diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 929b8b8..012e948 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ cd ddg-exercises/projects
 ```
 
 Each project in `ddg-exercises/projects` builds its own executable when compiled. To 
-run a particular project `<project>`, go to the `projects/<project>` directory. First, compile using
+run a particular project `<project>`, go to the `projects/<project>` directory. The basic process for compiling is as follows. First, compile using
 ```
 mkdir build
 cd build
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ which builds an executable `main` which can then be run using
 bin/main <optional_path_to_a_mesh>
 ```
 
+(See https://geometry-central.net/build/building/ for additional compiler flag options.)
+
 ## Dependencies (all included)
 
 1. Geometry processing and linear algebra - [Geometry Central](https://github.com/nmwsharp/geometry-central), which in turn has dependencies on [Eigen](https://eigen.tuxfamily.org) and [Suitesparse](https://people.engr.tamu.edu/davis/suitesparse.html).
diff --git a/projects/geodesic-distance/src/heat-method.cpp b/projects/geodesic-distance/src/heat-method.cpp
index 491fb50..5aec96f 100644
--- a/projects/geodesic-distance/src/heat-method.cpp
+++ b/projects/geodesic-distance/src/heat-method.cpp
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ HeatMethod::HeatMethod(ManifoldSurfaceMesh* surfaceMesh, VertexPositionGeometry*
 
     // TODO: Build Laplace and flow matrices.
     // Note: core/geometry.cpp has meanEdgeLength() function
-    this->A = identityMatrix<double>(mesh->nVertices()); // placeholder
-    this->F = identityMatrix<double>(mesh->nVertices()); // placeholder
+    this->A = identityMatrix<double>(1); // placeholder
+    this->F = identityMatrix<double>(1); // placeholder
 }
 
 /*
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ FaceData<Vector3> HeatMethod::computeVectorField(const Vector<double>& u) const
 Vector<double> HeatMethod::computeDivergence(const FaceData<Vector3>& X) const {
 
     // TODO
-    return Vector<double>::Zero(mesh->nVertices()); // placeholder
+    return Vector<double>::Zero(1); // placeholder
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/projects/geodesic-distance/src/main.cpp b/projects/geodesic-distance/src/main.cpp
index f43fa7e..6755147 100644
--- a/projects/geodesic-distance/src/main.cpp
+++ b/projects/geodesic-distance/src/main.cpp
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ void functionCallback() {
     }
     if (ImGui::Button("Reset")) {
         polyscope::state::subset.vertices.clear();
+        polyscope::state::currVertexIndex = -1;
         psMesh->setSurfaceColor({1.0, 0.45, 0.0});
         solnColors->setEnabled(false);
         isolines->setEnabled(false);
diff --git a/projects/geometric-flow/src/mean-curvature-flow.cpp b/projects/geometric-flow/src/mean-curvature-flow.cpp
index be7f45b..5bc9641 100644
--- a/projects/geometric-flow/src/mean-curvature-flow.cpp
+++ b/projects/geometric-flow/src/mean-curvature-flow.cpp
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ MeanCurvatureFlow::MeanCurvatureFlow(ManifoldSurfaceMesh* inputMesh, VertexPosit
 SparseMatrix<double> MeanCurvatureFlow::buildFlowOperator(const SparseMatrix<double>& M, double h) const {
 
     // TODO
-    return identityMatrix<double>(mesh->nVertices()); // placeholder
+    return identityMatrix<double>(1); // placeholder
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/projects/geometric-flow/src/modified-mean-curvature-flow.cpp b/projects/geometric-flow/src/modified-mean-curvature-flow.cpp
index 7d6c229..dfdd398 100644
--- a/projects/geometric-flow/src/modified-mean-curvature-flow.cpp
+++ b/projects/geometric-flow/src/modified-mean-curvature-flow.cpp
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ ModifiedMeanCurvatureFlow::ModifiedMeanCurvatureFlow(ManifoldSurfaceMesh* inputM
     geometry = inputGeo;
 
     // TODO: build the Laplace matrix
-    this->A = identityMatrix<double>(mesh->nVertices()); // placeholder
+    this->A = identityMatrix<double>(1); // placeholder
 }
 
 /*
@@ -22,5 +22,5 @@ ModifiedMeanCurvatureFlow::ModifiedMeanCurvatureFlow(ManifoldSurfaceMesh* inputM
  */
 SparseMatrix<double> ModifiedMeanCurvatureFlow::buildFlowOperator(const SparseMatrix<double>& M, double h) const {
     // TODO
-    return identityMatrix<double>(mesh->nVertices()); // placeholder
+    return identityMatrix<double>(1); // placeholder
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/projects/parameterization/src/spectral-conformal-parameterization.cpp b/projects/parameterization/src/spectral-conformal-parameterization.cpp
index c29d393..70571ee 100644
--- a/projects/parameterization/src/spectral-conformal-parameterization.cpp
+++ b/projects/parameterization/src/spectral-conformal-parameterization.cpp
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ SpectralConformalParameterization::SpectralConformalParameterization(ManifoldSur
 SparseMatrix<std::complex<double>> SpectralConformalParameterization::buildConformalEnergy() const {
 
     // TODO
-    return identityMatrix<std::complex<double>>(mesh->nVertices()); // placeholder
+    return identityMatrix<std::complex<double>>(1); // placeholder
 }