OMSCS Buzz

On this episode, host Tanmay Shah chats with Dr. Kishore Ramachandran. He is a Professor in the College of Computing where his research areas specialize in architectural design, programming, and analysis of parallel and distributed systems.  He is also one of the founders of the OMSCS program along with previous director of the STAR Center, a collaborative partnership between Samsung and Georgia Tech. He is an IEEE Fellow and has dozens of other accolades to his name for his research and teaching during his time at Georgia Tech.    TIMESTAMPS-  (0:00) - Cold Open  (1:17) - Episode Intro  (2:05) - PhD journey  (4:08) - 37 years at Georgia Tech!  (7:12) - Academia and PhD students  (16:18) - Founding of OMSCS  (24:50) - Courses in OMSCS  (41:40) - Research Areas  (52:22) - Hobbies  (56:06) - Final Thoughts    VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form.  EDITOR – Serge Nino Martin Villasica 

Peter Graening, a Lecturer and Academic Program Director at Georgia Tech, shares his fascinating journey from theatre arts to computer science. He emphasizes the creative synergy between arts and technology, advocating for diverse skill sets. Graening recounts his decade-long experience at UPS and how technology revolutionized logistics. He also discusses the evolving landscape of education, highlighting a new program aimed at preparing entry-level learners for technology roles, merging creativity with practical skills.

In this conversation, Dr. Santosh Vempala, a distinguished professor at Georgia Tech, delves into the intricacies of efficient algorithms and their real-world applications. He discusses his groundbreaking work that led to a prestigious Fulkerson Prize and the profound impact of computing for good, showcasing projects with the CDC and Red Cross. Dr. Vempala also shares valuable advice for aspiring PhD candidates and offers insights into navigating the world of theoretical computer science, all while balancing personal hobbies and family life.

On this episode, host Tanmay Shah chats with Dr. Keith McGreggor. He is a Professor of the Practice at Georgia Tech and a serial entrepreneur with over ten startups under his belt. His thirty-plus years of academic research and teaching spans cognitive science, AI, and entrepreneurship.   TIMESTAMPS-  (0:00) - Cold Open  (1:17) - Intro  (1:51) - Career Journey  (2:45) - Creating first AI company in Atlanta  (5:15) - First 3D program for Macintosh - Phoenix3D - and working at Lockheed Martin (8:38) - Developing Color Architecture for MacOS (13:01) - Culture of Apple   (15:57) - AI and Consumer Electronics  (19:19) - State of AI Research  (25:48) - Paper on “Is Experience Knowledge Representation?”  (28:24) - PhD Journey and Venture Lab at GT (38:54) - Final Thoughts  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, host Tanmay Shah chats with Maxx Lee. Maxx is Head of Systems Engineering at Scanline VFX’s Eyeline Studios, an innovative and renowned virtual production studio owned by Netflix. His IMDb includes VFX credits for movies like Godzilla vs Kong, Spider-Man Far from Home, and Divergent, and hit shows like Game of Thrones. Tune in to hear about Maxx’s exciting work in visual effects, his career journey in computer graphics and animation, and his reflections as an OMSCS alum. TIMESTAMPS-  (0:00) – Cold intro   (1:13) - Episode intro   (2:15) - Day-to-day at Eyeline Studios   (7:05) - Visual effects pipeline  (11:00) – VFX Industry Standards   (16:08) – Challenges while working on Godzilla vs Kong and other blockbusters (19:45) – Misconceptions and measuring success   (27:04) - Teasing upcoming shows! (28:40) – Initial interest in the VFX Industry   (33:07) – OMSCS Journey  (37:25) – Advice for getting into the VFX Industry  (40:39) - Episode wrap up  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, host Tanmay Shah chats with Justin Bailey. Justin is a Lead Software Engineer at a leading financial services company in New York City as well as a TA for the OMSCS program’s CS6310: Software Architecture and Design. Enjoy this TA Spotlight episode as we get to hear from Justin on his interests and career journey!  TIMESTAMPS-  (0:00) – Cold intro   (1:15)- Episode intro  (1:47) - 12k subs on YouTube!   (11:02) - OMSCS Experience  (15:56) - Other interests  (17:48) - Inspiration and motivation  (21:13) - Online platforms  (22:11) - Final thoughts  VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form. Please leave us a rating & review!  EDITOR – Serge Nino Martin Villasica 

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: acmiyaguchi@gatech.edu VISIT https://omscs.gatech.edu/omscs-buzz-podcast for the entire catalog of episodes and our Feedback Form.  EDITOR – Serge Nino Martin Villasica