Frequently Asked Questions

Admission and grading

By when do I have to apply? When is the project due?

For all questions about meetings, times and deadlines see the timeline page.

What research topics can I choose from?

We much encourage students to come up with their own research ideas and topics. For some inspiration, see our research topics page and explore interests of possible domain experts on the team page. Also check out the project showcase with projects from previous years.

I have a question, comment or concern, what do I do?

First check this docs page thoroughly (use the search functionality). Then, if you still can't find an answer send an email to ase@vu.nl. Do not reach out to individual team members directly.

I don't have excellent grades, can I still apply?

If ASE interests you, you should always apply. We understand that grades don't tell the whole story so in the application form we try to get a complete picture of you that also considers experience, motivation, prior projects and research relevance.

Do I have to work in a team of two?

Yes, but final team sizes are subject to availability.

Do I need to have any prior experience?

No, but we much prefer students with strong programming fundamentals (see our expectations page). You should have passed all your Bachelor courses up until the moment of application.

Can I sign up with a team mate?

No, applications for this project are individual. On your application you can express your team preference but we provide no guarantees about who you team up with.

Can I receive a different grade than my team mate?

Yes, this is very well possible depending on your individual contributions and work. Your supervisors advise the managing professor on this.

Can I work from home/remote?

We don't disallow this, but you will need to meet with the supervising team frequently and these meetings are held in-person only. Other than the mandatory meetings you will want to work on the Rover, and this can only be done in the ASE lab at the VU.

What if I miss a meeting?

Unless there are extraordinary circumstances at play, missing a meeting will impact your final grade.

I also applied to professor X

This is understandable but since available spots for ASE are limited, the deadline to confirm your spot is 5 days after being accepted into the project. After this, your spot will be given to another student.

How many students are selected?

There is a maximum of 20 spots available but this is subject to change.

Can I work on this project outside the April-June period

No, the project period is set in stone.

Does bad code quality impact my final grade?

No, it does not. But the way you write code and use git might impact your final grade.

Expectations and meetings

What is the expected workload for this project?

We advise not to have other time commitments during this project, since it will require roughly 40h/week. This project is considered intense.

What are the different meetings for?

The supervisor meetings are meant to check in on your progress and help you with any questions/issues you encounter. The domain expert meetings are meant to ask research topic related questions and go in-depth.

How is progress tracked?

We aim to provide you with feedback based by facts and data. For this, we use several ways of progress tracking, of which some are automated. You will receive more information about this at the start of the course in April.

Why are there three presentation moments?

It is our strong belief that soft skills often get too little attention in the Computer Science department. We obviously focus on research and software engineering principles, but will also challenge you to become better at presenting and conveying your research topic in several ways.

Writing code and using hardware

Will I have to work on embedded or implement anything hardware related?

If the project scope doesn't include changing or building anything, then there is no requirement to work on the hardware. The ASE-Team will provide working rovers and hardware support throughout the project.

Do I need to know Linux?

Yes, you should be familiar with basic Linux principles and using networked devices. There is no time to catch up during the project.

Do I need to have Linux installed?

Yes, we only provide support for native Linux installations. WSL might work but there are no guarantees.

Do I need to know Rust and/or Go?

No, most of the ASE software components are written in Rust and Go, but you are not expected to have prior Rust/Go experience. To get started quickly, we provide official ASE libraries and tutorials for C, Python, Go and Rust but you can write your software in any language you like.

Do I need to know git?

Yes, you are expected to work with git in a basic way. You will be trained during the project in how to use git properly in a larger project like this.

Can I use AI tools for parts of my code?

Using these tools is not prohibited in any way. Do be aware that when we find plagiarism or code that is similar to code from others, saying that it was written by a tool like Copilot is no excuse. It is always your responsibility to make sure that your code is truly yours. We might perform oral reviews to determine if this is the case.

Can I use AI tools for parts of my thesis?

No, using AI for writing results in a generic and boring thesis that does not reflect your level of academic thinking. Respect our time and do not use AI to write text for humans to read.

Using the Rover

Can I add a sensor/actuator/motor to the Rover?

The ASE-Team will provide you with an extensive set of building blocks to interface with the hardware conveniently. If you want to add your own hardware or software implementation, you are expected to write it yourself and if you are not using the ASE framework, the team will not provide technical support for this.

Can I install anything else than ubuntu on the Rover?

You are allowed to, but we provide no support for it.

Can I make network changes?

No, you cannot. In the labs we utilize a high-speed dedicated network (with Wifi 6E support) to provide seamless communication for all. You must always request permission from the ASE-Team before changing network configurations, restarting the network or making changes in any way.

Can I take the Rover home?

No you cannot. If you want to showcase the Rover for a project, please get in touch with the team.