The University of Maryland has opened a 215,600-square-foot computer science facility on its College Park campus.
The university says the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering will support team-based, interdisciplinary research in virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, computer vision, algorithms, programming languages and systems.
“This transformative building will take one of the nation’s top computer and data science programs to even greater heights,” says university President Wallace D. Loh. “Our leadership in fields like artificial intelligence and virtual and augmented reality will grow, making our campus an even greater hub for innovation and economic development.”
The facility has six floors of specialized research labs, collaborative classrooms, auditoriums, and a fully equipped makerspace.
The classrooms were designed to foster teamwork and innovation; instead of traditional rows of seating, they are outfitted with round tables and display screens on all four walls.
The 100-seat Gannon Auditorium and the 298-seat Antonov Auditorium feature shared tables and swivel chairs that enable students to alternate between lecture-based presentations and collaborative teamwork. In addition, Reisse Park, a rooftop garden, offers views of the campus and downtown College Park.
