OMSCS Speaker Series

Description: When people think about careers in tech, they often imagine software engineers spending their days writing code. But many complex real-world systems—including spacecraft—depend just as heavily on systems thinking, interfaces, operations, communication, and engineering judgment.

In this talk, Georgia Tech OMSCS alum Adeena Mignogna shares her path from software engineering into mission architecture in the space industry, including work on satellite command-and-control systems, spacecraft operations, and large-scale system integration. She’ll discuss what systems engineers and mission architects actually do, how software skills translate into broader technical leadership roles, and why some of the most important engineering work has less to do with coding than most people realize.

Bio: Adeena Mignogna is a Mission Architect in the aerospace industry with nearly 30 years of experience working on satellite command-and-control systems, software engineering, systems engineering, and human spaceflight-related programs. She holds B.S. degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.

In addition to her technical work, Adeena is a science fiction author, STEM speaker, and co-host of The BIG Sci-Fi Podcast. She is passionate about helping people better understand systems thinking, space technology, AI, and the many different paths into STEM careers.

Description: From Georgia Tech to Bangladesh: from designing sensor systems for all, to engineering systems that listen to those who are almost always left behind. This lecture details a journey that began during the final year of Dr. Ahmed's PhD, where she designed sensing systems for elderly care homes as a creative solution to an existing commercial problem. However, conventional system design methodologies often falter in developing nations, where challenges are deeply socially integrated and mainstream tech solutions rarely fit. Shifted by this reality, her work pivoted toward low-resource technology design centered on women and marginalized groups. This talk spans a two-decade journey of developing impactful tech solutions, beginning with systems designed to prevent sexual harassment, and concluding with her current research on the unique stressors faced by undergraduate students in STEM fields. 

Bio: Dr. Nova Ahmed is a computer scientist and Professor at North South University in Bangladesh. After completing her PhD at the Georgia Institute of Technology, she returned to Bangladesh driven by a desire to create meaningful change. Leveraging her expertise in sensor systems, she began tackling complex social challenges, including developing technologies to protect women from sexual harassment. She continues to advocate for marginalized communities by designing low-cost, locally available solution approaches. Her primary research interests lie in Feminist HCI, low-cost sensor systems, and ICT for Development.