Information
Name: Hannah Pedersen
Email: hbp243@nyu.edu
Location: New York City
Typical working hours: very few in the summer
Mentor: I heard about this very recently and haven't found a mentor yet

Synopsis
I wish that the Amazon Echo could provide recipes while cooking. Wikimedia has a rich set of open source recipes, which I could integrate to create a new Amazon Echo skill, which would be similar to how Alexa can access Wikipedia articles.

This new skill would allow a user to search for a desired recipe from Wikimedia and then hear each ingredient, quantity, and step through the Echo. This skill would be useful for most people, as the lack of this feature has been pointed out in several reviews of the Echo and the most popular feature of the Echo in the first year was the cooking timer.

Wikimedia would benefit from this project, as the new channel of access would make using this public information easier. It also could be used as a template for integrating other types of Wikimedia resources with the Echo such as Wikibooks and Wikinews.

Goals
Find recipes for a user:
A user should be able to ask for a recipe and the system should either find the recipe or should say that the recipe could not be found.
“Alexa, find me a recipe for chocolate chips cookies”

Tell the user what ingredients they need:
the system should be able to list both the ingredients and the quantities specified within the recipe. This should support both listing all the ingredients and answering user questions about specific ingredients.
“Alexa, how much granulated sugar do I need?
“You need ¾ cup granulated white sugar”

Tell user the steps of the recipe:
the system should be able to list the directions, in order, one step at a time, urged on by the user
“Step one is to preheat your oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Ask for the next step to proceed”
“Alexa, I’m ready for the next step”
“Step two is to cream the butter, granulated sugar, and the brown sugar in a large mixer bowl. Ask for the next step to proceed”

Save the state for each user:
The system should be able to remember the recipe that the user is making, as well as the step they’re on.
“Wait, Alexa, can you repeat the previous step?”
“Step one is to preheat your oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Ask for the next step to proceed”

Milestones
By Late May
The system should accomplish all goals for one hard coded recipe.

By the Halfway point
The system should accomplish goals 1-3 for the entire Wikimedia cookbook library. Individual steps and directions can be listed, but the name of the recipe must also be stated.

By Late July
The system should be able to store the state (that is, the recipe that the user is making) for the entire Wikimedia cookbook library. After this, I can polish it and create a launch plan.

About Me
I’m a rising Junior at New York University and am a major in Computer Science. Although I’m a beginner and have worked on few projects outside of my classes, I’ve been exposed to AWS and am currently teaching children coding basics. This summer I’ll be returning home and currently have no other commitments. I’m passionate about coding and am particularly passionate about this project because I love to cook and want to be able to use this feature myself.