DeMillo was among 80 computer scientists worldwide selected for the Academy's founding class and was the only Georgia Tech faculty member recognized.
"I am honored to be included in the inaugural class of the ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Academy," said DeMillo. "This recognition reflects the work of outstanding students, collaborators, and colleagues over many years. Software engineering research has transformed the way society builds and depends upon software, and I hope our community will continue to advance the scientific foundations needed to make software more reliable, secure, and worthy of the trust people place in it."
Established by ACM SIGSOFT, the Software Engineering Academy is a standing body of honor that recognizes members of the software engineering community whose lasting technical contributions, leadership, and service have shaped the field. The Academy celebrates researchers whose cumulative work and influence have advanced software engineering as both a scientific discipline and professional practice.
"Rich's research in software testing is recognized among the most influential contributions to the field of software engineering," said SCP Interim Chair Mustaque Ahamad. "His inclusion in the inaugural ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Academy demonstrates the lasting impact of his research on building more reliable software systems."
The inaugural class was selected from leaders whose contributions have already been widely recognized across the software engineering community, including ACM Fellows and recipients of ACM SIGSOFT's Outstanding Research Award. Beginning next year, new Academy members will be elected annually through a community nomination process.
DeMillo served as the founding chair of Georgia Tech's School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, the first school of its kind at a top research university. He previously served as the John P. Imlay Dean of the College of Computing and directed the Georgia Tech Information Security Center.
Throughout his career, DeMillo has held leadership positions across academia, industry, and government. He served as Hewlett-Packard's first chief technology officer, led computing research at Bell Communications Research, directed the Computer Research Division at the National Science Foundation, and led the Software Test and Evaluation Project in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
His research spans software engineering, cybersecurity, election security, and the societal impacts of digital technology. His 1979 paper, Social Processes and Proofs of Theorems and Programs, is widely regarded as a foundational work in software engineering and has been recognized as one of the 50 most influential papers in computer science.
In addition to his research, DeMillo has helped shape higher education through the creation of Georgia Tech's Center for 21st Century Universities. He is a fellow of both the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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DeMillo was among 80 computer scientists worldwide selected for the Academy's founding class and was the only Georgia Tech faculty member recognized.
]]>SCI Instructor Pedro Guillermo Feijóo-García was selected by Fulbright Colombia to moderate the closing panel of the Fulbright Reimagined Summit 2026: AI Horizons: Learning Pathways for Tomorrow.
Held last month at Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia, the summit convened scholars, educators, policymakers, and industry leaders to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education, work, governance, and society.
Fulbright Colombia invited Feijóo-García to moderate the closing discussion, From Adopters to Architects: Professions of Tomorrow, in recognition of his research on human-AI interaction and the hidden curriculum in engineering and computer science education.
"As a Fulbright alumnus, being invited to contribute to such an important event was an honor and a privilege," Feijóo-García said. "Beyond the personal recognition, I viewed this opportunity as a meaningful platform to facilitate conversations around the future of education, technology, and workforce development."
From Computing Education to AI Futures
At Georgia Tech, Feijóo-García directs the People-Agents Research for Computing Education (PARCE) Laboratory. His research examines the intersection of computing education, STEM learning, and AI, focusing on student preparedness, professional development, and the hidden curriculum- which he explains as the implicit skills and expectations that shape students' academic and career success.
Feijóo-García says his perspective is shaped by years of work in computing education. During his master's studies in systems and computing engineering at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, he explored ways to expand access to computing education through interactive programming environments. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in human-centered computing from the University of Florida, where he focused his research on computing education and human-centered AI.
"AI is transforming how we learn, work, communicate, make decisions, and interact with one another," Feijóo-García said. "As educators, we need to prepare students not only with technical competencies, but also with critical thinking, ethical reasoning, collaboration, and the ability to adapt."
Preparing Students for the Professions of Tomorrow
Rather than viewing AI as a challenge for higher education, Feijóo-García sees it as an opportunity for universities to rethink how they prepare students for an evolving workforce. He believes educators should help students develop the judgment to know when AI can enhance their work and when independent reasoning and human expertise are essential.
"The conversation should not revolve around whether AI belongs in education, but rather how we integrate it responsibly and intentionally," Feijóo-García said.
He also hopes students begin to think of AI not only as artificial intelligence, but as augmented intelligence. "The goal should not be to replace human thinking, but to enhance it," he said.
Feijóo-García emphasized that AI should augment human capabilities rather than replace human judgment. Preparing students for an AI-driven workforce requires helping them understand when AI can support their work and when human reasoning, creativity, and expertise are essential.
Strengthening U.S.–Colombia Collaboration
The summit reinforced the value of collaboration among scholars, educators, policymakers, and industry leaders in advancing research and education. Earlier this year, Feijóo-García participated in another Fulbright Colombia event focused on strengthening scientific collaboration between Colombia and the United States.
The Fulbright Program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide, is the United States government’s flagship international academic exchange program to support peaceful relations between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries. Fulbright Colombia, the binational commission for educational exchange between the U.S. and Colombia, has supported academic and scientific collaboration between the two countries since 1957.
Feijóo-García’s academic journey reflects the impact of these collaborations. The Fulbright Program supported his doctoral studies in the United States, and he continues to build connections between Colombia and the U.S. through his work at Georgia Tech.
"Scientific diplomacy is built on people," Feijóo-García said. "Events like the Fulbright Reimagined Summit provide the environment where trust is established, ideas are exchanged, and collaborations begin."
]]>GTSI brings talented students from across the state to campus for a weeklong taste of college life.
Along with learning about academic programs and scholarship opportunities, GTSI offers participating students – many from rural and under-resourced communities – hands-on STEM experiences.
In its second year of participating in GTSI, the College of Computing broadened its partnership with the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) this summer, offering two full-day, interactive experiences that integrated creativity and computational thinking.
"The College of Computing first participated in 2025 and is excited to build on that partnership," said Aneesah Allen, senior education outreach manager, who coordinated the College's involvement with CEISMC.
"Our goal is to create a memorable experience that helps students see themselves in computing while learning new skills in a fun, engaging way."
To achieve this goal, the GT Computing-led sessions gave GTSI students the opportunity to experiment with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, explore physical computing, and discover how technology intersects with:
Sababu Barashango and Terry Foster, CS instructional specialists and research associates at the College’s Constellation Center for Education in Computing, along with Cedric Stallworth, GT Computing assistant dean for outreach, led the College’s participation in this year’s GTSI.
For Barashango, the interactive sessions – focused on computer science (CS) and computational media (CM) – were designed to broaden students' understanding of what computing can be.
"The College of Computing and its Constellations Center for Education in Computing are partnering with CEISMC to help high school students understand the many possibilities computer science and computational media offer," said Barashango. "The students were deeply engaged in the interactive sessions.
"The content ranged from an introductory icebreaker using Google Maps and pixel art to block coding and physical computing, and finally to AI and machine learning."
Along with presenting computing’s creative side and emphasizing hands-on participation, the GT Computing-led sessions were designed to challenge long-held assumptions about who belongs in computing and what skills the field requires.
"The experiences in our sessions directly challenge the myth that you can't be both creative and logical," Barashango said.
Foster believes that introducing students to all aspects of computing before they make decisions about college can help them see opportunities well beyond what they might have considered.
"Learning about CS and CM pathways broadens their view of computing and allows them to apply computing in fields they care about," Foster said.
He pointed to computational media as an especially powerful gateway because it integrates technical and creative thinking.
"When speaking specifically about CM, which is an excellent entry point into computing, students can be both creative and technical, not just one or the other," Foster said.
The GT Computing-led sessions also encouraged students to think beyond traditional technology careers.
"One of the key messages we shared with students was that earning a computer science degree does not mean they have to become software engineers," Foster said.
"We emphasized the wide range of computing careers available, including fields such as sports technology, film production, and interactive media, in which CS and CM skills are highly valued."
Despite the success of the College’s GTSI session, Barashango recognizes that the goal of helping students see themselves in computing extends beyond a single summer program.
“Introducing students to computational thinking early can help prepare them for whatever path they choose,” he said. "Regardless of their career choices, their lives will continue to be affected by and integrated with computer science.”
"If they do not develop computational thinking and skills, they will be left behind in the technology and wealth gap."
]]>Sr. Communications Manager
Georgia Tech College of Computing
albert.snedeker@cc.gatech.edu
]]>The alumni on the list were chosen by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. The announcement was made on July 15. Representing the College this year are:
The annual 40 Under 40 program honorsTech graduates impacting every industry worldwide and work to improve the way we live, even in the early stages of their careers.
You can learn more about this year’s honorees at the 40 under 40 website, and through a visualization of this year’s class on the same site.
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