On this episode, host Tanmay Shah chats with Dinesh Ayyappan. Dinesh is an OMSCS student, soon to be graduate, with an incredibly interesting journey ranging from studying mechanical engineering in the East Coast to teaching computer science in the Himalayan foothills to planting new roots in Singapore. He’s been to 31 countries and nearly every US state. In this episode, we dive into his career, personal interests, and words of wisdom from all his experiences.  

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) – Cold intro 

(1:14) - Episode intro 

(2:10) - Background and early interests 

(6:20) - Transition to teaching 

(16:20) – Experience in Himalayas 

(25:20) – Experience in Singapore 

(29:55) – Philosophy of teaching 

(34:02) – OMSCS journey 

(42:17) – OMSCS Research – using LLMs in Education 

(48:26) – Traveling Thoughts 

LINKS- Dinesh's blog- www.dineshayyappan.com

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Serge Nino Martin Villasica 

We are excited to kick off the Fall 2024 semester with a brand new season of the OMSCS Buzz podcast!

On this episode, host Tanmay Shah chats with Dr. Thad Starner. Dr. Starner is a professor at Georgia Tech and director of the Contextual Computing Group. He is a pioneer and prolific inventor in the fields of wearable computing and augmented reality with over 80 patents and 500 papers and presentations to his name. He’s the longest-serving Technical Lead on Google Glass and the recipient of numerous awards for his work on deaf education...among many other accolades. Tune in to hear about wearable computing, augmented reality, American Sign Language, and dolphins! 

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) – Cold intro 

(0:33) – Episode Intro 

(2:15) – Ph.D. Journey – Your Mentors 

(7:10) – Wearable Computing and Augmented Reality 

(22:50) – Google Glass 

(29:00) – CS 7470 Course 

(38:05) – Dolphin CHAT Research 

(48:00) – American Sign Language Initiatives 

(49:00) – Learning at Scale 

(54:30) – Episode Closing 

RESOURCES: 

PopSign – American Sign Language Learning Initiative 

CHAT work with Dolphins 

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR- Nikita Burks-Hale

On this episode, Tanmay chats with Owen Sizemore. Owen is an Android Software Engineer at Wealthfront, an automated investment firm in Palo Alto, California. Owen grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, studying Computer Science with minors in Political Science and Spanish. He’s an OMSCS graduate but continues to stay involved in the program as an Instructional Associate.  

TIMESTAMPS- 

0:00 – Cold Intro 

(0:30) - Episode Intro 

(2:30) - Current work at Wealthfront  

(5:05) - Mobile development  

(7:25) - Advice for new college grads  

(11:05) - OMSCS Journey 

(19:18) - AI and Foreign Language 

(23:43) - Advice for OMSCS Students and Alum 

(33:40) - Closing 

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Nikita Burks-Hale 

On this episode, Tanmay chats with Anthony Miyaguchi. Anthony is a current OMSCS student and software engineer at Planet Labs, an Earth observation analytics company. He’s done it all while at Georgia Tech, from winning awards in student showcases to submitting papers at major conferences, to studying abroad at Georgia Tech’s campus in France. Tune in to hear about his incredibly interesting professional journey! 

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) - Cold Open 

(0:39) - Episode Intro 

(2:06) - Undergrad experience in UCLA 

(3:31) - Transition from hardware to data at Mozilla 

(6:55) - Decision to graduate studies 

(11:11) - Experience in Planet Labs 

(21:36) - Data Science @ GT Club 

(25:40) - Paper about Transfer Learning 

(33:23) - Autobot VIP experience 

(38:20) - OMSCS experience   

(41:29) - Closing thoughts 

Reach out to Anthony: [email protected]

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Serge Nino Martin Villasica 

On this episode, Tanmay chats with Dr. Carmine Guida. Dr. Guida is an alum of the OMSCS program and currently a Professor at Pace University where he created the Game Development major. He has had a variety of experiences throughout his career ranging from working in startups to academia. To connect with Dr. Guida on adjunct teaching opportunities or advice on pursuing a PhD, email him at [email protected] 

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) - Cold Open 

(0:19) - Episode Intro 

(1:40) - Academic Teaching Experience in Games and Development 

(4:10) - Benefits of Learning Games and Development  

(10:03) - Recent AI Trends in Games and Development 

(15:32) - AR/VR and the Games and Development Field 

(19:47) - Scholarly Research 

(27:45) - Starting in Tech  

(31:13) - Pursuing an OMSCS Degree 

(39:30) - Advice for Pursuing a PhD 

(46:45) - Closing Thoughts 

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Nikita Burks-Hale 

On this episode, Tanmay chats with Hannah Moon. Hannah is Associate Director of External Engagement in the OMSCS program. Among her many other duties, she’s been an integral part of planning the annual OMSCS Conference which was held for the second time this past May. Please tune in to this special Staff Spotlight episode to hear about her career and personal journey! 

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) - Cold Open 

(0:21) - Episode Intro 

(1:40) - What do you do in your work? 

(3:48) - New Partnerships and Initiatives  

(7:13) - Most Exciting Aspects of Your Work 

(9:40) - OMSCS Conference Planning Highlights 

(13:40) - How Did You Start Your Career? 

(20:05) - Study Abroad/Non-Profit Experience 

(24:40) - The Importance of Studying Abroad 

(27:40) - Final Call to Action 

(28:43) - Conclusion  

 To connect with Hannah for partnership opportunities, email her at [email protected] 

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Nikita Burks-Hale 

On this episode, Tanmay chats with Dr. Nick Lytle, Associate Director of Research for Georgia Tech’s OMSCS program. Prior to his current role, Dr. Lytle has worked as a consultant, Data Scientist, and researcher. He holds a PhD in computer science and his personal mission is to make computing education more effective and accessible to all. Tune in for a conversation around the future of Computer Science, the importance of Research Collaboration for students with professors and the importance of ensuring that computing is accessible and universal for all. To connect with Dr. Nick Lytle email him at [email protected]. 

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) - Cold Open 

(2:07) - Fishstalkers Project 

(5:05) - Departmental Research Collaboration Opportunities 

(9:05) - Vertically Integrated Projects/Mentorship within OMSCS 

(19:35) - New Potential OMSCS Research-Focused Projects 

(23:55) - Securing Faculty/Student Research Collaborations 

(29:55) - Personal Motivation and How Dr. Lytle Started in the Field 

(39:15) - Future OMSCS Outlook 

(42:00) - Conclusion 

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Nikita Burks-Hale 

On this episode, Tanmay chats with Dr. David Joyner, Executive Director of OMSCS and Online Education in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing. This is Part 2 of our 2-part series with Dr. Joyner. Although it’s not a prerequisite for this episode, if you haven’t checked out Part 1, please do take a listen! In this Part 2 episode, we dive into Dr. Joyner’s backstory and OMSCS journey.   

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) - Cold Open 

(1:44) - Being at GT for half of your life 

(4:51) - Importance of College of Computing 

(9:21) - Ph.D. Thesis in Human Centered Computing 

(13:24) - Highest value decision in 20s 

(16:22) - Birth of OMSCS 

(24:00) - Dr. Joyner’s courses 

(37:41) - OMSCS 2014 vs 2024 

(42:57) - Future Outlook 

(52:53) - OMSCS Conference 

(1:01:52) - Call for Research Assistants - Ashok Goel Lab 

(1:03:45) - Dr. Joyner’s Recommended Reads 

(1:08:09) - Closing 

ADDITIONAL LINKS- 

Providence by Max Barry- https://www.amazon.com/Providence-Max-Barry/dp/0593085175 Impossible Girl & Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang- https://www.amazon.com/Impossible-Girl-Lydia-Kang/dp/1503903389  

Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch- https://www.amazon.com/Because-Internet-Understanding-Rules-Language/dp/0735210934  

Hello World by Hannah Fry- https://www.amazon.com/Hello-World-Being-Human-Algorithms/dp/039363499X  

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Serge Nino Martin Villasica 

On this episode, Tanmay chats with Dr. David Joyner, Executive Director of OMSCS and Online Education in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing. He is the author of three books and 50 plus papers on online CS education. He's been a leading figure in the OMSCS community since its inception, and he has won several awards over the years including the 2022 College of Computing Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award. Tune in and hear Dr. Joyner share his journey at Georgia Tech, milestones along the way, and his plans for OMSCS going forward.  

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) - Cold Intro 

(0:21) - Intro & Welcome 

(2:45) - Georgia Tech Rankings 

(8:15) - Learning New Skills 

(42:04) - Ashok Goel Lab – Research Opening 

(43:55) - Teaching 

(1:08:00) - Assessing 

(1:15:00) - Part 1 Conclusion 

ADDITIONAL LINKS- 

https://tech.ed.gov/files/2023/05/ai-future-of-teaching-and-learning-report.pdf  

https://openai.com/blog/teaching-with-ai  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joynercn/ 

https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3491140.3528283  

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Nikita Burks-Hale 

On this episode, Tanmay chats with Zoey Beda. Zoey is a TA for CS 6750: Human-Computer Interaction in OMSCS along with being a musician and developer. Tune in to hear about the intersection of mathematics, music, and computer science, and more! 

TIMESTAMPS- 

(0:00) - Intro 

(13:35) - Journey as a musician 

(24:32) - OMSCS Experience 

(28:05) - After OMSCS 

(30:05) - Favorite Books 

(31:56) - Outro 

VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. 

EDITOR – Serge Nino Martin Villasica