Members of the Department of Computer Science community came together to celebrate the class of 2020 with recorded video messages and live Zoom events.
When U of T announced that its traditional in-person convocation ceremonies wouldn’t take place as usual this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Department of Computer Science faculty and staff saw an opportunity to bring graduates, families, friends, and supporters together virtually to celebrate the accomplishments of the class of 2020.
Following the University’s virtual convocation on June 2, during which degrees were conferred in absentia, the Department celebrated its newly minted graduates with online celebrations from June 17 to 19.
Physically distant, virtually together
In a typical year, undergraduate students graduate with their respective colleges, rather than their home academic departments. With that door closed, another opened, allowing the Department to collectively celebrate its graduating students in a new way.
Responding to a call for messages of congratulations and encouragement, the Department of Computer Science community sent in videos from wherever they happened to be in the world: a faculty member filming from their front yard, a recently graduated student recording from their childhood bedroom, an alumnus sending words of wisdom from a home office.
The resulting compilation of videos and written messages turned solitary and physically distanced messages into a chorus of celebration.
In honour of the class of 2020 undergraduates, Department of Computer Science teaching stream faculty wrote and performed a U of T CS version of a song from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton.
One group took that chorus of celebration to new heights. Members of the Department’s teaching stream faculty collaborated to write and record a U of T Computer Science version of “Alexander Hamilton,” the opening number from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton.
Zoom-ing towards the next chapter
For those earning graduate degrees, the Department organized live graduation celebrations on Zoom. In addition to the graduates themselves, participants included families, friends, supervisors, alumni, faculty, and staff.
To take advantage of the unique format of this year’s celebrations, the events’ organizers used Zoom’s built-in polling feature to conduct brief games of trivia about the graduate programs. And to make the events feel more special than a typical video meeting, participants were encouraged to dress up a bit and have a celebratory beverage on hand. A group toast using Zoom’s gallery view allowed attendees to see each other and cheer for the graduates together.
On Wednesday, June 17, graduating MScAC students were recognized in an event that included remarks from MScAC Academic Director Arvind Gupta, a 2020 graduate, an industry partner who has hired MScAC students, alumni of the program, and the chairs of the four departments affiliated with the program: Computer Science, Statistical Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics.
In his remarks, Carl Rodrigues, President and CEO of SOTI, an enterprise mobility management company, reflected on the path he took from his days as a U of T Computer Science undergraduate to founding his own company. SOTI has hired MScAC students for eight-month internships that are a key component of the 16-month program.
As the event concluded and participants were invited to chat with each other, one graduating student remarked that the virtual event was “even better” than an in-person celebration.
On Friday, June 19, MSc and PhD graduates celebrated their graduation with family, friends, and members of the Department of Computer Science community. At the beginning and end of the event, academic supervisors’ notes of congratulations to their graduating students appeared in a slideshow.
Professor and Chair Marsha Chechik delivered remarks in which she highlighted the breadth of research conducted by this year’s graduates, “from improving the precision of health-related research and testing, to evaluating political arguments, empowering mental health patients and refugees, and creating diverse solutions to elevate our technological and social systems.”
“Our current age of computer science has taken us beyond computation, and it is amazing to see the different ways you all will use it to impact our world,” she said.
Associate Professor Daniel Wigdor delivered a pre-recorded address in which he reflected on the lessons he learned as someone who entered the job market during the 2008 recession, and provided words of encouragement and advice to the advanced degree recipients.
Towards the end of his address, he remarked on how this year’s graduates are prepared to lead in difficult times:
“...know that not only are these unprecedented times of social change, they are also a time of unprecedented opportunity to use the muscles you have built up through graduate school of forging and building relationships during hard times, of learning to rely on others, and to be the sort of person others can rely on to be a good friend, colleague, mentor, and partner...You will be the natural leaders and organizers of any group you find yourself a part of.”
As the event concluded, the physical merged with the virtual, as one 2020 graduate hoisted his recently delivered diploma for his fellow graduates to see.