OMSCS Celebrates a Decade of Community and Innovation

The second annual Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) Conference at Georgia Tech marked a milestone in the program’s history, celebrating its 10th anniversary and the graduation of over 10,000 students. 

The conference showcased the program's commitment to fostering community and innovation among its diverse and global student body.

Highlights from the Event

The three-day event featured a mix of presentations and panel discussions on topics reflecting the interests of the OMSCS community. Alex Duncan, associate director of student experience for OMSCS, explained the deliberate effort to avoid a narrow focus, ensuring a rich and varied program. 

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“Of course, all the presentations have a computer science (CS) element to them, but we deliberately try to get a variety of topics and presentations,” Duncan said. “This year, we introduced panel discussions as a new presentation format.” 

Celebrating 10 years since the founding of OMSCS and the graduation of over 10,000 students from the program set the tone for the conference.

One panel focused on OMSCS Through the Years and another covered AI in Education. Each panel highlighted Georgia Tech's expertise by providing attendees with insights from program alumni and instructors.

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The opening reception for the conference featured speakers and special guests including President Ángel Cabrera, Provost Steven McLaughlin, former President G.P. Peterson, former Dean of Computing Zvi Galil, Professor Sebastian Thrun, and Interim Dean of Computing Alex Orso.

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The conference culminated in a campus tour led by David Joyner, executive director of online education & OMSCS. Joyner emphasized the significance of these in-person experiences and connections. 

"To me, the most inspiring thing about the OMSCS conference is to see how it intersects with students' relationships with one another,” Joyner said. 

“I love hearing stories about students who have known each other online for years finally getting to meet in person, but it's also so fun to hear stories from students who met for the first time at the conference and then went on to take classes or do projects together.”

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Attendance and Feedback

The conference saw impressive participation, with 116 virtual registrants and 152 in-person participants, including 76 OMSCS students and 31 alumni. 22% of people who attended the conference live outside the United States.

Duncan highlighted the strong sense of community within the OMSCS program, noting the high turnout and the ongoing alumni engagement. 

"Most of our program’s teaching assistants (TAs) are alumni. These are alumni who have full-time jobs in CS. Alumni come out because they want to stay connected to the program, current students, and the faculty," Duncan said.

Attendee feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many interested in more events. One participant encapsulated the general sentiment: "Please keep doing this."

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Goals and Future Directions

Reflecting on the conference's success, Duncan outlined the dual goals of celebrating OMSCS's 10-year milestone and bringing the community together.

"Bringing students on campus falls under one of the goals which is recognizing and strengthening the OMSCS community," Duncan said. The physical presence on campus was particularly special for many attendees who had never visited Georgia Tech in person.

Building on the success of this year’s event, Duncan expressed aspirations for future conferences, including potential outreach initiatives. He envisions harnessing the collective expertise of attendees for broader community benefits, such as K-12 education workshops or nonprofit hackathons.

“I see OMSCS as a community and more than just an academic program,” Duncan said. “It’s significant to have all these experts in one place and I feel like we could harness that for the greater good.”

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