College of Computing

Army Vet Guides Student Team in Delivering Digital Solution for Military Operations

dgivens8 — Tue, 20 May 2025 18:04:40 +0000

Army Vet Guides Student Team in Delivering Digital Solution for Military Operations dgivens8 Tue, 05/20/2025 - 14:04

A team of Computing students has developed a digital intake system for the U.S. Army, which is set to be implemented as early as next month, transforming a time-consuming, paper-based process into an efficient, modern platform.

The project was part of Computer Science Junior Design Capstone Expo, where students collaborate in teams to build functional software solutions for real-world clients. For team members Jonathan Collins, Joel Cave, Srithan Nalluri, Mark Podrazhansky, and Caden Virant, that client was the U.S. Army. School of Computing Instruction Lecturer Aibek Musaev led their Junior Design section.

“The Army spends a significant amount of time maintaining, documenting, and repairing equipment that allows them to complete their mission,” said Collins, a U.S. Army veteran. “Our system essentially took the current maintenance process and converted it from an entirely paper-based process to a completely digital one.”

The team built a streamlined web application utilizing a set of modern tools that enhance data management, create a user-friendly interface, and ensure seamless operations. The new system improves accountability and visibility across Army maintenance operations by digitizing the intake and tracking processes. It eliminates the risk of lost paperwork and makes it easier for personnel to stay updated on equipment status and repair needs.

2nd Lt. Noah Parsons, the Army’s point of contact for the project, was impressed with both the product and the team’s professionalism.

“Georgia Tech students have completed the intake system to perfection,” Parsons said. “They performed exceptionally and professionally. I cannot stress how great of a job they have done for their class and for the Army as well. Our company intends to start using the intake system as early as next month.”

For Collins, who served four years in the Army before enrolling at Georgia Tech, the experience was meaningful.

“A large part of my role in the Army involved the very maintenance processes we’ve been working to improve,” he said. “I can’t even count how many hours my coworkers and I spent with the current system. Now, being able to use this new chapter of my life to make meaningful improvements feels incredibly rewarding.”

Collins also took the lead in communicating with the military client, helping the team navigate strict requirements and non-negotiable specifications.

With this system, the Army decided what they wanted, and the team was tasked with delivering exactly that with no variation.

The project taught the team critical lessons about ownership, communication, and collaboration under pressure.

“Communication with the client is the absolute most important thing,” Collins said. “You could have the best programmers in the world, but it won’t matter if you can’t deliver the product the client wants. Meeting often and getting consistent feedback was key.”

The Army plans to begin using the system as early as June, bringing the students’ work full circle and marking a meaningful contribution to real-world military operations.

Summary sentence

Summary

Dateline

Tue, 05/20/2025 - 12:00

emily.smith@cc.gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

College of Computing

school of computing instruction

military

Military Technology

CS Junior Design Capstone

cs junior design capstone expo

army

go-researchnews

Categories

Military Technology

Student and Faculty

Student Honors and Achievements

Mercury ID

682471

Source updated

Tue, 05/20/2025 - 14:04

Computing Student Secures Y Combinator Funding for LLM Developer Tool

dgivens8 — Thu, 15 May 2025 13:57:39 +0000

Computing Student Secures Y Combinator Funding for LLM Developer Tool dgivens8 Thu, 05/15/2025 - 09:57

Ayush Karupakula, a second-year computer science student (CS), has secured $500,000 in pre-seed funding from Y Combinator (YC) for Tropir, a startup that helps developers trace and debug failures in large language model (LLM) pipelines.

YC is a prestigious startup accelerator known for launching companies like Airbnb, DoorDash, Stripe, and Reddit, and Karupakula’s acceptance into its Winter 2025 batch places him among the next generation of tech founders.

The Road to Y Combinator

Winning a spot in YC is no small feat. The selection process is highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of around 1%. Participation requires a compelling vision, a strong team, and proof of concept that demonstrates potential. For this student and his co-founder Aarush Kukreja (Princeton University), the journey began in late 2024 with an ambitious idea and a scrappy demo.

“The interview was a 10-minute rapid-fire session with YC partners. They grilled us on our prototype, market fit, and drive,” Karupakula said. “We didn’t have everything figured out, but they loved our energy and our willingness to pivot fast.”

Pivoting from Sustainable Design to Developer Tools

Today, the team is building a developer tool that helps teams trace, debug, and improve complex LLM pipelines. It captures how inputs flow across chains of prompts, retrievals, and tool calls—without any code changes—and surfaces the root causes when outputs break. It also suggests better prompts, structural changes, and other ways to optimize pipeline performance.

Tropir initially aimed to help architecture and planning firms design energy-efficient buildings using AI-driven optimization. But after early user feedback revealed budget constraints and limited software adoption in that market, the team shifted focus.

The team’s ability to adapt quickly to demand is a skill Karupakula credits to his experience at Georgia Tech, where rigorous problem-solving and exposure to cutting-edge technology taught him to iterate fast and stay grounded in user needs.

Leveraging Georgia Tech’s Startup Ecosystem

For Karupakula, Georgia Tech also played a pivotal role in shaping his entrepreneurial mindset. The rigorous CS curriculum provided the technical skills to build innovative solutions, but it was the startup ecosystem that truly sparked his ambition.

“CREATE-X was a game-changer. Taking the Startup Lab class gave me hands-on experience, and attending project showcases opened my eyes to other undergrads’ wild ideas. It’s pure inspiration,” Karupakula said. “And the Grand Challenges Living Learning Community drilled into us the value of stakeholder interviews and rapid prototyping, habits I live by now.”

Hackathons like Hacklytics also helped fuel his passion, exposing him to fast-paced, high-impact projects that reinforced his problem-solving skills and entrepreneurial drive.

The YC Experience: Hustle, Innovation, and Growth

Since joining YC, the experience has been transformative. Relocating to San Francisco, the startup’s founders are now immersed in a high-energy environment where late-night coding sessions and continuous mentorship are the norm. With Garry Tan, YC’s President and CEO, as their designated general partner, they’ve gained insights to refine their approach.

“Being surrounded by founders pushing the boundaries of tech is electric,” Karupakula said. “The energy here is unreal; constant feedback, late-night sprints, and meeting users who get hyped about what we’re building.”

What’s Next?

With YC backing and a new direction, the team is moving fast. Their primary focus is testing their latest concept with users and preparing for a product launch by late spring 2025. The $500,000 in pre-seed funding is being used to expand outbound sales, support cloud infrastructure, and eventually hire engineers to accelerate development.

“YC’s network is the ideal launchpad,” Karupakula said. “Long-term, we’re committed to building something transformative.”

Advice for Aspiring Georgia Tech Entrepreneurs

For fellow students looking to break into the startup world, Karupakula’s advice is simple: “Go for it. Build a rough prototype and get it in front of users, even if it’s not perfect. Lean on CREATE-X for mentorship and connections - they’re gold. And don’t overthink the idea. Pivots are part of the journey. If a second-year undergrad like me can land in YC, you can too.”

Subtitle

Summary sentence

Ayush Karupakula, a second-year computer science student (CS), has secured $500,000 in pre-seed funding from Y Combinator (YC) for Tropir, a startup that helps developers trace and debug failures in large language model (LLM) pipelines.

Summary

Dateline

Thu, 05/15/2025 - 12:00

emily.smith@cc.gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

College of Computing

school of computing instruction

CREATE-X, startup, entrepreneurship, founders

Categories

Student Competition WInners (academic, innovation, and research)

Mercury ID

682405

Source updated

Thu, 05/15/2025 - 09:56

Campus Connection Inspires Mother and Son to Find Purpose and Passion

admin — Fri, 09 May 2025 14:00:41 +0000

Campus Connection Inspires Mother and Son to Find Purpose and Passion admin Fri, 05/09/2025 - 10:00

When Andrew Rush started at Georgia Tech last fall, he already had a sense of direction as soon as he set foot on campus. His mother, Holly Rush, is a longtime Georgia Tech staff employee, and this exposure influenced Andrew to study at the Institute.

We caught up with Holly and Andrew to learn more about what makes Georgia Tech so appealing to students and employees alike, and the unique perspective their mother-son relationship brings to campus.

How long have you worked at Georgia Tech? What do you do as a financial operations assistant director?

[Holly] I have been at Georgia Tech since 2000 and joined the College of Computing in early 2005. Ironically and very memorably, I found out I was expecting Andrew right after I started in Computing. I still recall being very nervous about telling my new boss that I was expecting, but she was happy for me and very accommodating. I went to the bookstore right after our meeting and bought Andrew his first Georgia Tech t-shirt, which I plan to pass down to him one day.

Being part of the College for this long, I have watched it grow from having divisions to schools. I began as a financial administrator and steadily grew into my current role as assistant director of financial operations for the School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE). In my current role, I oversee financial operations for the School of CSE, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and ensuring compliance with Institute and sponsor guidelines. I work closely with faculty, staff, and leadership to support our financial programs and other initiatives. It is a rewarding role that allows me to contribute to the success of the college while watching it grow, just like my own journey here.

How much influence did your mom’s work at Georgia Tech have on your interest in coming here for college?

[Andrew] It definitely played a role. I grew up a fan of all things Georgia Tech, so this was always my dream school. When I got in, all the stars aligned. Tech was my dream school, my mom worked there, and I was close to home. It was perfect.

What is it about Georgia Tech that has kept you here for more than two decades?

[Holly] From the beginning, I have always felt that my work contributes to something bigger – supporting faculty who offer world-class education and innovation. I have had the opportunity to grow professionally and work alongside very talented colleagues.

How has your first year gone? What do you like best about attending Georgia Tech?

[Andrew] Overwhelming. I wasn’t sure what to expect from attending college. The college lifestyle was a big change for me, and I had to learn how to navigate it. I knew Georgia Tech would be challenging, and I thought I was ready for it, but it was still harder than I expected. However, I managed to get through my first year with great resilience and finish stronger than I started.

What do you each like best about being on campus together?

[Holly] I enjoy being nearby and getting to share this chapter of his life. There are many times that Andrew is focused on his studies or his fraternity commitments, so he doesn’t get to come home as often as I would like. But with me being on campus, we can grab a quick lunch or have a short visit. I also like knowing he is a short walk from my office if I want to drop off a homemade meal. Even when we are both too busy for a visit, sometimes I find myself looking out the window across campus. Just seeing the top of a building where he is attending class gives me comfort knowing he is there.

[Andrew] Bouncing off of what my mom said, it has been great. It is comforting that I can go to her office just to say “hey,” and not drive all the way home. It’s nice that when I’m having a rough patch with school, she drops by to offer some reassurance.

What has been the key to reaching the milestones of a fulfilling career and witnessing your children achieve their goals?

[Holly] The key to reaching these milestones has really been maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Georgia Tech has given me the space and support to grow professionally while also being present as a parent. That balance has been everything. It allowed me to build a fulfilling career that I’m proud of, while also being there to watch my children grow and pursue their dreams, including Andrew becoming a Georgia Tech student himself. Being able to do both, without having to choose one over the other, has truly been the foundation of my success and happiness.

What do you look forward to in the next few years studying computer engineering at Georgia Tech? And after graduating?

[Andrew] I am most excited for my threads and starting my career. I have learned so much that I am already applying my studies. I recently used Raspberry Pi to build a circuit that enabled a motion detector to work and set off an LED indicating motion. This was a part of my discovery class for my major, and it was the most fun I have had at Georgia Tech so far. It was very new and exciting to learn about, and it motivates me to put my skills to work.

After graduating, I want to work in cybersecurity, possibly as a hardware security engineer for the government or even my own startup. The project I mentioned opened my eyes to my threads and really motivated me to continue in this field.

Rush is one of more than 150 College of Computing staff members who support the College and its five schools. Staff members are the backbone of the College. From managing operations to providing essential services, their dedication ensures the seamless delivery of education, research, and community support, making them integral to the College's success.

Summary sentence

Holly Rush has worked at Georgia Tech since 2000. Her employment influenced her son, Andrew, to attend the Institute and study computer engineering.

Summary

We caught up with Holly and Andrew to learn more about what makes Georgia Tech so appealing to students and employees alike, and the unique perspective their mother-son relationship brings to campus.

Dateline

Thu, 05/08/2025 - 12:00

Contact

Bryant Wine, Communications Officer
bryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu

Keywords

College of Computing

college of engineering

School of Computational Science and Engineering

College of Engineering; School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Daily Digest

The Whistle

whistle

Georgia Tech News Center

Mother's Day

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Community

Computer Science/Information Technology and Security

Engineering

Student and Faculty

Mercury ID

682285

Source updated

Fri, 05/09/2025 - 09:59

Computing Framework Could Reveal Signs of Neuro Disorders Hidden within Brain Data

admin — Mon, 05 May 2025 13:58:41 +0000

Computing Framework Could Reveal Signs of Neuro Disorders Hidden within Brain Data admin Mon, 05/05/2025 - 09:58

A Georgia Tech doctoral student’s dissertation could help physicians diagnose neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, autism, and Alzheimer’s disease. The new approach leverages data science and algorithms instead of relying on traditional methods like cognitive tests and image scans.

Ph.D. candidate Md Abdur Rahaman’s dissertation studies brain data to understand how changes in brain activity shape behavior.

Computational tools Rahaman developed for his dissertation look for informative patterns between the brain and behavior. Successful tests of his algorithms show promise to help doctors diagnose mental health disorders and design individualized treatment plans for patients.

“I've always been fascinated by the human brain and how it defines who we are,” Rahaman said.

“The fact that so many people silently suffer from neuropsychiatric disorders, while our understanding of the brain remains limited, inspired me to develop tools that bring greater clarity to this complexity and offer hope through more compassionate, data-driven care.”

Rahaman’s dissertation introduces a framework focusing on granular factoring. This computing technique stratifies brain data into smaller, localized subgroups, making it easier for computers and researchers to study data and find meaningful patterns.

Granular factoring overcomes the challenges of size and heterogeneity in neurological data science. Brain data is obtained from neuroimaging, genomics, behavioral datasets, and other sources. The large size of each source makes it a challenge to study them individually, let alone analyze them simultaneously, to find hidden inferences.

Rahaman’s research allows researchers and physicians to move past one-size-fits-all approaches. Instead of manually reviewing tests and scans, algorithms look for patterns and biomarkers in the subgroups that otherwise go undetected, especially ones that indicate neuropsychiatric disorders.

“My dissertation advances the frontiers of computational neuroscience by introducing scalable and interpretable models that navigate brain heterogeneity to reveal how neural dynamics shape behavior,” Rahaman said.

“By uncovering subgroup-specific patterns, this work opens new directions for understanding brain function and enables more precise, personalized approaches to mental health care.”

Rahaman defended his dissertation on April 14, the final step in completing his Ph.D. in computational science and engineering. He will graduate on May 1 at Georgia Tech’s Ph.D. Commencement.

After walking across the stage at McCamish Pavilion, Rahaman’s next step in his career is to go to Amazon, where he will work in the generative artificial intelligence (AI) field.

Graduating from Georgia Tech is the summit of an educational trek spanning over a decade. Rahaman hails from Bangladesh where he graduated from Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology in 2013. He attained his master’s from the University of New Mexico in 2019 before starting at Georgia Tech.

“Munna is an amazingly creative researcher,” said Vince Calhoun, Rahman’s advisor. Calhoun is the founding director of the Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science Center (TReNDS).

TReNDS is a tri-institutional center spanning Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, and Emory University that develops analytic approaches and neuroinformatic tools. The center aims to translate the approaches into biomarkers that address areas of brain health and disease.

“His work is moving the needle in our ability to leverage multiple sources of complex biological data to improve understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders that have a huge impact on an individual’s livelihood,” said Calhoun.

Summary sentence

A Georgia Tech doctoral student’s dissertation could help physicians diagnose neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, autism, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Summary

Ph.D. candidate Md Abdur Rahaman’s dissertation studies brain data to understand how changes in brain activity shape behavior.

Dateline

Thu, 04/24/2025 - 12:00

Contact

Bryant Wine, Communications Officer
bryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu

Keywords

College of Computing

School of Computational Science and Engineering

Research Horizons

go-researchnews

artificial intelligence (AI)

go-ai

Daily Digest

Georgia Tech News Center

News room topics

Health and Medicine

Categories

Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics

Computer Science/Information Technology and Security

Life Sciences and Biology

Research

Student Research

Mercury ID

682026

Source updated

Mon, 05/05/2025 - 09:58

Graduating CS Major Draws Strength from Father’s Example to Lead in Tech

dgivens8 — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 18:00:46 +0000

Graduating CS Major Draws Strength from Father’s Example to Lead in Tech dgivens8 Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:00

For Tai’Re Barashango, the journey toward computer science (CS) began early, sparked by Lego Mindstorms, a curious mind, and inspiration from his father.

“Growing up, my father taught CS at the high school level,” Tai’Re said. “He never pushed it on me, but I’d visit his office and see what he was working on. Just being around it got me interested.”

Now a faculty member in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing, Sababu Barashango remembers his son’s early creativity well.

“He loved music- listening, dancing, even writing rap songs,” said Sababu, a fellow at the Constellations Center for Education in Computing. “He performed one at his elementary school that became their unofficial theme song. He was also active in sports like basketball, cross country, and track.”

That creative energy extended to technology. Tai’Re began building robotic animals and catapults in middle school using Lego Mindstorm kits, some of which were passed down from his dad. “I gave him my programmable Lego sets,” Sababu said. “And, during summers in high school, I would enroll him in free online courses for coding to complement his CS course.”

At Union Grove High School, he took his first digital technology class.

“Once I started coding, I realized this is kind of my thing,” Tai’Re said.

Outside the classroom, Tai’Re was deeply involved in community service. As a first-year college student, he earned the A.D. King Foundation’s Outstanding Youth Leadership of the Year award. He was recognized for completing over 100 hours of service and for his leadership as a JROTC battalion commander. He also delivered a speech on youth empowerment at the ceremony.

“It was powerful being in a room with people connected to the Civil Rights Movement and others breaking barriers in education,” Tai’Re said. “I think it’s important to give back and inspire kids to be ambitious.”

His father shared how proud he is of his son’s accomplishments. “Tai’Re has grown into a young man with compassion, intelligence, and maturity. He’s a great problem solver, in school and life.”

Now a graduating CS major, Tai’Re has made the most of his time at Tech. He’s been active in research and student organizations. He’s worked as a long-term student assistant in the College of Computing and interned as a software engineer with Genuine Parts Company, tackling real-world technical challenges.

Among his many memorable moments at Georgia Tech, one standout experience for Tai’Re was a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) with School of Literature, Media, and Communication’s Joycelyn Wilson. His team created a digital archive focused on hip-hop culture.

“We built a website where you could look up songs, watch videos, and even view AI-generated lyric analysis,” Tai’Re said. “It was amazing to merge my love of music with CS.”

He credits CS 1332: Data Structures and Algorithms and other early courses in the School of Computing Instruction for giving him the foundation he needed to succeed.

“That class gave me core skills for technical interviews,” Tai’Re said. “Project-based classes helped me build a strong resume.”

Outside of academics, he was involved in groups such as the African Student Association, African American Student Union, and the Black Student Computing Organization (BSCO).

“BSCO was especially helpful. They host events, share our resumes, and connect us to recruiters,” Tai’Re said.

All the preparation has paid off. After graduation, Tai’Re will begin his career as a software engineer with Cargill in Midtown Atlanta.

His advice for students is to be patient and stay curious.

“Computer science is broad; it might take time to find your niche. But it’s worth exploring. Georgia Tech is rigorous, but you grow a lot as a person and a coder.”

Summary sentence

For Tai’Re Barashango, the journey toward computer science (CS) began early, sparked by Lego Mindstorms, a curious mind, and inspiration from his father.

Summary

For Tai’Re Barashango, the journey toward computer science (CS) began early, sparked by Lego Mindstorms, a curious mind, and inspiration from his father.

Dateline

Mon, 04/28/2025 - 12:00

emily.smith@cc.gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

graduation 2025

College of Computing

school of computing instruction

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Education

Student and Faculty

Student Honors and Achievements

Mercury ID

682101

Source updated

Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:00

Faculty Earn Fellowships for Heart Modeling and Data Optimization Research

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:42:41 +0000

Faculty Earn Fellowships for Heart Modeling and Data Optimization Research admin Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:42

Two faculty members represented Georgia Tech as new fellows to the world’s leading organization dedicated to applied mathematics, computational science, and data science.

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) selected Elizabeth Cherry and Katya Scheinberg as Class of 2025 fellows. The two Georgia Tech faculty join an illustrious class of 23 other researchers from around the globe in this year’s class.

SIAM selected Cherry to recognize her contributions to mathematical and computational modeling and extensive service to the SIAM community. She studies the electrical behavior of cardiac cells and tissue.

Cherry’s computer models and simulations improve understanding of cardiac dynamics in normal and diseased states. Using these tools, she designs advanced strategies for preventing and treating arrhythmias.

“SIAM has played a huge role in my professional development—the first conference I attended as a graduate student was a SIAM conference, and I’ve attended at least one SIAM conference almost every year since then,” Cherry said.

“Given this long history, it means a lot to me for SIAM to acknowledge my contributions in this way.”

Scheinberg, from Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering, was selected for her foundational contributions to derivative-free optimization and optimization applications in data science and her dedicated service to the optimization community.

Cherry is the fifth faculty member from the School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) to be selected as a SIAM Fellow.

Cherry’s announcement as a SIAM Fellow comes weeks after serving in a leadership role at a SIAM conference. She co-chaired the organizing committee of the SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering (CSE25).

In 2023, SIAM members reelected Cherry to a second term as a council member-at-large. She began her three-year term in January 2024.

"SIAM Fellows are selected for deep mathematical contributions. Receiving Fellow status is a high honor for any applied mathematician," said Regents’ Professor Srinivas Aluru, senior associate dean of the College of Computing and Class of 2020 SIAM Fellow.

"Not only are Elizabeth's contributions technically outstanding, but her work also provides deep insights into the functioning of the heart and its abnormalities."

Cherry’s leadership and service extends outside of SIAM, influencing students and faculty across Georgia Tech.

In December, the College of Computing appointed Cherry as associate dean for graduate education. Before this appointment, she served as associate chair for academic affairs of the School of CSE.

With her new role as associate dean, Cherry continues serving as director of CSE programs at Georgia Tech.

In March 2024, Cherry was among five Georgia Tech faculty members selected for the ACC Academic Leaders Network (ACC ALN) Fellows program. The ALN program fosters cross-institutional networking and collaboration between ACC schools, increasing each institution’s academic leadership capacity.

Cherry was part of a team of Georgia Tech and Emory University researchers who won a Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance award in 2023. The group earned the Team Science Award of Distinction for Early Stage Research Teams award for work that captures high-resolution visualizations of spiral waves that create heart arrhythmias.

SIAM will recognize Cherry, Scheinberg, and Class of 2025 fellows during a reception at the SIAM/CAIMS Annual Meetings this July in Montréal.

“It is such an honor to be recognized as a SIAM Fellow,” Cherry said. “I’m thrilled to join my CSE colleagues who have also received this recognition.”

Subtitle

Summary sentence

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) selected Elizabeth Cherry and Katya Scheinberg as Class of 2025 fellows.

Summary

Two faculty members represented Georgia Tech as new fellows to the world’s leading organization dedicated to applied mathematics, computational science, and data science.

Dateline

Fri, 04/11/2025 - 12:00

Contact

Bryant Wine, Communications Officer
bryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

College of Computing

School of Computational Science and Engineering

go-researchnews

Research Horizons

Daily Digest

Georgia Tech News Center

SIAM

News room topics

Science and Technology

Categories

Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics

Computer Science/Information Technology and Security

Life Sciences and Biology

Student and Faculty

Mercury ID

681734

Source updated

Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:41

Computing Student Launches First-Ever Hacker House on Campus

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:39:41 +0000

Computing Student Launches First-Ever Hacker House on Campus admin Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:39

For Georgia Tech computer science student Yamil Quispe, the idea was simple: create a space where passionate people could build, collaborate, and launch ideas together. That vision led to the Georgia Tech Hacker House, which Quispe calls the first-ever residency for builders on campus.

Located at 160 6th St NW, the Hacker House offers 10 rooms and 20 spots in a nine-month live-in program for students working on startups, research, or creative projects.

“Every resident becomes part of the founding committee that shapes the house culture,” Quispe said.

Inspired by the Bay Area

The idea stemmed from Quispe’s summers interning at tech companies in the Bay Area. During these summers, he visited hacker houses while working on his startup, Sideye, an anonymous messaging app.

“I loved the energy and community. I wanted to bring that same environment back to campus—essentially bringing the Bay Area to Atlanta,” he said. “I wanted to live with my co-founders to work more effectively.”

The opportunity came when a friend mentioned a fraternity house with open rooms. Quispe contacted the house manager and signed a contract to rent it out for the upcoming academic year.

A House Built for Builders

Running from August 10, 2025, to May 10, 2026, the house will bring together students building in areas like B2B SaaS, AR/VR, and social media. Some residents have co-founders, others work solo—but all have a project to focus on.

“There are no extra fees beyond rent,” Quispe said. “But we’re still exploring partnerships to add more resources for everyone in the house.”

Participants will have access to workspaces, mentorship from Georgia Tech alumni, and connections to industry professionals.

“We’ll host regular hackathons, workshops, and speaker sessions with interesting guests,” he said. “It’s all about holding each other accountable and growing personally and professionally.”

A Wave of Interest

Interest in the house took off almost immediately.

News of the Hacker House spread quickly across LinkedIn, Reddit, Discord, and Instagram.

“Meeting the selected members in person and seeing their excitement was by far the best part,” Quispe said.

In just three weeks, nearly 180 students applied for the 20 spots. The selection process considered potential and what residents could contribute, such as hosting events or bringing in mentors. Only two spots remain for the upcoming year, and a waitlist of over 20 students has already formed for fall 2026.

Looking Ahead

Quispe hopes the Hacker House will eventually become an official part of Georgia Tech and inspire similar spaces at other universities.

Quispe advises other students hoping to build something on campus to “just get started.”

“You don’t need everything figured out from the start,” he said. “Don’t underestimate your ability; sometimes it’s as simple as asking the right questions or knocking on the right door. The best ideas often take unconventional paths, so be open to unexpected opportunities like renting a frat house to start a hacker house.”

Summary sentence

For Georgia Tech computer science student Yamil Quispe, the idea was simple: create a space where passionate people could build, collaborate, and launch ideas together.

Summary

Dateline

Fri, 04/11/2025 - 12:00

emily.smith@cc.gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

College of Computing

hacker house

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Community

Mercury ID

681750

Source updated

Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:39

School Award Winners Impress on World, National, and Institute Stages

dgivens8 — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 14:11:55 +0000

School Award Winners Impress on World, National, and Institute Stages dgivens8 Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:11

The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work. The College of Computing’s 34th Annual Awards Celebration on April 8 offered a venue to honor the hard work and ensuing success of students, faculty, staff, and alumni in 2024-2025.

“In this past year, my first as the dean of computing, I have seen exactly how much work it takes from everyone to keep this community going, not to mention excelling,” said Vivek Sarkar, dean and John P. Imlay Jr. Chair of the College of Computing.

“We are strong across the board, and that makes our winners all the more impressive.”

The School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) is one unit that reinforces the College’s emphasis on collaboration, problem solving, and excellence. By earning awards this year at the College, Institute, and levels beyond, the School of CSE continues to distinguish itself as a top-tier department for research and learning.

Select award winners from the School of CSE recognized at this year’s banquet were:

Professor Polo Chau- Dean’s Award
Pratham Mehta, M.S. CS student- The Donald V. Jackson Fellowship
Parisa Babolhavaeji- The Marshall D. Williamson Fellowship
Aeree Cho, Ph.D. student- Rising Star Doctoral Student Research Award
Alumnus Zijie (Jay) Wang (Ph.D. ML-CSE 2024)- Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award

The College of Computing also recognized awardees with ties to the School of CSE. These included:

Lecturer and alumnus Max Roozbahani (Ph.D. CSE 2019)- William A. "gus" Baird Faculty Teaching Award. Instructor of the online section of CSE6242: Data and Visual Analytics.
Lecturer and alumnus Nimisha Roy (Ph.D. CSE 2021)- William D. "Bill" Leahy Jr. Outstanding Instructor Award
Teaching Assistant Susanta Routray- Outstanding Instructional Associate Teaching Award. Co-head TA of the online section of CSE6242: Data and Visual Analytics.

Chau teaches the CSE6242 course, and advises Babolhavaeji, Cho, Mehta, and Wang. Along with the College of Computing awards, Chau received the Innovator’s Award at the M.S. Analytics Ten Year Anniversary. He has served as the program’s associate director since 2014 and over 1,000 students have taken his data and visual analytics course each semester in recent years.

Along with receiving the College of Computing’s dissertation, Wang received a 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI).

SIGCHI is the world’s largest association of human-computer interaction professionals and practitioners. Wang is one of five recipients of the award this year.

Earlier in the year, Forbes recognized Wang by naming him to its 30 Under 30 in Science for 2025.

Wang’s dissertation earned him the 2025 Best Ph.D. Thesis Award from the Georgia Tech Sigma Chi chapter.

At the same ceremony, Sigma Chi presented Regents’ Professor Mark Borodovsky with the Best Faculty Paper Award for his work on GeneMark-ETP. Borodovsky holds joint appointments with the School of CSE and the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Trailblazing work in biocomputing earned Regents’ Professor Srinivas Aluru the 2025 Charles Babbage Award. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEE CS) presented the award for Aluru’s pioneering contributions intersecting parallel computing and computational biology.

News of Aluru’s Babbage Award arrived at the same time the College of Computing announced the appointments of associate deans. The College appointed Aluru as senior associate dean, and Associate Professor Elizabeth Cherry became associate dean for graduate education.

Aluru and Cherry’s appointments marked the first time in the School’s history that faculty represented the School as associate deans.

Aluru ended his role as executive director of Georgia Tech’s Institute for Data Engineering and Science (IDEaS) when he accepted the senior associate dean role. In his place, IDEaS appointed Regents’ Professor C. David Sherrill as interim executive director.

Sherrill holds joint appointments with CSE and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He has served as associate director of IDEaS since its founding in 2016. His appointment as interim executive director comes after his election to the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (IAQMS).

Cherry's appointment as associate dean was one of many accolades she received in 2025. In March, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) selected her as a Class of 2025 Fellow, recognizing her contributions to computational cardiology research and extensive service to the SIAM community. Cherry is the fifth faculty member from the School of CSE selected as a SIAM Fellow.

Cherry co-chaired the organizing committee for the SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering (CSE25). She is also serving a second consecutive term as a SIAM council member-at-large.

Members of the SIAM Activity Group on Computational Science and Engineering (SIAG/CSE) elected School of CSE Professor and Associate Chair Edmond Chow as vice chair. Chow’s two-year term began in January after serving as the group’s program director.

Cherry previously served as the School of CSE’s associate chair for academic affairs. When she accepted her new associate dean role, the School appointed B. Aditya Prakash as associate chair.

Prakash was one of three School of CSE faculty members who received promotions that take effect in July. He was promoted to full professor. Assistant Professors Chao Zhang and Xiuwei Zhang earned tenure and promotions. Each has been promoted to associate professor.

Prakash advised Alexander Rodríguez (Ph.D. CS 2023), now an assistant professor at the University of Michigan. Rodríguez won an outstanding dissertation award runner-up at the International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD 2024).

Rodríguez’s dissertation on Artificial Intelligence for Data-centric Surveillance and Forecasting of Epidemics earned him the College of Computing's Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2024.

Assistant Professor Florian Schäfer co-authored a paper selected for one of five best technical paper awards at the annual conference for ACM’s Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH 24).

Schäfer’s work in numerical computation and statistical inference led to his appointment as an initiative lead within Georgia Tech’s Institute for Matter and Systems (IMS). IMS selected Schäfer to lead the initiative on Matter and Information, looking to him to facilitate innovative approaches and impact in alignment with IMS’ mission.

Assistant Professor Spencer Bryngelson and his group received an ACCESS-CI Maximize allocation from the National Science Foundation. The award amounts to 225,000 GPU hours annually to run their multiphase fluid flow simulation algorithms on powerful supercomputers.

One of Bryngelson’s Ph.D. students, Ben Wilfong, received the 2024-2025 CRNCH Fellowship. Wilfong will use the fellowship to optimize superchip architectures, such as NVIDIA Grace Hopper and AMD MI300A.

Early in the year, Suzan Manasreh and Elizabeth Hong won President’s Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA) for Fall 2024. Manasreh studies in Bryngelson’s group, and Professor Rich Vuduc advises Hong.

M.S. CSE student Grace Driskill attained achievement in the classroom, on the track, and cross country courses. The first-ever School of CSE student-athlete earned a third selection to an All-ACC academic team.

Driskill made history by recording the fourth fastest 3000-meter time in history of the Georgia Tech Women’s Indoor Track program. She clocked a 9:22.21 on Feb. 15 at Boston University’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational.

Students praised Assistant Professor Raphaël Pestourie, who was selected for the Fall 2024 CIOS Honor Roll. The honor roll recognized Pestourie for outstanding teaching and educational impact through his CSE 8803: Scientific Machine Learning course.

In the waning weeks of the semester, CSE-AE Ph.D. student Atticus Rex received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award for computational and data-enabled science research. Rex is advised by Assistant Professor Elizabeth Qian, who holds joint appointments with the School of CSE and the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.

In March, the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) awarded honorary membership to Regents’ Professor Surya Kalidindi. Kalidindi is affiliated with the School of CSE, the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and the School of Materials Science and Engineering.

Summary sentence

By earning awards this year at the College, Institute, and levels beyond, the School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) continues to distinguish itself as a top-tier department for research and learning.

Summary

“We are strong across the board, and that makes our winners all the more impressive.”

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Fri, 04/25/2025 - 12:00

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Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:11

Student Innovation Shines at Spring 2025 CS Junior Design Capstone Expo

dgivens8 — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 14:28:41 +0000

Student Innovation Shines at Spring 2025 CS Junior Design Capstone Expo dgivens8 Thu, 04/24/2025 - 10:28

From a digital tool to enhance workshops to a real-time analytics platform for warehouse sensors, computing students demonstrated a wide range of software solutions at the Spring 2025 Computer Science Junior Design Capstone Expo.

Held on April 21 in the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall, the event highlighted the technical skills and creativity of third- and fourth-year students in the School of Computing Instruction.

The Expo is the culmination of a two-semester course in which computer science and computational media majors partner with public and private sector clients to design minimally viable products such as mobile apps, dashboards, and analytics platforms to solve real-world problems. Volunteers judge teams on functionality, aesthetics, and presentation quality.

1st Place – ETD Workshop App

This digital platform replaces physical cards with a scalable, interactive web application to support Georgia Tech’s Effective Team Dynamics workshop.

Team Members: Kevin Cao, Benjamin Diprete, Vincent Kong, Heeba Merchant, Ameerah Mourad, Scott Watanuki

2nd Place – Extropian Analytics Platform

Partnering with Extropian, the team upgraded a golf app demo into a commercial-grade platform with a refined UI/UX and insights powered by biomechanical sensor data.

Team Members: Uma Dukle, Tyler Harris, Nikil Kandala, Aryan Shah, Jeffrey Yang

3rd Place (Tie) – Spring/Gait Analysis Dashboard

This computer vision dashboard analyzes running gait using biometric and joint-tracking data, aiding athletes and physical therapists.

Team Members: Aishani Chakraborty, Anisha Sadhale, Samuel Taubman, Robert Terpin, Anish Vallabhaneni, Nolan Winter

3rd Place (Tie) – Poolerz – Carpool Optimization

This mobile and web application simplifies carpooling for families through route and schedule optimization algorithms.

Team Members: Tyler Cady, Matthew Dworkin, Ignacio Galindo, Natasha Narayanan, Annie Vallamattam

One returning client organization was the Sustainability Solutions Group & Institute’s Center for Sustainable Communities.

“We like to give them real-world problems, not just stuff that's made up out of thin air,” client and Georgia Tech alumnus Garry Harris said. "We feed them articles, webinars, and relevant papers throughout the process. They build an inventory of knowledge that drives the project and invest in it because it’s important.”

Student Daniel Long, who worked with Harris’s company, appreciated the collaborative structure. “He gave us a detailed vision but left the implementation up to us. We worked with him to define features and implemented them in two-week iterations. He was always open to our ideas and gave us consistent feedback.”

Another student group, Team Spark, collaborated with Sentinel Devices, a first-time client, to create a dashboard visualizing real-time sensor data.

“Part of the real-world challenge for them was being persistent and communicating what they needed,” said CEO Forrest Shriver.

He added that he met with the team multiple times in person, and their ideas made the project more efficient. “It’s been awesome so far because it’s allowed us to explore more opportunities, adding onto our product that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Spark team member Jenny Lee explained, “Their devices provide sensor data in real time, and our job was to turn that into something useful and readable for the user.”

Teammate Daiwik Pal said, “We didn’t touch any code at first. We spent a semester aligning with the client’s goals before implementation began.”

Each team balanced creativity and technical rigor, and the Spring 2025 CS Junior Design Capstone Expo offered a compelling look at how students are already making an impact beyond the classroom.

More photos of the expo can be found here.

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Held on April 21 in the Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall, the event highlighted the technical skills and creativity of third- and fourth-year students in the School of Computing Instruction.

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Thu, 04/24/2025 - 12:00

emily.smith@cc.gatech.edu

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Thu, 04/24/2025 - 10:28

Thesis on Human-Centered AI Earns Honors from International Computing Organization

dgivens8 — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 14:30:41 +0000

Thesis on Human-Centered AI Earns Honors from International Computing Organization dgivens8 Tue, 04/22/2025 - 10:30

A Georgia Tech alum’s dissertation introduced ways to make artificial intelligence (AI) more accessible, interpretable, and accountable. Although it’s been a year since his doctoral defense, Zijie (Jay) Wang’s (Ph.D. ML-CSE 2024) work continues to resonate with researchers.

Wang is a recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI). The award recognizes Wang for his lifelong work on democratizing human-centered AI.

“Throughout my Ph.D. and industry internships, I observed a gap in existing research: there is a strong need for practical tools for applying human-centered approaches when designing AI systems,” said Wang, now a safety researcher at OpenAI.

“My work not only helps people understand AI and guide its behavior but also provides user-friendly tools that fit into existing workflows.”

Wang’s dissertation presented techniques in visual explanation and interactive guidance to align AI models with user knowledge and values. The work culminated from years of research, fellowship support, and internships.

Wang’s most influential projects formed the core of his dissertation. These included:

CNN Explainer: an open-source tool developed for deep-learning beginners. Since its release in July 2020, more than 436,000 global visitors have used the tool.
DiffusionDB: a first-of-its-kind large-scale dataset that lays a foundation to help people better understand generative AI. This work could lead to new research in detecting deepfakes and designing human-AI interaction tools to help people more easily use these models.
GAM Changer: an interface that empowers users in healthcare, finance, or other domains to edit ML models to include knowledge and values specific to their domain, which improves reliability.
GAM Coach: an interactive ML tool that could help people who have been rejected for a loan by automatically letting an applicant know what is needed for them to receive loan approval.
Farsight: a tool that alerts developers when they write prompts in large language models that could be harmful and misused.

“I feel extremely honored and lucky to receive this award, and I am deeply grateful to many who have supported me along the way, including Polo, mentors, collaborators, and friends,” said Wang, who was advised by School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Professor Polo Chau.

“This recognition also inspired me to continue striving to design and develop easy-to-use tools that help everyone to easily interact with AI systems.”

Like Wang, Chau advised Georgia Tech alumnus Fred Hohman (Ph.D. CSE 2020). Hohman won the ACM SIGCHI Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2022.

Chau’s group synthesizes machine learning (ML) and visualization techniques into scalable, interactive, and trustworthy tools. These tools increase understanding and interaction with large-scale data and ML models.

Chau is the associate director of corporate relations for the Machine Learning Center at Georgia Tech. Wang called the School of CSE his home unit while a student in the ML program under Chau.

Wang is one of five recipients of this year’s award to be presented at the 2025 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2025). The conference occurs April 25-May 1 in Yokohama, Japan.

SIGCHI is the world’s largest association of human-computer interaction professionals and practitioners. The group sponsors or co-sponsors 26 conferences, including CHI.

Wang’s outstanding dissertation award is the latest recognition of a career decorated with achievement.

Months after graduating from Georgia Tech, Forbes named Wang to its 30 Under 30 in Science for 2025 for his dissertation. Wang was one of 15 Yellow Jackets included in nine different 30 Under 30 lists and the only Georgia Tech-affiliated individual on the 30 Under 30 in Science list.

While a Georgia Tech student, Wang earned recognition from big names in business and technology. He received the Apple Scholars in AI/ML Ph.D. Fellowship in 2023 and was in the 2022 cohort of the J.P. Morgan AI Ph.D. Fellowships Program.

Along with the CHI award, Wang’s dissertation earned him awards this year at banquets across campus. The Georgia Tech chapter of Sigma Xi presented Wang with the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award. He also received the College of Computing’s Outstanding Dissertation Award.

“Georgia Tech attracts many great minds, and I’m glad that some, like Jay, chose to join our group,” Chau said. “It has been a joy to work alongside them and witness the many wonderful things they have accomplished, and with many more to come in their careers.”

Summary sentence

Zijie (Jay) Wang (Ph.D. ML-CSE 2024) is a recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI).

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Dateline

Thu, 04/17/2025 - 12:00

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Bryant Wine, Communications Officer
bryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu

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Tue, 04/22/2025 - 10:29

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School Award Winners Impress on World, National, and Institute Stages

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Student Innovation Shines at Spring 2025 CS Junior Design Capstone Expo

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Thesis on Human-Centered AI Earns Honors from International Computing Organization

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