CS 8001 Seminars

Scheduled

CS 8001 OCH: Building Applications with ChatGPT
Schedule: Fall 2024
Description: This seminar provides a comprehensive understanding of building applications with ChatGPT. From exploring the fundamentals to deploying production-grade virtual assistants, the seminar covers various aspects of integrating ChatGPT into real-world applications. The assignments in each module allow students to apply the knowledge gained and develop practical skills in building chat-based customer support systems, content recommendation chatbots, and deploying virtual assistants.

CS 8001 OCS: Computing in Python
Schedule: Every Spring, Summer, and Fall
Description: This seminar is combined with David Joyner's online undergraduate CS1301 class and serves as a primer on computing in Python. It is an introductory course that presupposes no prior CS knowledge, but for OMSCS students without prior Python experience specifically it has served as a good, low-stakes primer in the past.

CS 8001 ODA: Data Structures & Algorithms
Schedule: Every Spring, Summer, Fall
Description: This seminar mirrors the undergraduate CS1332 class, Data Structures & Algorithms. Covering the same content as the CS1332 professional certificate on edX, the seminar begins by covering intermediate to advanced concepts in data structures, including linked lists, stacks, queues, binary trees, heaps, and hashmaps. It then continues into intermediate to advanced concepts in algorithms, including divide and conquer algorithms, pattern matching, Dijkstra's minimum spanning tree, and dynamic programming. The seminar assumes prior CS knowledge and is useful as a preparation course for future studies in algorithms.

CS 8001 OED: CS Educators
Schedule: Every Fall
Description: It seems like every few weeks we read another article about the shortage of computer science graduates and how that is having negative effects on the tech industry. The issue doesn't stem from a lack of interest in the field, but rather a dearth of computer science educators. Led by instructional associate and Oregon State University lecturer Eric Ianni, this seminar is designed to help prepare future computer science teachers for success or help update current educators' pedagogical tool chest. No matter your teaching experience, there is something in this seminar for you. We will start with general educator best practices and progress to computer science specific techniques. The seminar will cover all sorts of modalities of learning: in-person, online/remote, synchronous, and asynchronous. So if you ever had the itch to teach computer science this seminar is for you!

CS 8001 OFT: Futurism Reading Group
Schedule: Every Spring
Description: With recent advances in artificial intelligence, materials science, quantum computing, biotechnology, and more, the future promises to look very different. Futurism or futures studies is the discipline of exploring what the future will look like and how people will live and work with these upcoming advancements. Many books and papers have been written on this subject from well-known thinkers like Max Tegmark, Michio Kaku, and Mauro F. Guillén. In this synchronous seminar (a time will be selected based on a poll of enrollees) co-led by Eric Ianni and Ana Rusch, students will read through selected books and papers on the topic, then meet weekly to discuss what the future will look like based on those topics and how the work they are doing intersects with that future.

CS 8001 OIC: Introduction to C Programming
Schedule: Fall 2024
Description: This seminar, intended for students used to high-level languages such as Ruby and Python, will teach C, the lingua franca for systems programming over the past forty years due to its elegance, efficiency, and low-level (close to the hardware) capabilities. We will tackle C's syntax, type system, and program layout, as well as arrays, pointers, and control structures, giving students the ability to translate familiar techniques into this lower-level language. In this project-based course, students will be guided through the implementation of an interpreter for a very basic Lisp, designed to give them a sense of what the computer, whether they use low-level languages or continue with high-level ones, is doing. We'll also cover file I/O, memory management, C's standard library, and the tools necessary to implement common data structures like hash tables and resizable arrays.

CS 8001 OLM: Large Language Model
Schedule: Summer 2024, Fall 2024
Description: As Large Language Model (LLM) technologies continue to advance in complexity, their application domains are increasingly broad. This seminar delves into the realm of LLMs, focusing on how we can apply key concepts of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to LLM research. Students will read both foundational and cutting-edge papers and participate in weekly discussions to further explore the topics of AI. We will explore how these topics can be applied to advancements in both industry and research settings. Topics include user-centered design of LLMs, ethics, and accessibility of AI, as well as topics related to student interests. Classes will cover theoretical foundations, as well as provide a practical framework for students to develop a comprehensive research proposal. Students will have the opportunity to explore their own interests as part of a course-long investigation of a novel application of AI.

CS 8001 OLP: The Language of Proofs
Schedule: Every Spring, Summer, and Fall
Description: The language of proofs is designed to fulfill prerequisites to succeed in the Graduate Algorithms class of the OMSCS program. Students wanting to get introductory training in the formalism of proof writing will find this seminar useful. The seminar will meet every week, alternating between sections to cover the theory and review sections where the class will discuss the worksheets shared in the previous section. Students are strongly encouraged to work the exercises that will be provided (this is the way to learn the material). The class will have one simple assignment every two weeks to check your attendance. Students taking these quizzes should expect a satisfactory grade in the seminar.

CS 8001 OOP: Object-Oriented Programming in Java
Schedule: Every Spring, Summer, and Fall
Description: This seminar mirrors the undergraduate version of CS1331: Object-Oriented Programming in Java. Covering the same content as the CS1331 professional certificate on edX, the seminar takes students through the basics of Java, then focuses on object-oriented programming practices in Java. The seminar assumes some prior CS knowledge, and is especially good for students who want to pick up Java as an additional language or who have limited prior OOP experience.

CS 8001 OPC: CS in Popular Culture
Schedule: Every Summer
Description: For those of us still waiting for our flying car, looking to Science Fiction as a way to predict future technologies may seem a bit silly, but we shouldn't be so dismissive. From the days of Jules Vern, sci-fi authors have been imagining fantastical futures for humanity. Many of these "predictions" have been based on little more than a blind faith in humanity's potential, yet many of these predictions have come to pass. Just think, a multi-billion dollar suit between Apple and Samsung cited Star Trek in the legal proceedings! Come join us as we explore past "predictions" as well as stories about the world yet to arrive and connect them to current trends and ongoing research in AI and computing as a whole. In this synchronous seminar (a time will be selected based on a poll of enrollees) co-led by Eric Ianni and Ana Rusch, students will watch and read through selected movies, and short stories on the topic, as well as analyze music that deals with these concepts. We will meet bi-weekly via Teams.

CS 8001 OPH: PhD Applicants
Schedule: Every Fall
Description: In this seminar, led by Dr. Nick Lytle, students planning to apply for PhD programs in Fall 2024 will meet to review statements of purpose, discuss application processes, and discuss PhD prospects.

CS 8001 ORI: Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction
Schedule: Fall 2024
Description: In this seminar course, students will delve into recent papers and explore current cutting-edge research in robotics. Esteemed robotics professionals from Georgia Tech, other prestigious institutions, and leading industry players will contribute to the learning experience through several guest lectures each semester. Participants are expected to engage actively, participating in biweekly presentations delivered to the robotics community by top researchers from both academia and industry. They are designed for students eager to explore the latest technological advancements and their applications across various topics, including artificial intelligence, medical robotics, soft robotics, sensing, healthcare, and human-robot interactions.

CS 8001 ORS: PhD Research Brown Bag
Schedule: Every Spring
Description: In this seminar, several on-campus PhD students will present their work and hold a synchronous Q&A with students, either about their work or about PhD life as a whole. Hosted by Associate Director of Research, Nicholas Lytle, come hear talks by speakers like Idel Martinez (Computer Science Education), Niranjan Kumar Kannabiran (humanoid robotics), Sarah Matthew (Human-centered AI and technology adoption), and more! Learn about what state-of-the-art computing research is being done at Georgia Tech and get an opportunity to speak and learn from future leaders!

CS 8001 OUI: Designing and Building User Interfaces
Schedule: Fall 2024
Description: In this course, we aim to provide students with both conceptual knowledge of user interfaces and practical experience in building user interfaces. We will understand the basic components of a user interface from both UI/UX and technical perspectives, and students will learn how to design a user-friendly interface through popular prototyping tools such as Figma. The course will cover the popular cross-platform app development tool Flutter. While some basic understanding of coding is preferred, resources will be provided to help students get up to speed. By the end of this course, students should be confident in designing and deploying user interfaces on their own.

CS 8001 OWN: Women in Tech
Schedule: Every Spring and Fall
Description: This synchronous seminar meets on Mondays at 7pm ET this semester via teleconference. Led by Dr. Ana Rusch, students in the seminar discuss the contributions of women in the fields of CS and IT, engage with cutting edge research on technology, and network with others in the field. Synchronous sessions feature discussions, guest speakers, and more.

Past Offerings

CS 8001 OAI: AI Reading Group
Last Offered: Spring 2022
Description: In this semi-synchronous seminar led by David Joyner, students read and discuss books and papers about artificial intelligence. The main intent of the seminar is to use these readings as jumping-off points for synchronous and asynchronous discussions.

CS 8001 ODM: Machine Learning & Data Science Tooling
Last Offered: Summer 2022
Description: Led by instructional associate Robert Bates, this seminar introduced students to common tools used by ML and DA practitioners, such as SciPy, Matplotlib, PyTorch, and more.

CS 8001 OEN: Entrepreneurship
Last Offered: Spring 2022
Description: This seminar, led by Keith McGreggor and Ana Rusch, was for current and prospective entrepreneurs and start-up founders. Students reviewed the content used for Keith's on-campus Global Entrepreneurship class, discussed their ideas with classmates and the seminar's faculty, completed short assignments to structure their thoughts and share them with classmates, and joined synchronous meet-ups with others in the course.

CS 8001 OGV: GVU Brown Bag
Last Offered: Fall 2021
Description: The GVU Brown Bag is a weekly on-campus lecture series put on by the GVU (Graphics, Visualization, and Usability) Center where guest speakers are invited to Georgia Tech to give talks about their work. Some of the speakers included Jer Thorp from NYU, Krystina Madej from DePaul University, and Q. Vera Liao from the IBM TJ Watson Research Center—as well as Georgia Tech faculty such as Mark Braunstein, Beth Mynatt, and Noura Howell. Students watched and discussed the seminar synchronously among themselves. There was also an asynchronous forum to support having questions and discussion throughout the week.

CS 8001 OHD: HCI Design, Justice-Oriented Design, and Critical Computing
Last Offered: Summer 2024
Description: This course is to provide an understanding of recent approaches to research and major topics in design and human-computer interaction (HCI) research. It is an introductory course that presupposes no prior HCI knowledge and is useful as a preparation course for those interested in different approaches to crafting HCI research and major topics in the third wave of HCI and design-oriented approaches, focusing on the social-cultural context. Topics will include research through design, justice-oriented design, and critical computing. Each course will last one hour including a short lecture about the assigned reading and group discussion. In this synchronous seminar, led by Inha Cha, students will read through selected papers and articles on the topic, and then meet weekly to discuss those topics. Asynchronous participation will be conducted via Ed Discussion.

CS 8001 OLS: Learning at Scale
Last Offered: Fall 2021
Description: In this seminar, students read four books together: Failure to Disrupt by Justin Reich; Writers in the Secret Garden by Cecilia Aragon and Katie Davis; Peer Pedagogies on Digital Platforms by Michael Dezuanni; and The Distributed Classroom by David Joyner and Charles Isbell. Students discussed the readings asynchronously each week through discussion forums.

CS 8001 OSO: Computational Sociology
Last Offered: Fall 2022
Description: Led by Ana Rusch, this seminar will explore Computational Sociology, a sub-field of both Computer Science and Sociology. As part of this, students will participate in discussions, read case studies and papers, and have the opportunity to propose and get feedback on their own research ideas and progress. This seminar will be divided into three main sections. The first section will review case studies of how computer science, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, have been used to analyze and solve complex social problems. These case studies will analyze computer science through a multidimensional sociological perspective. The second section of this seminar will review the sociohistorical history and ethics of computer science. Finally, the third section of this seminar will give students a space to discuss their own research ideas, practice conference presentations, and receive feedback on papers for submission. Grading will be based on participation, either synchronous or asynchronous. The synchronous meeting times/dates will be determined based on most of the students’ availability. Asynchronous participation via will be conducted via Ed Discussion.

CS 8001 OST: Social Media, Technology, and Politics
Last Offered: Summer 2024
Description: How has the political landscape changed in the age of social media? Why is Congress trying to ban TikTok? In this seminar, we will explore the many intersections between politics and social media, through discussions of academic research and non-academic multimedia pieces. Discussion topics could include: regulation, elections, misinformation, polarization, digital activism, and more. We will focus mainly on the U.S. context, but we may explore other geographic regions based on student interest.

CS 8001 OUS: Usable Security
Last Offered: Spring 2023
Description: How can we design systems that improve end-user agency over their data and experiences online? How can we design systems that encourage better cybersecurity and privacy behaviors? These are important questions in computing: without agency over their data, users are subject to exploitation; without good end-user cybersecurity and privacy behaviors, the full potential of computing is hamstrung by its dangers. The field of usable privacy and security combines ideas from HCI, cybersecurity and privacy research to explore solutions to these questions. In this class, you’ll learn the basics of usable privacy and security research. You’ll learn about why usable privacy and security is important, why it’s hard, and what you can do about it. We’ll focus on building the skills necessary to conduct original usable privacy and security research, which requires an understanding of both core concepts in cybersecurity and privacy (e.g., encryption, authentication) as well as HCI research methods (e.g., human-centered design, prototyping). To build these skills, the class will include a small set of weekly readings and a number of in-class activities.