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Arts & Sciences is celebrating the opening of Boston University\u2019s new <\/span>Center for Computing & Data Sciences<\/span><\/a>, which will be home to the departments of Mathematics & Statistics and Computer Science, along with the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences and the Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering.<\/span><\/p>\n The building, a 345,000-square-foot 19-story carbon-neutral facility, was designed to foster collaborative work and cross-departmental conversation, helping to \u201cinspire and inform the pursuit of new directions of foundational research in computer science and mathematics and statistics\u201d and potentially lead to \u201cnew breakthroughs and insights in applied areas of computing data science,\u201d said Arts & Sciences Dean Stan Sclaroff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis remarkable design will provide a wonderful new home for our Departments of Computer Science and Mathematics & Statistics, with state-of-the-art teaching spaces and student spaces that will bring a focal point for the multidisciplinary community of students, faculty, and staff who are advancing their work in computational and data sciences \u2014 both its foundations and applications,\u201d said Sclaroff, who is a professor of computer science. \u201cThere is an important synergy and creative energy that comes from having foundations and applications in the same building, which is designed to maximize opportunity for interactions and collaborations. For our students to experience this synergistic connection, through their classes and hands-on experiences, will be incredibly valuable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Floors one and two feature classrooms and study areas, as well as BU CS BUILD, a student makerspace. The <\/span>Department of Mathematics & Statistics<\/span><\/a> will be primarily on floors 3, 4, and 5 while administrative staff for both math and computer science will share the sixth floor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This arrangement reflects the foundational role of mathematics in the computing and data sciences, said <\/span>Glenn Stevens<\/span><\/a>, chair of Mathematics & Statistics. \u201cThese foundations must be strong and uplifting,\u201d he added, \u201cand we look forward to playing those roles, both literally and figuratively.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Stevens said the center will further the development of core mathematics disciplines like algebra and number theory and will expand on emerging fields like computational arithmetic geometry, algebraic and differential geometry, and mathematical physics \u201cin state-of-the-art classrooms with students and in generous collaborative spaces specially designed to encourage interactions among research colleagues working across the spectrum of the mathematical, computing, and data sciences.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He added that the new facilities will support the department\u2019s interdisciplinary teams working at the intersection of math and dynamical systems, biology, neuroscience, network analytics, finance, environmental science, and other fields.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>Department of Computer Science<\/span><\/a> will occupy floors 6 through 10, in addition to part of the basement data center. With undergraduate computer science majors now exceeding 1,300\u2014a 400 percent increase over a decade ago\u2014chair <\/span>Abraham Matta<\/span><\/a> said the \u201cworld-class\u201d center will give his department additional space for teaching, research, outreach, and community building.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am most looking forward to having our teaching labs and community building spaces co-located with faculty and staff offices, so we have more direct contact with our students,\u201d Matta said. \u201cI am also very excited about bumping into colleagues from mathematics and statistics and computing and data sciences and leveraging our shared spaces for fruitful and exciting collaborations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Boston University will celebrate the grand opening during a ceremony on Thursday, December 8. The building will officially open in January 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat I look forward to the most is the energy that will be in that building, by virtue of the students,\u201d said <\/span>Azer Bestavros<\/span><\/a>, associate provost for computing and data sciences and the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Arts & Sciences. \u201cThe bottom part of the building is like the boiler; it\u2019s where the energy comes in and just pushes up. That\u2019s, to me, going to be the most exciting piece.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Read more about the Center for Computing & Data Sciences Building<\/span><\/a> in <\/span>BU Today<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Read a reflection on the Center for Computing & Data Sciences Building<\/span><\/a> by Poet <\/span>Karl Kirchwey<\/span><\/a>, College of Arts & Sciences professor of English and creative writing and a former associate dean for the faculty for the Humanities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"New](\"\/cas\/files\/2022\/11\/22-1618-AR9-001-1-477x636.jpg\")
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