From the Desk of Gagan Agrawal |
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It is my pleasure to share updates from the school of computing at the University of Georgia. We had an eventful fall semester, starting with several new colleagues joining us. Between enhanced productivity of existing faculty and new faculty hires, we had a considerable jump in our CSRankings profile, reaching 69th position – an advancement of 32 spots in the last two and a half years! We are building on our successful faculty recruiting last year to fill three open positions this spring.
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Our faculty’s research momentum continues to be strong. We followed the first Google Early Career Research Award at the University of Georgia last summer with Ari Schlesinger winning the prestigious Google Academic Research Award in the fall. This recognition at international competitions is a strong testament to the innovative research of our faculty. They also continued strong success with federal funding agencies, with a combination of core and interdisciplinary grants. Our PhD program enrollment this fall stood at 120 students, an increase of nearly 45% over the last two years.
We continue to add opportunities for our students. This fall we successfully proposed and obtained approval for an area of emphasis in artificial intelligence within our computer science major. Designed to be comparable with emerging AI degrees, this program of study allows students to take five to six classes in AI, including a course as early as their second semester. Continuing to add opportunities for experiential learning, we are launching a Silicon Valley summer program, where students will spend two and a half weeks in June in the Bay Area where they will visit several major technology companies and experience this tech hub firsthand. This builds on our previous study away programs – the Oxford opportunity to take computer science classes and a one-week Connect Abroad UK program for first-year students during spring break, which will continue for the second year this semester.
Please explore more in this newsletter, on our website SoC website, or follow us on LinkedIn. We'd love to hear from you, or have you join us on campus. Feel free to email me at gagrawal@uga.edu.
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Gagan Agrawal
Director, School of Computing
University of Georgia
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| New AI Emphasis for CS Majors |
The School of Computing now offers an area of emphasis in artificial intelligence (AI) for computer science majors. By completing five to six AI-focused courses, students gain skills on par with emerging AI degree programs while keeping the distinction of a traditional CS degree. This option equips students to design, deploy, and integrate AI technologies, expanding expertise and career opportunities. Learn more.
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| New Study Away: Computing in Silicon Valley |
This summer, the School of Computing’s new Domestic Field Study in Silicon Valley offers computer science, data science, statistics, and computer engineering students the chance to earn four credit hours while completing upper-level courses. The program places students at the intersection of technology, ethics, and society, fulfilling their experiential learning requirement through hands-on industry exposure. With visits to top companies, participants gain real-world experience, expand their networks, and see innovation in action. This study away program joins the already successful School of Computing Connect Abroad in London and Summer at Oxford
. Read more.
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Career Insights from School of Computing Alumni: Fall Mentor Panel |
This October, four UGA alumni came together in an engaging panel to share their career journeys, offer advice, and answer questions about navigating the computer science field. The alumni who spoke were: Sudhan Chitgopkar (forward deployed engineer at Palantir Technologies), Grant Cooksey (staff engineer at Salesforce), Arash Jalalzadeh Fard (senior software engineer at Roku), and Danny Lee
(software engineer at Google). Read more.
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Computer science alums host UGA intern at Azalea Robotics |
This spring, computer science and Terry economics student Nikita Jha embarked on a transformative internship at Azalea Robotics, a startup revolutionizing airport baggage handling through autonomous robots. As a Foundation Fellow at the Morehead Honors College, Jha’s experience was more than a spring internship—it marked a defining chapter in her journey toward innovation at the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship. Jha worked with cofounders David Millard (BS Mathematics and Computer Science ’14) and John B. Stroud (BS Mathematics and Economics ’16). Read more.
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Pictured: Lily Valdes and Aries Aviles |
| Mentoring foundation – a shared language in computing |
The UGA Mentor Program matched Lily Valdes (BS ’25) and Aries Aviles (BS ’21), two computer science transfer students who discovered the power of mentorship and its impact. With Aries' support, Lily’s confidence grew, preparing her to become vice president of the student club WeCanCode. Her newfound confidence also gave her the tools to know what she wanted as she entered job interviews, placing her in a position to now give back to the Mentor Program. Read Valdes' and Aviles' full story.
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From the Redcoats to the Stars: Caleb Adams’ Professional Journey
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Caleb Adams (BS ’18, MS ’20) began at UGA on a music scholarship before shifting to technology, building websites, and winning hackathons. He founded the Small Satellite Research Laboratory, securing funding from the Air Force and NASA. Today, he is a project manager and principal investigator at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Read Adams’ full story.
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Pictured: UGA students Arjun Sakthi, Matt Mocklin, and Hadiza Sarr (with Georgia Tech’s Aimee Zheng) |
| SoC Teams Take First and Third |
In October, School of Computing teams earned first and third place at Avant South’s Innovation Cup. UGA students Arjun Sakthi, Matt Mocklin, and Hadiza Sarr won first place with Tera, a human-led, AI-assisted travel platform that connects tourists with verified local hosts. Jasmine Nguyen’s team, Unity Field, created a platform for soccer fans to enjoy the World Cup. Read more.
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Where Code Meets Cobblestones |
UGA’s School of Computing expanded its global learning through the UGA at Oxford Study Away program. More than a change of scenery, Oxford offers students an engaging academic and cultural experience. Imran Hashmi, Associate Professor at Oxford, noted the program “blends academic insight with cultural exposure and real-world relevance.” Read more. |
| Pictured: UGA School of Computing students studying away in Oxford, England. |
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Students Thrive in Impactful Internships at Premier Companies |
School of Computing students continued to excel in experiential learning opportunities through securing competitive internships at leading organizations. They gained hands-on experience at top firms, including AT&T, Google, and Mercedes-Benz USA. Read more here.
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School of Computing Hosts Leading Industry Partners for Engagement Events |
In the fall, the school of computing welcomed a wide range of top-tier companies to campus, including staff from Google and Oracle. These events strengthened connections between students and industry leaders while preparing the next generation of computing professionals. Read more here.
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Faculty and Research News |
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Ari Schlesinger Awarded Google Academic Research Award |
Ari Schlesinger, assistant professor at UGA, was one of 84 researchers selected for the Google Academic Research Award (GARA). On Oct. 16, she was recognized for her cutting-edge projects in responsible innovation, computing, and technology research. Her research was categorized by the Google Foundation as a Trust, Safety, Security, and Privacy initiative. Read more. |
| Pictured: Ari Schlesinger |
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| Professor Wenwen Wang's Group Publishes in Prestigious SOSP Conference |
Wenwen Wang, a computing professor at UGA, published a paper in October presenting WASIT. WASIT is a powerful specification-driven differential testing framework for WebAssembly (Wasm) system interface (WASI) implementations. WASIT invents several innovative techniques to address the challenges facing state-of-the-art testing approaches when applied to WASI implementations. Read more.
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- Hackathon: February 6-8
- Research Day: April 10
- Graduate Commencement: May 7
- Undergraduate Commencement: May 8
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