Student Spotlight: Gerald O'Hara

Thursday, February 6, 2025

This week, we shine a spotlight on OMSCS student Gerald O'Hara. Keep reading to learn more about Gerald's background, post-graduation plans, and more!

What is your academic and/or professional background? If you're currently working, what do you do?

I was a Georgia Tech undergrad, earning a B.S. ISyE after 4.5 years (half-victory lap) in December 2013. From there I commissioned into the Navy and reported to Pensacola, Florida for flight training. There I flew the T-6B, then the T-45C in Kingsville, Texas, and finally the F/A-18 in Virginia Beach.

My first fleet assignment was with VFA-195 in Iwakuni, Japan. I had three Western Pacific deployments with Carrier Air Wing 5 aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CV76), and after three years returned to Virginia Beach as an instructor with VFA-106 to mold the next generation of F/A-18 Naval Aviators.

I started the OMSCS program in Fall of 2021 as a way to improve my skillset outside of the cockpit.

In March of 2023, the needs of the Navy called, and I rejoined the fleet with VFA-105. I had to pause the OMSCS program after the 2023 spring semester, and I spent 12 of the next 15 months away from home. I deployed as a part of Carrier Air Wing 3 aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in October of 2024, and spent the next nine months in the Middle East supporting Operation Prosperity Guardian and the defense of the Red Sea.

To graduate on my desired timeline (December 2024), I restarted my OMSCS journey while still in a Combat Zone aboard the aircraft carrier. Fortunately, the ship was equipped with Starlink, which provided just enough of a data connection to support logging into Canvas in between combat flight sorties.

I returned from my 4th and final deployment in July of 2024, and since then have been reconnecting with my wife and two little girls, grinding away at OMSCS, and developing a new start-up.

What was your favorite course or professor in OMSCS, and why?

Professor Maria Konte easily stands out as my favorite professor!

My first and final courses were hers: CS 6250: Computer Networks and CS 8803 O23: Modern Internet Research Methods.

Computer Networks is a great introductory course to the program. Good pace and scope, especially for someone like me who has a limited CS background and has been away from academia for eight years prior to starting.

Modern Internet Research Methods was a phenomenal course. I don’t think the next rounds of the class will be able to compare. There were only eight students in the class, and because of that we were able to have weekly calls with Professor Konte and some fantastic TAs, and that was an experience like no other in the OMSCS catalog. I really got to explore the space and received great support and guidance from Professor Konte and her staff.

What research are you working on?

Through the Modern Internet Research Methods class, I just wrapped up my research paper titled "Detecting Constitutional Risks in AI Governance Policy: A Predictive Framework".

Here's the abstract for those interested:
The recent preliminary injunction issued against California’s AB2839 due to First Amendment violations highlights the critical importance of ensuring that AI governance policies are constitutionally sound. This event, coupled with the ongoing debates surrounding AI regulation, presents a unique opportunity to analyze opinions, messaging, and influence campaigns in the AI governance space. The injunction against AB2839 underscores the need to develop tools that predict constitutional challenges before policies are enacted. This paper proposes the development of a predictive framework to assess the constitutionality of legislative directives, aiming to help policymakers validate AI policy early in the draft process, thereby avoiding costly legal challenges and fostering effective regulation.

What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working on OMSCS?

Being a dad! The transition from D.I.N.K. (Dual Income, No Kids) to parenthood is a doozy, to put it mildly, but I love my little humans so incredibly much, tantrums and all!

It's easier because I have an incredible wife, Kristy (formerly Kristy Miller, the Georgia Tech Feature Twirler, AKA Fire Girl, circa 2009-2013). She kept our world together during our last nine-month deployment, serving her country as a solo mother of two under 2 while her husband was 6,000 miles away.

When you become a dad (or mom) your life is forever changed, but only for the better!

What are your plans after graduation?

Right now we are pursuing a start-up in the AI Governance, Audit, and Compliance space. The company is called FAI8 (pronounced "fate"), and hopefully you'll be hearing more from us in 2025!

Tell us about why you feel the work that you do is significant and why it is important that you are the one doing it.

This moment with AI seems reminiscent of the early internet days. What happens now, both on the development and also the regulatory side, will have repercussions for future generations. There's huge risk in getting it wrong, so I want to focus on getting it right!