since this is a capstone project, there are expectations that it will demonstrate a high level of technical skills and knowledge. It’s also an academic exercise for students who are still learning. Setting realistic goals and delivering incremental work is important. It’s better to complete a well-designed smaller project than to bite off more than can reasonably be achieved.

Deadlines are also a major challenge. Capstone projects have strict deadline requirements to accommodate things like grading periods or project defenses. Cloud projects often involve Stand-up and configuring new infrastructure, which can be time consuming. Unanticipated complexities or delays accessing resources can cause schedule problems. Students need to plan schedules conservatively and communicate issues promptly.

Finding and accessing appropriate cloud resources within budget constraints can be difficult. Common cloud platforms have free tiers but expensive beyond that. Students need to right-size resources, estimate costs early, and may need to consider alternative free platform options. This requires research and planning that some students underestimate.

Designing for cloud-native principles like scalability, reliability, availability and maintainability is a steep learning curve for many. Students have to think differently than traditional applications, but may lack experience. Iterative development is needed plus guidance on best practices like microservices, immutable infrastructure, devops processes, monitoring etc.

Documentation and non-functional requirements are often given insufficient attention by students new to professional development. Things like security, logging, error handling, testing, deployment pipelines etc. are critical but take effort to implement properly for the cloud. Not fully addressing these can negatively affect grades.

Collaboration in teams can pose coordination and social challenges, especially if working virtually. Some students are not used to Agile methodologies and may struggle with tasks like estimating work, standups, managing dependencies and integrating each member’s work into a cohesive whole. Effective project management is needed.

Accessing cloud platform documentation and support resources varies greatly depending on the particular provider. Navigating and troubleshooting issues with an unfamiliar platform under time pressures is daunting. Important to leverage TAs, professors and user groups for help where possible.

Effective communication and establishing processes for managing expectations, scope, schedules and risks are important for student success. Iterative delivery, focusing on learning objectives over scope, and guidance from experienced faculty are also crucial for overcoming these common challenges. With proper support and realistic goal-setting, cloud capstone projects can still serve as an excellent learning experience despite inherent difficulties. Regular course corrections and adapting to challenges are part of the learning experience too.

While cloud computing capstone projects present exciting learning opportunities for students, they also commonly involve substantial difficulties related to project scoping and management, infrastructure setup, architectural design tradeoffs, collaboration, documentation and accessing support resources – all within the constraints of strict deadlines. With experience, students can overcome many challenges through disciplined processes, effective communication, and support from faculty and cloud providers. But it requires realistic expectations and focusing on incremental progress rather than perfection. With a well-designed plan and openness to course corrections, cloud capstones can succeed despite facing hurdles that are typical for student projects tackling new technologies.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER BENEFITS OF COMPLETING A CAPSTONE PROJECT AT GREAT LEARNING

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Real-world industry experience: One of the biggest benefits of doing a capstone project is that students get to work on something that simulates a real-world work environment. The capstone project involves doing extensive research, analyzing the problem, designing a solution, developing a prototype or minimum viable product, testing it, and then delivering a presentation or report on the overall project. This gives students an opportunity to gain real industry experience by addressing an actual business problem or opportunity. It helps strengthen their problem-solving, analytical, collaborative and presentation skills which are much needed for the job market.

Application of course concepts: The capstone project allows students to apply the concepts, techniques and methodologies they have learnt throughout their program/courses. It provides a platform to roll up their sleeves and synthesize all the knowledge they gained into one complex, real-world project. By applying data analytics, programming, design thinking or other concepts to solve an industry problem end-to-end, it reinforces their learning and tests how well they can utilize their learnings. This also helps students gain deeper conceptual understanding of their program.

Project management experience: Doing a capstone usually involves working on a complex project over the span of few months. It gives students exposure to various aspects of real-life project management such as creating project proposals, developing work plans, tracking project milestones, coordinating with multiple stakeholders, presenting progress updates, and delivering the final project on time while ensuring quality. Through this, they learn critical skills like goal setting, budgeting time, handling multiple tasks, prioritizing work, resolving issues and meeting deadlines which are highly valued by employers.

Showcase of skills to employers: The capstone project provides students a practical portfolio piece that demonstrates their abilities, thought process and potential to future employers. The final report or prototype acts as a showcase of a real end-to-end project undertaken. This gives employers a sense of the quality of work students can produce and their suitability for roles. It also helps students network with industry mentors and references which could aid their job search. The project experience becomes a strong credential that differentiates students from others during interviews and on resumes.

Connection to the industry: One of the most valuable aspects is the exposure to the industry that students gain through the capstone. They are able to forge connections with potential employers or clients as project partners who may later help them find relevant work opportunities. Students also get access to industry best practices, case studies and expert advice from their mentors. They learn about current trends, pain points, desired skillsets and how to structure solutions as per the needs in their domain of study. This gives them a head start in their career.

Soft skill development: Working on a long-term capstone involves immense collaboration with cross-functional teams and stakeholders. It aids development of versatile soft skills like logical reasoning, critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, effective communication, ability to learn independently, adaptability to change and more. Strong soft skills are as important as technical abilities to be successful in careers. These skills gained through real-world capstone simulations are highly valued by recruiters.

Confidence and motivation boost: Successfully delivering a complex capstone project gives students confidence that they are workforce-ready and can take on significant responsibilities after college. It motivates them to do bigger and better things in their careers. Students experience a sense of pride and accomplishment from seeing their hard work come to fruition. The confidence and motivation they gain to continuously improve themselves propels them further in their journey ahead.

A capstone project provides students a practical, industry-focused learning experience to apply their classroom knowledge to real problems. It helps develop vital technical and soft skills that are highly sought by employers. The experience also aids career readiness by allowing students to build industry connections and demonstrate their capabilities through a portfolio project. It acts as an excellent stepping stone for students in their professional journey ahead.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF AI APPLICATIONS IN DRUG DISCOVERY AND RESEARCH

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AI is fundamentally transforming drug discovery and development. By analyzing massive datasets and identifying patterns too complex for humans to see, AI technologies like machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing are accelerating every step of the drug development process from target identification to clinical trials. Here are some key examples:

Target Identification – AI can analyze genomic, proteomic, clinical, and molecular data to discover new biological targets for drug development. By finding previously unknown correlations in massive datasets, AI identifies novel targets that may help treat diseases. One example is using deep learning to analyze gene expression patterns and identify new target genes linked to cancer subtypes.

Virtual Screening – Companies use deep neural networks to screen huge virtual libraries of chemical structures to predict whether they may bind to and activate/inhibit specific biological targets linked to diseases. This enables in silico screening of millions of potential drug candidates without costly wet-lab experiments. It helps researchers prioritize actual compounds to synthesize and test in the lab.

De Novo Drug Design – Going beyond screening existing chemical structures, AI can also generate entirely new chemical structures designed to target specific proteins from scratch. Deep learning models are trained on properties of chemicals known to hit or avoid targets. They can then generate novel designed molecules predicted to engage disease targets in ways worth pursuing through synthesis and testing.

Toxicity Prediction – Predicting potential toxicity of drug candidates early in development could eliminate many unsafe or ineffective compounds from consideration before wasting resources on prolonged clinical trials. AI models analyze patterns in datasets correlating molecular structure to toxicity outcomes. Their predictions help researchers focus on potentially safer lead candidates.

Synthesis Planning – Given a desired molecular structure, AI planning tools can map feasible chemical reaction routes and multistep syntheses to produce that target molecule in the lab. Deep learning models trained on published synthetic methods find highest probability pathways for chemists to pursue in their work. This accelerates drug candidate synthesis.

Clinical Trial Optimisation – AI helps plan clinical trials more efficiently. Machine learning algorithms analyze data from past trials to predict the best treatment regimens, biomarker strategies, likely adverse events, and optimal trial population enrichment approaches to give new candidates their best chance of success.

Predicting Drug Responses – Using huge datasets correlating genetic profiles, clinical metadata, and treatment outcomes, AI models predict how individual patients may clinically respond to different drugs, personalized regimens like optimal dosing, and likelihood of adverse reactions or acquired resistance. This enables more targeted, predictive “precision medicine.”

Side Effect Discovery – Natural language processing of clinical literature and FDA records for existing drugs builds knowledge graphs mapping drugs to observed side effects along with their severity and population impacts. Comparison to drugs with similar structures helps AI systems hypothesize potential side effects during development for mitigation strategies.

Repurposing Existing Drugs – AI powered analyses detect previously unknown relationships between biological targets, diseases and existing drugs. Their indications reveal unforeseen therapeutic opportunities for already-approved drug candidates. This shortcuts years of development and gets potentially life-saving treatments to patients much faster through lower-risk trials validating new uses.

While drug discovery has long been an empirical, trial-and-error process, AI is now enabling a transformation towards data-driven discovery and development. By finding novel patterns in ever-growing biomedical datasets, AI technologies have the potential to drastically accelerate each step from target identification to clinical use, helping more new therapies reach patients sooner to alleviate disease burdens worldwide. Of course, as with any new approach there remain obstacles to widespread implementation still requiring ongoing collaborations between technology developers, researchers and regulators. But the transformative impacts of AI on pharmaceutical R&D are already abundantly clear, promising to revolutionize how new treatments are discovered and delivered to those in medical need.

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES TO SINGLE USE PLASTICS

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Reusable Water Bottles: One of the biggest sources of plastic waste comes from single-use plastic water bottles. It is estimated that over 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide. As an alternative, reusable water bottles made from durable materials like stainless steel, aluminum, silicone, or strong plastic like polypropylene can be reused hundreds of times over the course of several years. Reusable water bottles are a small lifestyle change that can dramatically reduce plastic waste. Some popular reusable water bottle brands include Nalgene, Hydro Flask, and Klean Kanteen.

Reusable Grocery Bags: Similar to water bottles, single-use plastic grocery bags are another major contributor to plastic pollution. Most plastic grocery bags are only used once to carry groceries from the store to home before being discarded. Reusable bags made from natural fabrics like cotton or durable nylon weave material provide an eco-friendly alternative. Some reusable grocery bag options include insulated bags for cold foods, backpack-style bags for comfort, and foldable bags that easily fit in a purse or pocket. Popular reusable grocery bag companies are Eco Bags Products and Baggu.

Reusable Food Containers: Plastic food containers, wraps, utensils, and straws are pervasive in the food service industry as single-use items. Reusable food containers and storage bags made from materials like stainless steel, glass, silicone, and bamboo offer a more sustainable path. Reusable containers and storage bags do not leach chemicals into foods and can be used hundreds of times if properly cared for and washed. Some examples of reusable packaging alternatives include glass meal prep containers, silicone baking cups, stainless steel straws, beeswax food wraps, and cloth napkins. Brands producing high-quality reusable food ware include Eco Lunchbox, Stasher, and Bee’s Wrap.

Biodegradable and Compostable Packaging: For applications where single-use packaging is still necessary, biodegradable and compostable alternatives made from plant-based materials offer a more eco-conscious option. Popular plant-based packaging materials include polylactic acid (PLA) derived from corn starch or sugarcane, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from bacteria or plant fermentation, and paper-based products. These sustainable packaging alternatives are certified compostable and will break down within a few months when disposed of in proper composting facilities. Some companies producing compostable packaging at scale include Eco Products, BioPak, and TIPA.

Loose Product Bulk Bins: For dry goods like snacks, grains, spices, beans, nuts, and candy – sustainable alternatives involve purchasing items loose without packaging using customer-provided containers. Grocery stores and health food stores are increasingly offering loose product bulk bins where customers bring their own reusable jars, bags, or recycling containers to fill up. This eliminates countless plastic, paper, and other waste packaging. Customers pay by the weight or volume and only for the product, not excess packaging. Bulk section options have grown to include everything from flours and sugars to granolas, trail mixes, and teas.

Refillable Cleaning and Personal Care Products: Similarly to dry goods, more sustainable options exist for many common liquid household and personal care products that traditionally come pre-packaged in single-use plastic bottles. Companies offer refillable options where customers purchase the initial high-quality container then refill it numerous times with eco-friendly cleaning, laundry, or personal care concentrates. Popular brands providing refillable cleaning and personal care product systems include ECOverb, Blueland, and Cleanery. This switch can eliminate wasteful single-use plastic packaging over the lifetime of the reusable container and creates less plastic waste.

Transitioning away from single-use plastics through sustainable alternatives like reusable, refillable, compostable, and loose-product bulk options allows consumers and businesses to dramatically reduce plastic packaging waste. While adoption of new systems may require adjustments, these eco-friendly alternatives provide long-term benefits to both the environment and human health by avoiding hazardous plastic pollutants. With more consumers and companies prioritizing sustainability, demand continues to grow for innovative plastic-free solutions.

WHAT WERE THE SPECIFIC ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES OFFERED BY THE CLC PROGRAM

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The CLC program offered a wide variety of enrichment activities designed to complement what students were learning in the classroom and expose them to new subjects and skills. These activities were led by licensed teachers, community partners, local colleges and universities. Some of the core enrichment activities included:

STEM Activities – Hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities were very popular. Students participated in weekly learning labs where they conducted experiments, learned coding and robotics, worked on engineering design challenges, and more. Popular programs included robotics clubs where students programmed and competed with robots they built, science clubs where they did experiments in fields like chemistry, biology and physics, and math clubs where they played games and worked on complex problem-solving.

Maker Activities – In recognition that many students learn best when they can make and build things, CLC offered maker activities where students engaged in hands-on creative projects. The most popular programs included electronics making where they built circuits and programmed microcontrollers, crafts and design clubs where they learned skills like knitting, sewing, crafting, graphic design and more using tools like 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC machines.

Career Exploration – Field trips and presentations from local professionals exposed students to potential future career paths and helped them better understand the vast array of options available to them. For example, students visited workplaces like factories, farms, zoos, tech companies, hospitals and more to learn about different jobs and talk to employees. Representatives from fields like health, engineering, business, construction and more also came to the CLCs to share their experiences.

Cultural Activities – Activities helped students appreciation other cultures and communities. Popular programs included foreign language clubs where students learned Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic and more through games and cultural lessons, arts and crafts from around the world like calligraphy, pottery, paper cutting and lantern making, culinary clubs where they cooked and baked dishes from different cultures and traditions, and cultural field trips to places like museums, language schools and community centers.

Performing Arts – Music, dance and drama activities allowed students to explore their creative talents. Options included band and orchestra lessons and ensembles, dance classes in styles like ballet, hip hop and breakdancing, theater clubs where they wrote and performed plays, and choir. Students presented their work at school events and local performances.

Literacy Support – For students needing extra help, CLC offered one-on-one and small group tutoring, usually led by college students, local teachers and volunteers. Students received targeted assistance in building reading comprehension, writing skills, vocabulary and more based on individual areas of challenge. In addition to tutoring, programs like book clubs, creative writing workshops, poetry slams and spelling bees supported literacy.

Outdoor Education – Taking advantage of the after-school hours, CLC utilized nearby parks, nature preserves, farms and trails for activities promoting environmental education, physical health and team-building. Programs included hiking, gardening, camping, orienteering, outdoor survival skills, community beautification projects and more. Certified instructors, park district staff and scout leaders often led these activities.

Service Learning – Older students participated in community service activities allow them to contribute their time and talents back to the community while developing leadership skills. Common projects included assisting in schools and libraries, volunteering at hospitals, senior centers and non-profits, participating in environmental cleanups and neighborhood improvement efforts and more.

These are just some of the enrichment programs that were consistently available to CLC students. The variety of options and frequent rotation of new programs ensured that all students could find activities inspiring their curiosity and supporting their diverse talents and interests. Well-trained providers delivered high-quality instruction through engaging, hands-on lessons in both indoor classrooms and outdoor spaces. The enrichment curriculum aimed to complement students’ academic studies and nurture the whole child.