Georgia Tech News Center

Klaus Startup Challenge Showcases Georgia Tech's Rising Entrepreneurial Talent

dgivens8 — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 12:57:41 +0000

Klaus Startup Challenge Showcases Georgia Tech's Rising Entrepreneurial Talent dgivens8 Tue, 07/29/2025 - 08:57

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies played a crucial role for student entrepreneurs competing for $750,000 in startup funding during the fifth annual Klaus Startup Challenge at the College of Computing.

More than 200 students competed during the entry-level pitch competition. Georgia Tech alumnus and renowned tech entrepreneur Christopher W. Klaus, the competition's namesake, pledged $150,000 toward startup costs for five winning teams. The challenge aims to prepare beginner entrepreneurs for future competitions and funding opportunities.

The three-round competition started in February with 87 teams. In round one, teams had to meet the application deadline and ensure that at least one team member participated in all challenge workshops, mentor meetings, and pitch practices. Round two required eligible teams to submit a 90-second pitch video.

Twenty-four teams selected by a judges' panel then moved on to round three of the startup challenge, which took place on April 2 in the Klaus Advanced Computing Building.

For the final round, the teams pitched their startup concepts to a live audience and a panel of judges. The judges were Klaus, Joe Uhl, an alumnus and member of the College of Computing Advisory Board, and Margaret Weniger, director of Entrepreneurial Programs at CREATE-X.

The winning startups span financial services, cybersecurity, social media, and other business sectors.

Targeting the food and beverage industry, winning startup DDingDong has developed an innovative platform that leverages advanced technology and streamlined communication to connect restaurants and diners through personalized promotions.

Seung Taek Lee (CS 25), CS BS/MS student Sunny Park, and business major Seongyeon Cho co-founded DDingDong. The team is using its funding investment from Fusen to establish the startup as a Delaware C Corporation.

“What started as a spark of an idea just three months ago has now grown into a real product, a real team, and a real company. With all those late nights, no weekends, and endless coding — all running on the sheer energy of ‘we believe in this,’” Park said in a LinkedIn post.

Park also thanked the judges in her post. She singled out Klaus. She said, “This challenge carries your name, your legacy, and your continued commitment to pushing innovation forward.

“It was an honor to pitch in front of you, and we’re incredibly grateful that you saw something in us. Your belief in our idea gave us the confidence to keep building.”

The competition rules require each team to have at least one member who is a current Georgia Tech student. In addition to DDingDong, the winning teams of the 2025 Klaus Startup Challenge and their Yellow Jacket team members are:

AerLock: Jack Rumpf, Jack Wachter (CS 24), Yoyi Xie – AerLock brings AI to cybersecurity, creating a single solution to defend entire organizations in real time. It looks to outpace the development of malware, which will help end effective cyberattacks.

Chemetrian: David Ashley (CS MS 25) – Chemetrian empowers molecular scientists to harness AI and machine learning through an intuitive, easy-to-use platform that standardizes computational workflows. This functionality accelerates the discovery of societally transformative molecules, eliminating the need for programming expertise.

Loandock: Ethan Gutierrez and Arnav Jha – Loandock streamlines the mortgage process for homebuyers by consolidating loan officers, underwriters, and processors into one AI-powered platform.

Shelfmates: Khushi Gupta, Krishnav Singhal – Shelfmates creates tailored social media experiences for readers. It provides users with daily book discoveries, personalized recommendations, and tools to journal, rate, and effortlessly share their reading journeys.

The winning teams each received $150,000 to fund their startups. Fusen, a national campus startup accelerator founded by Klaus, provided the investment funding for the competition.

Despite this generosity, funding the College’s student startup challenge isn’t Klaus’s only investment in Georgia Tech student entrepreneurship this year.

Klaus, a member of the College’s Advisory Board, made headlines this month when he announced that he would personally cover the incorporation costs for any graduating student aspiring to launch a startup.

"This is about more than just covering fees — it’s about lighting a spark,” said Klaus during Commencement remarks on May 2.

“Every founder needs someone to believe in them early. Through this gift, we’re offering that belief and giving graduates the chance to start building with purpose and confidence.”

Subtitle

Summary sentence

Named for alumnus and tech entrepreneur Christopher W. Klaus, the College of Computing's annual student startup competition featured $750K in funding.

Summary

Named for alumnus and tech entrepreneur Christopher W. Klaus, the College of Computing's annual student startup competition featured $750K in funding. The Klaus Startup Challenge aims to prepare beginner entrepreneurs for future competitions and funding opportunities.

Dateline

Tue, 05/20/2025 - 12:00

Contact

Ben Snedeker, Communications Manager II

Georgia Tech College of Computing

Associated importer

Keywords

Daily Digest

Georgia Tech News Center

aspiring entrepreneurs

CREATE-X, startup, entrepreneurship, founders

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Student Competition WInners (academic, innovation, and research)

Mercury ID

682486

Source updated

Wed, 05/21/2025 - 21:17

OMSCS Team Takes Entrepreneurial Tack to Win $10,000 in Microsoft Azure Challenge

dgivens8 — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 12:57:41 +0000

OMSCS Team Takes Entrepreneurial Tack to Win $10,000 in Microsoft Azure Challenge dgivens8 Tue, 07/29/2025 - 08:57

A team of Georgia Tech graduate students is using artificial intelligence (AI) to help people with disabilities find their dream jobs.

Searching for the right job is stressful for most, but it can be overwhelming for people with disabilities. However, using an innovative approach, the student entrepreneurs created a customizable AI-powered "job coach" that connects people with accessible employment opportunities.

OMSCS students George Gomez, Ariel Magyar, Zachary Patrignani, and Maheer Sayeed created Interstellar Jobs as their entry for the March 2025 Microsoft Azure Innovation Challenge. The team beat over 70 international entries to secure first place and $10,000.

Interstellar Jobs uses information about job seekers' disabilities, job preferences, and other personal details to provide detailed coaching tips for specific jobs. The tips let job seekers know if they're a good fit for the position, what challenges they can expect, and what they can do to manage these challenges successfully.

The challenge, co-sponsored by TechBridge, required teams to create a functional proof of concept within a tight timeframe using AI, analytics, networking, and other Microsoft Azure Web Services.

Selecting which services to use was the starting point for most teams. In fact, Sayeed says most of the competition tried to use as many Azure services as possible for their projects.

"We didn't do that. We kept it simple," said Sayeed.

"Our mindset going into the challenge was that we'd find the problem first, and then we would look at the services we would use."

Their entrepreneurial approach led the team to develop Interstellar Jobs using just three Azure services. As an example of their approach, the team faced the challenge of addressing specific disabilities in relation to thousands of job listings.

Developers usually depend on drop-down menus when presenting an extensive list of options. However, this method might not cover all disabilities or could use outdated or overly broad language. It also wouldn't account for people with multiple or nuanced disabilities that don't fit neatly into a single category.

The Interstellar Jobs team opted for a blank field for users to list their disabilities.

"We kept it very open-ended for our users," said Sayeed.

The team used OpenAI Service to 'clean' entries on the backend, regardless of what users wrote in the blank field. This method ensures that users can always get a structured and actionable response from Interstellar Jobs.

"As a user, not having to pick from a drop-down menu just feels good," said Matt Calder, senior product marketing manager at Microsoft.

Calder hosts Microsoft DevRadio and recently interviewed the Interstellar Jobs team. "I like how your approach changes how people interact with the whole system. If you make something really usable, it's going to be accessible as well," said Calder.

Despite its success, the team has no immediate plans to expand Interstellar Jobs. Each member balances a full-time job and their studies in Georgia Tech's Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) program.

"We gained so much about cloud development and Azure Web Services from the experience," said Sayeed. "We also learned the value of AI in these applications."

Subtitle

Summary sentence

A student team has "learned the value of AI" by creating a job coaching app for people with disabilities.

Summary

A team of OMSCS students took an entrepreneurial approach to develop an AI-powered app that coaches people with disabilities during their job search. The app, Interstellar Jobs, earned the team first place and $10,000 in a recent Microsoft Azure Web Services challenge.

Dateline

Fri, 06/27/2025 - 12:00

Contact

Ben Snedeker, Communications Manager II

Georgia Tech College of Computing

Associated importer

Keywords

Daily Digest

Georgia Tech News Center

artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence (AI)

Categories

Artificial Intelligence

Student Competition WInners (academic, innovation, and research)

Mercury ID

682917

Source updated

Fri, 06/27/2025 - 09:21

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

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

Professor's CNBC Course Highlights College’s Leadership in Expanding AI Literacy

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

Professor's CNBC Course Highlights College’s Leadership in Expanding AI Literacy admin Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:39

If you’re worried about artificial intelligence (AI) taking your job, Georgia Tech’s Mark Riedl says that probably won’t happen. However, losing your job to someone who knows how to leverage AI tools in the workplace is something to be concerned about.

To help people beyond campus understand what AI tools are available and how to use them effectively, Riedl recently co-taught an online course by CNBC Make It titled How to Use AI to Be More Successful at Work.

“The running joke right now is that AI will not replace people, but people who use AI will replace people who do not use AI,” said Riedl, professor in the School of Interactive Computing.

The 90-minute course offers tips and hacks to users who are:

Inexperienced in using AI tools in the workplace and are looking to grow in professional development
Small business owners who are overwhelmed with administrative tasks, marketing, industry research, and data analysis
Job seekers looking to stand out from the crowd
People seeking to improve their work-life balance

Riedl, whose research focuses on human-centered and explainable AI, taught sections of the course on the foundation of AI. One of the biggest sections of the course covers large-language models (LLMs).

“When large language models were put forward as chatbots, this was the first time that any person out in the world could naturally interact with an AI system without having to learn to program or write code,” Riedl said.

For less than $100, the on-demand course includes a detailed workbook that helps users consider each aspect of their jobs and daily lives and how AI can improve them.

The Big Picture

CNBC’s use of Riedl’s expertise is one of many examples of how College of Computing faculty are leading the way in teaching AI literacy.

David Joyner, executive director of online education, said Georgia Tech’s Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) program continues to innovate with AI literacy in mind.

He said companies and employees alike are learning to navigate AI. Companies are considering AI from a general perspective, focusing on how it can make their businesses more efficient, while employees are using it to become more versatile and valuable workers.

“It’s an interesting dichotomy,” Joyner said. “If companies are trying to figure out how to operate more efficiently, and you have people using these tools to be more productive, at what point does the company need to prioritize using these tools instead of letting their use be organic? We’re still in this experimental phase.”

In a conversation with former College of Computing interim dean Alex Orso, Joyner discusses how OMSCS is staying at the forefront in equipping students with the latest technology skills they need to be successful in a fluctuating industry.

“We must figure out what generative AI can do well and properly leverage it so we’re not cutting out the foundation of a building and replacing it with sticks,” Joyner said.

The complete conversation between Joyner and Orso is available on the College's Youtube channel.

Summary sentence

Georgia Tech Professor Mark Riedl is helping people learn new skills to stay competitive in the workplace.

Summary

Georgia Tech Professor Mark Riedl is helping people learn new workplace skills to stay competitive.

Dateline

Thu, 04/24/2025 - 12:00

Contact

Nathan Deen, Communications Officer

Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing

nathan.deen@cc.gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

Daily Digest

artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence (AI)

Georgia Tech News Center

go-researchnews

News room topics

Science and Technology

Categories

Institute Leadership

Mercury ID

682001

Source updated

Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:38

Over the Rainbow and Into 15K: Alumni Help Bring Oz to Life at the Las Vegas Sphere

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

Over the Rainbow and Into 15K: Alumni Help Bring Oz to Life at the Las Vegas Sphere admin Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:39

For anyone who has only seen the movie on television, The Wizard of Oz is an incredible movie theater experience. Its larger-than-life characters, vivid colors, and memorable soundtrack were made for the big screen.

Now, a Georgia Tech professor and several alumni are helping bring the 1939 classic Hollywood film to what will likely be its largest screen ever: the Las Vegas Sphere's 160,000-square-foot interior screen.

Summary sentence

Debuting in August, "The Wizard of Oz at Sphere' has a solid connection to Georgia Tech's AI community.

Summary

Debuting in August, "The Wizard of Oz at Sphere' has a solid connection to Georgia Tech's AI community. A Georgia Tech professor and several alumni are helping bring the 1939 classic Hollywood film to what will likely be its largest screen ever: the Las Vegas Sphere's 160,000-square-foot interior screen.

Dateline

Tue, 04/22/2025 - 12:00

Contact

Ben Snedeker

Communications Manager

Georgia Tech College of Computing

albert.snedeker@cc.gatech.edu

Associated importer

Keywords

alumni

Alumni Association

Daily Digest

Georgia Tech News Center

artificial intelligence (AI)

go-researchnews

generative AI

News room topics

Society and Culture

Categories

Alumni

Mercury ID

681971

Source updated

Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:39

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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Thu, 04/17/2025 - 12:00

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Meet CSE Profile: Grace Driskill

dgivens8 — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:29:41 +0000

Meet CSE Profile: Grace Driskill dgivens8 Mon, 03/31/2025 - 09:29

Grace Driskill made Georgia Tech history when she arrived on campus in 2023. She is the first student-athlete to study computational science and engineering (CSE). While this is a notable benchmark, Driskill’s achievements on the track and in the classroom defined her career at Georgia Tech.

As a competitive runner, Driskill holds the fourth-fastest 3000-meter time in the history of Georgia Tech’s women's indoor track program. Off the track, Driskill is a three-time All-ACC Academic team honoree on the women’s cross-country and track teams, and in 2024, she received the College of Computing’s Donald V. Jackson Fellowship.

We caught up with Driskill to learn more about her and how she balances academic and athletic responsibilities.

Student: Grace Driskill

Current Degree Program: M.S. in Computational Science and Engineering

Research Interests: Computational biology, computing applications toward health

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Where are you from, and how did you get to Georgia Tech?

I grew up in Tucson, Arizona. I attended the University of Arizona, earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science while running on the track and field team. When I finished my undergraduate, I still had two seasons of eligibility to run track. I looked into master’s programs so that I could continue my athletic career and expand my horizons academically.

The cards fell into place for me to come here. Georgia Tech has a great reputation as a school for computing and engineering. Additionally, the cross country and women’s track coach, Alan Drosky, is very experienced and knowledgeable in coaching distance runners.

You are the first ever student-athlete in the School of CSE’s history. What does this mean to you? What does it mean for the CSE program?

I didn’t realize I was the first student-athlete in the School of CSE, but I think it’s pretty cool. It is meaningful to me, and hopefully, others, because it goes against the thought that you need to fit into some typical mold to be a student-athlete or to study CSE.

CSE is a challenging degree for any student, let alone a student-athlete. What interested you about the program in the first place?

I think the CSE program at Georgia Tech is unique; not many colleges in the U.S. offer a master’s degree in the topic. I like the interdisciplinary nature of it. I enjoyed studying computer science during my undergraduate, but I thought leaning more into computing applications was an interesting opportunity.

Could you describe an average day for you as a CSE student-athlete?

After eating some breakfast and having a coffee, the first thing I typically do is go for an easy run that might be 3-8 miles. Then, I go to class or do homework for a few hours, making sure to take a break for lunch.

At 3:30 p.m., I have practice with the team. This typically includes a higher-intensity run and exercises to practice form or help with strength and mobility. After practice, I usually stretch and take an ice bath for recovery. I typically get home around 6-6:30. Then, I’ll eat dinner and maybe do some more work, but I try to get to bed at a decent hour.

What CSE research areas interest you most and why?

Computational biology and applications in healthcare. Health affects everyone throughout their lives, so it is an important topic. Additionally, there are many applications and different angles to use computing in the field.

What do you do to relax or for fun?

Currently, I have been watching the TV show Severance. A new episode comes out weekly, so getting together with friends is something relaxing to look forward to. I also like to cook. When I have some free time, I enjoy taking a bit more time while cooking dinner to make something exciting or different.

What is your proudest achievement at Georgia Tech?

Last year, I qualified for the preliminary round of the track national championship. I love representing Georgia Tech at every competition throughout the season, but the opportunity to do it at a higher level and in a more prominent competition was extra special.

What are your plans after completing your M.S.?

After graduation, I will work at Sandia National Labs in their Technical Internships to Advance National Security (TITANS) program.

Summary sentence

Meet Grace Driskill, the first-ever student-athlete in the School of Computational Science and Engineering who holds records in the history books of Georgia Tech's Cross Country and Track and Field teams and the College of Computing.

Summary

We caught up with Driskill to learn more about her and how she balances academic and athletic responsibilities.

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Mon, 03/31/2025 - 12:00

Contact

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

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Mon, 03/31/2025 - 09:28

Computing Student Runs into History Books for Athletic and Academic Achievement

dgivens8 — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 13:59:41 +0000

Computing Student Runs into History Books for Athletic and Academic Achievement dgivens8 Wed, 03/26/2025 - 09:59

Grace Driskill has spent the last three years defining excellence at Georgia Tech. Between coding algorithms to setting running records, achievement has followed Driskill everywhere she has gone throughout her collegiate career.

Driskill came to Georgia Tech in 2023 as a graduate transfer to run long-distance for the women’s cross country and track teams. In doing so, she became the first-ever student-athlete in the School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE).

While a pioneer in her own right, the trails that Driskill blazed will be her legacy at Georgia Tech and the School of CSE.

“We are so proud of Grace and so happy she came our way for graduate school,” said Alan Drosky, head coach of Georgia Tech’s cross country and track and field teams.

“She is obviously very talented academically and athletically, and she has contributed in a major way to our teams in competition.”

This year, Driskill recorded the fourth fastest time in history of the Georgia Tech Women's Indoor Track program. She clocked a 9:22.21 in the 3000-meter race at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, held on Feb. 15 at Boston University.

Driskill’s record-setting performance at the Valentine Invitational came days after news of her latest academic achievement. She was among 19 Yellow Jackets selected to the 2024 All-ACC Cross Country Academic Team.

This listing was Driskill’s third after previous selections in 2024 for indoor track and 2023 for cross country. She is on pace for a 2025 indoor track selection, putting her on four All-ACC academic teams during her Georgia Tech career.

To earn an All-ACC academic team selection, student-athletes must attain a 3.0 grade point average in the previous semester and maintain an overall 3.0 cumulative average. Student-athletes must also compete in the ACC and/or NCAA championships during the most recent season.

In 2024, Driskill’s academic achievement earned her the Donald V. Jackson Fellowship. Georgia Tech’s College of Computing presents the award annually to well-rounded, first-year master’s students. The College selects fellows who best embody Jackson’s academic excellence and leadership values.

Driskill was instrumental in helping the women’s cross country team earn high rankings at the NCAA South Regionals both years she competed.

Driskill was the second-fastest Yellow Jacket and finished 34th overall at the 2023 regional, earning Georgia Tech 6th place among a field of 29 teams. At last year’s regional, she helped Georgia Tech place 7th out of 31 teams by finishing 41st overall and fourth from Georgia Tech.

“Last year, I qualified for the preliminary round of the track national championship,” Driskill said, remembering her proudest accomplishment at Georgia Tech.

“I love representing Georgia Tech at every competition throughout the season, but the opportunity to do it at a higher level and more prominent competition was extra special.”

A native of Tucson, Arizona, Driskill intends to return to the Southwest after graduating from Georgia Tech this summer. She will work with the Technical Internships to Advance National Security program (TITANS) at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Driskill started her collegiate career in 2020, competing on the cross country and track teams at the University of Arizona. She graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in computer science and a minor in mathematics.

In high school, Driskill was a four-year cross country letter winner and a two-year letter winner in track and field and softball. She earned first-team all-state honors her senior year in 2019 after state champion finishes in the 1600 and 3200-meter events.

“Grace’s contributions go way beyond what she does while running. She has a fantastic attitude, an easy-going demeanor, and a great sense of humor,” Drosky said. “She has become an integral figure on our teams and will be missed.”

Summary sentence

M.S. CSE student Grace Driskill achieved many athletic and academic accolades during her career at Georgia Tech, including being the first-ever student-athlete in the School of Computational Science and Engineering.

Summary

While a pioneer in her own right, the trails that Driskill blazed will be her legacy at Georgia Tech and the School of CSE.

Dateline

Wed, 03/26/2025 - 12:00

Contact

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

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Source updated

Wed, 03/26/2025 - 09:58

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