If you opt for the online tutorial project I would say this: This is a research project supporting a research masters, right? Do the research.

While some would argue that polling for expert opinions on Perlmonks is research, I believe you need the more technical, practical variety. Find out which languages are suitable for this project. Contruct a matrix outlining each language's strengths and weaknesses. Make a decision on which language is best suited based on the scope of the project, complexity, level of programming expertise required, costs, etc. Develop arguments to defend your selection. Then start doing the fun part.