Interdisciplinary Computational Media Program Welcomes New Director

The College of Computing, the School of Literature, Media, and Communication (LMC), and the School of Music have appointed Associate Professor Lynn Dombrowski as the new director of the Computational Media (CM) program. 

CM is an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree offered jointly by the two schools that prepares students to plan, create, and critique new digital media forms. Students develop skills across technical, historical-critical, and applied areas.

As the director, Dombrowski oversees the program, shaping its curriculum and supporting the success of both students and the program. She will lead monthly curriculum committee meetings, coordinate degree changes, support accreditation efforts, and work closely with advisors and administrators across the schools to ensure a smooth educational experience.

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She said she is excited to meet Georgia Tech’s nearly 300 CM majors, who focus their work on two of six threads: Media, People, Intelligence, Interaction Design, Film and Media Studies, and Games. “I’m looking forward to meeting all of our students through class visits and events to learn more about their plans and visions for the program.”

Dombrowski, an associate professor in the School of Interactive Computing, will serve a three-year term in her capacity as director of CM. The directorship rotates between the College of Computing and the School of LMC, with the previous and inaugural director, Emeritus Professor Dr. Jay Bolter, hailing from LMC.

“Lynn brings well-rounded expertise in human-centered computing along with her great dedication to student success, a quality immediately evident to anyone who speaks with her about her vision for the CM program,” Omojokun said.

“She is an ideal choice and will guide the program and its students through this exciting and rapidly changing era of technology.”

Professor Kelly Ritter, Chair of the School of LMC, says, “Dr. Dombrowski is a thoughtful leader who has communicated her desire to collaborate with the School of LMC in sustaining and evolving the CM program to meet the needs of students across our two schools. She will be a wonderful colleague for our LMC faculty to work with as we grow this important joint degree into the future. The CM program offers students the means for applying humanistic principles in our technical world, and I believe Lynn is the leader who can steer that interdisciplinary work.”

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Dombrowski was attracted to the role because the program is already making significant progress in developing the next generation of professionals who think critically about the intersection of computing and media.

“I wanted to be the director for the computational media program because stewarding a program that fosters socially and technically competent makers, creatives, designers, builders, dreamers, and schemers was right up my alley in terms of my academic and professional background,” Dombrowski said.

Her vision centers on student and program success, with a focus on helping students achieve their academic and professional goals. “Student success is program success,” she said. 

She notes that students often prioritize timely matriculation, graduation, and employment outcomes, and she is eager to learn more about how the CM degree can support these goals. 

“My goal is to foster students who have key strengths and skills in making, people, design thinking, and sociotechnical thinking,” she said, adding that these skills are informed by both cutting-edge and established theories to guide students’ practice.