College Contingent Heading to Tapia to Build on CS Diversity Initiatives

Georgia Tech College of Computing students and faculty will participate in the CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference, one of the leading gatherings in the United States focused on diversity in computing, which takes place in Dallas, Texas, Sept. 13-15. A reported 1,700 students and others attended the 2022 conference, the first in-person conference since 2019.

The College community will offer several opportunities to connect with students interested in or studying computer science and related fields:

• Staff will be available to help students meet industry professionals and looking for their next internship.
• Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) professors and representatives at Booth #1106 will answer questions and discuss the program’s benefits.
• Students from the College’s Tapia contingent will take part in a cohort for the LEAP Alliance, an NSF-funded Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance focused on diversifying future conmputing leadership at research universities.

“Our involvement at Tapia as a top-five institution is integral in providing leadership for other universities and partnering with our peers,” said Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence Cedric Stallworth.

Stallworth, who will attend the LEAP meetings at Tapia, also noted that Atlanta has developed a reputation for building equity and supporting the large population of underrepresented students in the region.

Georgia Tech has advanced that reputation globally through its OMSCS program, which has grown to 12,00 enrolled students—13% of enrollment being minorities—within a decade.

The College of Computing has had a consistent presence at Tapia focused on supporting student growth and engagement.

Michael Johnson, a Ph.D. student in computer science, has attended three Tapia conferences.

“I was able to network with more professionals at other universities looking to hire faculty, which is a career path I am considering,” said Johnson, who has also presented his work twice at the venue.

“Those experiences are very helpful to me and gave me a sense of validation as a graduate student that others can see the worth in my research efforts. I also won a best poster award, which was exciting.”

Learn more about the College of Computing’s Tapia activities at https://sites.gatech.edu/tapia/. Live updates from Dallas will be published starting Wednesday.