Newswise — ITHACA, N.Y. – Bill Gates visited Cornell University today to dedicate the university’s new Computing and Information Science (CIS) building and help celebrate 50 years of computer science at the institution.
Download video and photos: https://cornell.box.com/billgates
Bill & Melinda Gates Hall is designed to help foster Cornell faculty research collaboration and to strengthen students’ educational experience by bringing together two CIS academic departments – Computer Science and Information Science – in one facility. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated $25 million toward the $60 million total cost of the project.
Cornell University President David J. Skorton and Cornell CIS Dean Haym Hirsh joined Bill Gates in a ceremony to officially open the new building.
President Skorton called the building “a stunning addition to the Cornell campus” and said it will “facilitate collaboration and the free exchange of ideas, and inspire our students, faculty and staff through elegant design and state-of-the-art sustainability.”
Cornell CIS Dean Haym Hirsh said, “Cornell University has helped shape the face of computing for 50 years, since the creation of our Computer Science department. Through the generosity of the Gates Foundation and our other donors, Gates Hall will help us continue to be a world-leader in computing and information science - and an education and research model in the information economy - for the next 50 years and beyond.”
Designed by award-winning architect Thom Mayne and the Morphosis architecture firm, Gates Hall features human-computer interaction, networking and systems, robotics, vision and graphics and artificial intelligence labs; a 150-seat lecture hall; distance-collaboration technology; and space for faculty, researchers, graduate students and support services. Ninety-five percent of the building has natural light, and LEED Gold certification is pending. Construction on the 101,455 gross-square-foot facility began in 2012, and it was completed earlier this year.
In addition to the building dedication, Cornell also is sponsoring a two-day symposium to commemorate the Computer Science department’s 50th anniversary. Panel discussions include the significant roles former and current Cornell faculty and alumni have played in such areas as web search and information retrieval, robotics, motion picture animation/special effects, user privacy, and the industrialization of information technology services.
About Cornell CISCornell Computing and Information Science (cis.cornell.edu) was established in 1999 to respond to the educational and scientific challenges of the information age. Composed of the Computer Science, Information Science and Statistical Science departments, this college-level unit’s mission is to integrate computing and information science into every academic field. Cornell CIS programs reach thousands of Cornell students across multiple colleges.
Contacts:
Tim Cook(585) 426-5889(585) 944-6495 (cell)[email protected]
Syl Kacapyr(607) 255-7701[email protected]
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