Building a Culture of Applied Research: The DS@GT ARC Story

Abstract

Data Science at Georgia Tech: Applied Research & Competitions (DS@GT ARC) is a student-run research initiative focused on machine learning and information retrieval through competitive research challenges. What began as a small team of OMSCS students has grown into a vibrant community of over 45 active members—including undergraduate, graduate, and online students—who have collectively produced 33 peer-reviewed papers. Our mission is to make applied research accessible, collaborative, and impactful. This talk explores the past, present, and future of the group. First, I will share how DS@GT ARC started, our early challenges, and how we built a sustainable framework for student-led research. Next, I will highlight our growth, accomplishments, and strategies for scaling in a fully online setting. Finally, I will discuss upcoming initiatives, including the Spring 2026 launch of CS 8903: Applied Research & Competitions. This new course guides students through the entire applied research lifecycle: from forming teams and developing ML systems to writing and submitting working-note papers for the CLEF 2026 conference. Attendees will learn how OMSCS and on-campus communities can collaborate to make research more scalable and inclusive. ARC addresses a long-standing challenge in online education: bridging the gap between students eager to engage in research and the limited time of faculty. By providing structure, accountability, and mentorship, ARC creates a collaborative environment where motivated students thrive.

Bio

Image

Murilo Gustineli is a Machine Learning Engineer at Voxel51 and an OMSCS student specializing in ML. Originally from São Paulo and currently based in Atlanta, Murilo co-leads the DS@GT ARC group and helps with CS 8903. Murilo's research focuses on designing models that efficiently learn rich, transferable representations across diverse domains such as vision, audio, and language.