{"650427":{"#nid":"650427","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Computer Science Graduate Students Foster Community","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGraduate students in the School of Computer Science (SCS) have formed a new student association, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scsgsa.cc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESCS Graduate Student Association\u003C\/a\u003E. The group hosts social events, career workshops, and provides support for SCS students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter the faculty held a graduate student listening session in December 2020, it was clear students wanted more peer support.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo this end, a group of graduate students started creating programing to connect to their fellow students. The first event was a game night and photo contest judged by Professor \u003Cstrong\u003EAlexandra Boldyreva\u003C\/strong\u003E held on Gathertown, a participatory video chat platform that creates a virtual party environment. Next they hosted a panel called \u0026quot;Things nobody told me about a Ph.D.!\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith the success of early programming, the group formed and officially registered as the first-ever School of Computer Science Graduate Student Association (SCS GSA), which officially launched in August.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s great to see our students take the initiative to come together and form this organization,\u0026rdquo; SCS Chair \u003Cstrong\u003EVivek Sarkar\u003C\/strong\u003E said. \u0026ldquo;I look forward to the SCS GSA contributing to an increased vitality in our school\u0026rsquo;s community.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe founders of the association say they hope to create a sense of belonging for students, improve student \u0026ndash; faculty relationships, and provide students with an opportunity to give back and become leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I see it as an avenue to create cherished memories of our graduate school journeys beyond the walls of our research and labs,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Cstrong\u003EHarshit Daga\u003C\/strong\u003E, SCS GSA president and final-year Ph.D. student.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith this in mind, \u0026nbsp;SCS GSA\u0026rsquo;s programing is tailored to be both practical and personable. The group recently helped the school with onboarding the incoming master\u0026rsquo;s and Ph.D. students by combining them on a single \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/join.slack.com\/t\/gt-scs-grad\/signup\u0022\u003ESlack\u003C\/a\u003E platform. For the semester the team has planned events such as a Ph.D. welcoming event, monthly TGIF gatherings, and townhalls.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I envision GSA to better the lives of graduate students by improving the mental health and well-being of the student body and providing opportunities for them to succeed,\u0026rdquo; said third-year Ph.D. student and treasurer \u003Cstrong\u003ESharjeel Khan\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlong with Daga and Khan, the GSA leadership team includes: fourth-year Ph.D. student \u003Cstrong\u003EBhuvesh Kumar\u003C\/strong\u003E as vice president, second-year Ph.D. student \u003Cstrong\u003EManasvini Sethuraman\u003C\/strong\u003E as events chair, second-year Ph.D. student \u003Cstrong\u003EMehrdad Ghadiri\u003C\/strong\u003E as student and faculty affairs chair, and third-year Ph.D. student Kuchhal as communications chair. SCS alumna \u003Cstrong\u003EThaleia Dimitra Doudali\u003C\/strong\u003E (CS Ph.D. 21) serves as alumni liaison.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Graduate students in the School of Computer Science (SCS) have formed a new student association, the SCS Graduate Student Association."}],"uid":"34541","created_gmt":"2021-09-02 21:11:57","changed_gmt":"2021-09-02 21:13:59","author":"Tess Malone","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-09-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-09-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"650428":{"id":"650428","type":"image","title":"SCS GSA","body":null,"created":"1630617216","gmt_created":"2021-09-02 21:13:36","changed":"1630617216","gmt_changed":"2021-09-02 21:13:36","alt":"SCS GSA","file":{"fid":"246842","name":"student test.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/student%20test.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/student%20test.png","mime":"image\/png","size":886256,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/student%20test.png?itok=PkoOXeA9"}}},"media_ids":["650428"],"groups":[{"id":"50875","name":"School of Computer Science"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETess Malone, Communications Officer\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:tess.malone@cc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Etess.malone@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}