Bren Hall dedication offers rare peek into UC Irvine’s information and computer science research labs

EVENT: Bold innovations in information and computer sciences will be on display when UC Irvine opens the doors to Donald Bren Hall for a ribbon cutting and dedication. More than 9,000 invitations have been mailed around the world; many guests who cannot make the trip to Irvine will tour the building by creating a “Second Life” avatar on “TechCoast.” Interdisciplinary research laboratories will be open for demonstrations. High-tech research will be displayed on big-screen, high-definition TVs hung throughout the six-floor building. Global hors d’oeuvres – a different ethnic cuisine on each floor – will be served. Irvine Co. Chairman Donald Bren will attend the dedication and ribbon cutting; along with UCI Chancellor Michael V. Drake; other campus officials; local, state and national government leaders; and representatives of the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences’ corporate partners.

DATE: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
TIME: Dedication and ribbon cutting: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Private open house (media invited): 12:30-2 p.m. Public open house: 2-4 p.m.
LOCATION: Donald Bren Hall, UC Irvine. Or: To create an avatar free in “Second Life” and tour Donald Bren Hall on open house day, visit www.ics.uci.edu/techcoast

BACKGROUND: As the only computer science school in the University of California and one of a few in the nation, UC Irvine’s nationally ranked Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences is an academic leader and one of the broadest computing programs across the country. With three departments – computer science, informatics and statistics – ICS has become a major of choice at UCI, offering four undergraduate degrees: computer science, informatics, information and computer science, and computer science and engineering.

ICS began as an academic department in 1968 in recognition of the emerging importance of this new field. It was established as a school in 2002 and renamed in June 2004 in honor of Bren, whose $20 million gift has helped support the school’s intellectual capital. It will serve generations of students to come.

The school’s vibrant community of researchers, educators and industry-leading scholars explores a wide range of innovative topics, from building complete computer systems on chips smaller than a fingernail to developing systems that allow engineers on opposite sides of the world to collaborate effectively.

The Bren School focuses on computing information and technology that solve problems on campus and in industry. Some research, for example, has helped expedite research and analysis of biological data. Other research has improved how emergency first responders communicate in a crisis. In keeping with the UCI culture, Bren School education emphasizes cross-campus collaboration, integrated, interdisciplinary coursework, innovation and technology-enhanced learning.

Groundbreaking for the state-of-the-art Donald Bren Hall was held June 9, 2004. The six-story structure expands the existing Bren School campus by 90,800 assignable square feet and increases general assignment classroom space. The design of this facility is intended to enhance research interaction between faculty and with students as well as create a progressive learning environment. Designed with collaboration and flexibility in mind, the building accommodates the Bren School’s growing faculty, staff and student populations.