Intro checklist: everyone, before the first meeting #2

Context: Deep Learning Playground (DLP) is a web app where someone uploads a dataset, picks settings, and builds a PyTorch neural network by dragging and dropping layers, no code needed. It was built by an earlier DS@GT team and has been dormant since late 2024. This semester (Fall 2026) is our team picking it back up. The first two weeks are an intro period: learn the basics, get the project running, and get to know one corner of the code. Nothing here is expected to be perfect, and asking questions in Slack is encouraged.

Status checked on 2026-10-13 (on a Mac): the website starts and its pages load, pnpm test and pnpm lint pass in frontend/, all 18 backend tests pass in training/, and the Django server starts with its API docs at /api/docs. The training screen redirects to login, and login needs a Firebase project the club does not have yet. Do not set up anything on AWS or Firebase; club leadership asked us to hold off until ownership is confirmed.

How to run things: see AGENTS.md (section "Run") and README.md in the repo root.

What this is

The shared checklist for everyone's first meeting. Tick your boxes (or comment) as you go.

Everyone

• Accept the GitHub invite to this repo (check your email or https://github.com/DataScience-GT/Deep-Learning-Playground/invitations)
• Send Alessio the email you use for Slack, so you can be added to the team channel
• Optional, if deep learning is new to you: 3Blue1Brown "Neural Networks", chapters 1-4 (about 1 hour): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZHQObOWTQDNU6R1_67000Dx_ZCJB-3pi
• Optional, if PyTorch is new to you: PyTorch "Learn the Basics" (about 1-2 hours): https://pytorch.org/tutorials/beginner/basics/intro.html
• Get the website running on your laptop (cd frontend, copy .env.example to .env, pnpm install, pnpm start) and post a screenshot in Slack. If you get stuck, post the error, that is useful too (see the pnpm issue).
• Skim your own intro task (linked on the project board) before the meeting

What you can see on the website today (checked 2026-10-13)

Running locally, these pages work: login screen, About, Wiki, Learn. These do not work yet: the model builder, the dashboard, dataset upload, and the feedback form. They need a login (Firebase) and the old team's AWS cloud, which no longer exists, and leadership asked us not to set up new accounts yet. So for week 1, get familiar with the project by reading the code, running the tests (pnpm test in frontend/, poetry run pytest tests in training/), and exploring the backend's API page at /api/docs.

Meeting

Weekly on Zoom, Sundays 3:00-4:00pm ET, starting Sunday, October 18.

Project board

Deep Learning Playground - Fall 2026

Individual intro tasks

• Intro: get GitHub Actions checks running on pull requests #5 GitHub Actions checks - @zackary-masri
• Intro: run the backend locally without the AWS account #6 Backend without AWS - @Comment-XD
• Intro: fix the pnpm install trap and tour the model builder #7 pnpm install trap + model builder tour - @danmano411
• Intro: compare the live backend API with the OpenAPI spec #8 Live API vs OpenAPI spec - @michaeldo07
• Intro: research how to test login locally without a club Firebase project #3 Login research (local only) - @alvinaz26
• If you don't have a task above yet, the checklist is your whole job for now; pick up a task at the meeting.