Each week we spotlight an OMSCS TA, so you can get to know who's behind the screen. Here are four questions for Rohit Mujumdar, who TAs CS 8803 O10: AI, Ethics, and Society.
What do you do professionally?
I am a first-year master’s student at Georgia Tech. I am a TA for Professor Ayanna Howard's AI, Ethics and Society class. This is the first time that the class is being offered in OMSCS, and I am thrilled to be part of the instruction team of the course.
Why do you TA for OMSCS?
Being a TA gives me an opportunity to guide these students from diverse walks of life through the course as they juggle family, work, sometimes kids, and—in this semester—a world pandemic! Studying at GT on-campus simultaneously helps me have an added learner's perspective. It's very fulfilling to witness their academic journey for an entire semester and see them succeed.
The course I TA is extremely relevant to today's computing world and society in general. It evolves on a daily basis and is driven by subjective perceptions and viewpoints. This not only makes the TA work interesting, but I also get to learn a lot from the students and my colleagues.
What's your advice for future students in OMSCS?
I would ask them to make the most of every opportunity they get in this course. I would urge everyone to have an open mind; there's no wrong time to learn anything new. I would also advise them to form valuable connections during their program because they’re very unique in that you'd be friends with people who lead very different lives.
What's your favorite memory from your time in or working with OMSCS so far?
A recruiter of a company I was considering applying to turned out to be an OMSCS alumni! Her story was incredible! She already had a Ph.D. but wanted to learn more and applied for OMSCS. She had her first child in 2015 when she began her OMSCS and had her second in 2019, when she graduated from OMSCS. All this while she juggling jobs and ended up being the ML Engineering Head of that organization! This interaction taught me the valuable lesson of how learning and growth should never stop. It was a prime example of how "not having enough time" is a myth and the unbeatable spirit of human perseverance!
