At Tokyo Coding Club, we’re proud of the incredible work of our talented students have achieved alongside their master instructors. Today, we’re excited to highlight a standout project from one of our star teenage students, whose creativity and dedication have resulted in a powerful machine learning-based web application. Let’s dive into the details of this impressive achievement!
Project Overview
Starting with an interest in machine learning and data analysis, this student took on the challenge of building a movie recommendation system. Using an IMDB dataset of over 25,000 films, the project began with a Python-based model that could suggest movies based on user preferences. Through months of learning and coding alongside her instructor Dash, this student expanded the project into a full web application, integrating machine learning with a user-friendly interface
Fig 1: A graph showing how certain movie indexes are correlated to other movies
The development journey involved numerous technologies: from Python and scikit-learn for data processing and modeling to TensorFlow with Keras for creating a neural network. On the web development side, HTML, Tailwind CSS, and JavaScript were used to build a sleek front-end interface. The backend, developed using Flask, connected the recommendation model to the front-end, allowing real-time movie suggestions. This multifaceted project showcased full-stack development skills and machine learning expertise.
Fig 2: The structure for our Flask project
Fig 3: Student’s Website showing Recommendations for “The Avengers”
Student Background
Our featured student, who joined us in the summer of 2023, has been consistently curious and motivated to learn. Hailing from New York, this learner balances a busy academic schedule while taking online coding lessons with Tokyo Coding Club. She’s been particularly interested in exploring technologies outside of her regular school curriculum, especially in the areas of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Over the summer, she took her skills to the next level by diving into web development.
Tools and Technologies
This complex project required the use of several advanced tools and technologies:
Python (NumPy, Pandas for data manipulation, Flask for backend development)
scikit-learn (for machine learning modeling and preprocessing)
TensorFlow with Keras (for neural network design)
HTML, Tailwind CSS, and JavaScript (for building the front-end)
The project evolved through numerous phases, from data analysis to building a functional machine learning model, and finally to integrating that model into a web application.
Overcoming Challenges
One of the main challenges was time management, particularly in building out an ambitious project while balancing school and other extracurricular activities. In addition, grasping the complex nature of machine learning algorithms presented difficulties, but by using relatable analogies and visual aids, such as comparing a neural network’s layers to different departments in a company, Dash helped make these concepts more understandable.
The web development phase introduced another challenge: integrating the machine learning model into the front-end interface seen on the screen. Given the limited time, we adopted a step-by-step approach, focusing on core functionality first and gradually adding features over time. This method ensured tangible progress, which kept the student motivated and deeply engaged with full-stack development (front end and back end).
Key Takeaways and Future Plans
This project gave the student valuable hands-on experience in:
Data analysis and preprocessing
The fundamentals of machine learning and neural networks
Full-stack web development, including UI/UX design and backend integration
Looking ahead, we’ve discussed several exciting possibilities for future development:
Enhancing the movie recommendation system with natural language processing (NLP) to analyze movie reviews
Exploring cloud deployment options to scale the web application
Adding user authentication for personalized recommendations
This student’s journey from data analysis to a fully functioning web app is a testament to her ability to grasp complex concepts and apply them in real-world projects. Her curiosity, resilience, and dedication provide a solid foundation for future pursuits in AI, web development, or any field they choose to explore!
Stay tuned for more student showcases at Tokyo Coding Club, where young minds are transforming their ideas into powerful projects!
Ready to Start Your Own Coding Journey?
Whether you’re interested in mastering machine learning, web development, or exploring other exciting technologies, Tokyo Coding Club offers expert guidance and hands-on projects to help you achieve your goals. Join our community of young innovators and bring your ideas to life!