- April 26, 2019
- By Lauren Brown
The gleaming, modern new building at the main entrance to the University of Maryland trumpets a message: This is where the future is happening.
The Brendan Iribe (pronounced ee-REEB’) Center for Computer Science and Engineering will be dedicated tomorrow at Maryland Day to support groundbreaking research and innovation in fields such as virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, algorithms, programming languages and systems, and computer vision. It’s named for the co-founder of virtual reality company Oculus who donated $30 million to launch the project; the state also provided significant funding.
In addition to its tech-infused classrooms, spacious labs and a student-focused makerspace, the center houses the Department of Computer Science—which offers the biggest and fastest-growing major on campus—and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), a group of 80-plus faculty and research scientists from 10 departments and six schools and colleges.
What’s going on inside now? It’s easy enough to see, through the striking floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the building designed by architectural firm HDR. But you can also take a look below, and you don’t need to strap on a pair of goggles, either.