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Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences ICS buildings (center and left) viewed from the top of Bren Hall The Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, also known as the school of ICS or more formally as the Bren School, is an academic unit of University of California, Irvine (UCI), and the only dedic- ated school of computer science in the University of California system. Consisting of over a thousand students and members, the school maintains three buildings in the South-East artery of UCI’s undergraduate campus, and maintains student body and re- search affiliations throughout UCI.[1][2] ICS consists of three departments: Com- puter Science, Informatics, and Statistics. The combined groupings focus the school around the fields of computing and pro- cessing of information. The departments con- fer four undergraduate, eleven masters, and seven doctoral degrees in total, with some degree programs cooperating with affiliated schools.[3] History Beginning in 1968, three years after UCI’s founding, the Department of Information and Computer Science was created as an inde- pendent department, not belonging to any school. In 2002, the 35 year old department was elevated to the status of a school, and its faculty were partitioned into two depart- ments, the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Informatics. The De- partment of Statistics, founded earlier in 2002, was included as a third department in the newly created school.[1] During 2004, the school received a $20 million anonymous donation. The donation was later revealed to be from local realtor, Donald Bren. The school was renamed in his honor. The donation is primarily being used to seek out and seed prestigious research- ers.[4] Programs and majors The school’s independent status allows for unique majors and fields that are not bound by the rigorous requirements traditionally set forth by other schools, such as Engineering. The school of ICS is one of less than fifty in- dependent computer science schools in the United States, and the only one in the University of California system.[1] There are 893 undergraduate and 256 graduate students as of 2006, a drop from previous years. The Dean of ICS, Debra J. Richardson, speculates the drop is from fears of outsourcing and the dot-com bubble burst, both reputed factors in stagnating technology jobs. However, the percentage of female en- rollment is 16.8%, an increase from previous years.[2] Undergraduate The school possesses 4 undergraduate ma- jors, ranging from lower level hardware to high level social computing, each providing a bachelor of science degree (notably, Com- puter Engineering is not part of ICS, and resides in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering). The school’s primary major is Information and Computer Science, focused on computer science theory and software en- gineering. In contrast to engineering majors, additional natural sciences (such as physics) are not required to complete the major. Two From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences 1 upper division theoretical mathematics courses are required, along with basic calcu- lus, linear algebra, statistics, and discrete mathematics. The program allows students more freedom to pursue a selected field in computer science. Though not required for a degree, the school certifies specializations within the major:[3] • Artificial Intelligence • Computer Systems • Implementation and Analysis of Algorithms • Information Systems • Networks and Distributed Systems • Software Systems The second most popular major within the school is Computer Science, similar in com- position to ICS. Though more limiting in electives, the major was formed around the recommended courses set by ACM and IEEE, and features a more classical computer sci- ence curriculum.[3] Computer Science and Engineering re- quires more engineering preparation and courses than Information and Computer Science, including physics, electrical engin- eering, and multivariate calculus. Due to the nature of the program, it is hosted jointly with the Department of Electrical Engineer- ing and Computer Sciences.[5] The newest major is Informatics, unique in the UC system, focusing on software engin- eering, social computing, and management. The higher level of social abstraction pre- pares students in such fields as software ana- lysis, management, design, and interfaces.[3] Graduate Committed to research as a University of California school, ICS provides 11 master’s level and 7 doctorate level graduate pro- grams. Since computing is a part of many other fields (which use or interact with com- puting technology), ICS collaborates with other schools in many of its programs.[6] The Department of Computer Science of- fers a general major to those who have no specialized field, and is awarded as Informa- tion and Computer Science (M.S.). Computer Science (M.S.,Ph.D.) allows for a wide range of fields, similar to the general degree; however, doctoral degrees require a particu- lar research interest within the field, unlike the general degree. Embedded Systems (M.S.) more narrowly focuses students on the implementation of specialized computer sys- tems. Knowledge Discovery and Data (M.S.) applies to informatics fields like information processing and to computer science fields such as artificial intelligence.[6] The Department of Informatics offers its own general degree Informatics Track in General Informatics (M.S.,Ph.D.), however doctoral candidates must have a specific re- search interest. Informatics Track in Interact- ive and Collaborative Technology (M.S.,Ph.D.) narrows its general degree to the field of human–computer interaction, with end parties as wholly human or man and machine. Software engineering is researched under the Informatics Track in Software (M.S.,Ph.D.) degree, as software develop- ment processes are directly related to human interaction and information systems.[6] Three multi-discipline fields exist, spread across more than one school. Networked Sys- tems (M.S.,Ph.D.) involves both the School of Engineering and the school of ICS. The re- search area covers high and low levels of telecommunications and computer networks. Arts Computation Engineering (M.S.), as its name suggests, covers both the School of Engineering and the Claire Trevor School of the Arts in addition to ICS. The field relies heavily on high level informatics principles, applying science to the arts. Informatics in Biology & Medicine (M.S.,Ph.D.), requires classes within the wide fields of Biology. Re- search may range from microscopic systems, such as proteins, or macro-level systems, such as populations.[6] Though the Department of Statistics cur- rently has no undergraduate degrees, it of- fers one graduate program: Statistics (M.S.,Ph.D.). The graduate program may help model many different problems, and is highly applicable to researchers in other fields such as economics and biology.[6] Faculty, staff, and alumni The current Dean of the Bren School is Debra J. Richardson (Ph.D. 1981 University of Mas- sachusetts, Amherst). Richardson is also the director of the Ada Byron Research Center for Diversity in Computing and Information Technology.[7] Noteworthy alumni have graduated from the school, including: Roy Fielding, co- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences 2 creator of Hypertext Transfer Protocol and the Apache HTTP Server;[8] Patrick Hanratty, CAD pioneer;[9] Paul Mockapetris, creator of Domain Name System and the first Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server;[10] Steven Joe, CEO of D-Link North America.[11] Buildings and computer labs The school currently has three associated buildings operational, providing over 100,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of space. Labs are located in each building, with over 500 administered computers total. All build- ings are positioned adjacent to the School of Engineering at the South-East side of UCI’s undergraduate campus.[12][13] Computer lab, ICS364, with server room in the very back behind glass windows The Information and Computer Science building (ICS), previously named the Com- puter Science building, is the primary facility for undergraduate instruction, consisting 24,416 square feet (2,268 m2) on 4 floors, op- posite to the Engineering Tower (ET). The bottom (and first) floor links physically to ET’s bottom floor, while the second floor shares the same plaza with the ET. The bot- tom floor consists of three instructional labs, CS183, CS189, and CS192 -- each lab contains 45 Microsoft Windows Server ma- chines, used primarily as desktops for first year undergraduates. Lab CS193 is used for business related software projects for upper division undergraduates, and holds 24 Win- dows machines. Both the first and second floors contain instruction halls and classrooms, while the third and fourth primarily contain meeting and faculty offices, except for CS364.[14] The building also has the largest computer lab, ICS364, containing 117 Windows, 12 Mac OS X, and 12 Sun Solaris Java boxes. The lab is also located next to the air condi- tioned server room, visible to each other through a large window.[15][14] Information and Computer Science 2 (ICS2), is a narrow computing facility sur- rounding the South-East side of the ICS tower. ICS2 houses graduate offices in 9,731 square feet (904 m2) of space. It is also home to the Human Computer Interaction lab.[16] Bren Hall is the latest addition to the school, completed in early 2007. It consists of 87,000 square feet (8,100 m2), making it the largest building in the ICS family. It houses offices for many ICS faculty and staff, in addi- tion to the 4 lecture halls and 10 classrooms.[17] Two former buildings, the Frank Gehry-de- signed ICS Engineering Research Facility (IERF, a 9,954-square-foot (925 m2) laborat- ory facility, with an added instruction hall and classroom) and Computer Science/Engin- eering (CS/E, a 6,681-square-foot (621 m2) office and facility building near Bren Hall and IERF) were demolished in January 2007.[18] Associated bodies Research organizations ICS helped found the Ada Byron Research Center (ABRC), which helps minorities in the field of Computer Science. ABRC is named in honor of the 19th century female mathem- atician Ada Lovelace, a symbol for the under- represented numbers of females studying computer science. ABRC aims at not only in- creases minority researchers, but closing the digital divide, the metaphorical gap between the technologically rich and poor. The cur- rent director is the Dean Richardson of ICS.[19] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences 3 The California Institute for Telecommunic- ations and Information Technology (Calit2), is a multidisciplinary research organization within the University of California. UC Irvine and UC San Diego currently house the two Calit2 buildings. Calit2 attempts to bring the- ory to practice through its "top-down" "innov- ation" programs. Space at Irvine’s Calit2 building is provided to any collaborative pro- ject that fits within Calit2’s goals.[20][21] LUCI, the Laboratory for Ubiquitous Com- puting and Interaction, serves as a focal point for research that follows the vision of ubiquitous computing. LUCI researchers are interested in the challenges of designing, us- ing, and understanding the elements of a ubi- quitous computing world. Some of these dif- ferent facets include computing in the face of mobile computers and mobile users, under- standing and exploring new patterns of socio- technical behavior, and the design and con- struction of technology which supports ubi- quitous computing. Student organizations The ICS House is a 2 story on-campus house located within UCI’s Arroyo Vista housing community. ICS House accepts a limited number (approx. 16) of students from the school of ICS or outstanding applicants, based upon an essay, community participa- tion, and academic interest. Students parti- cipate in community events with the house, while providing a comfortable environment for those interested in technology. [22] UC Irvine ACM (ACM) is UCI’s student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery. ACM is an academic, vocational, and social club. Lectures, technology show- cases, and corporate fairs are held regularly. ACM’s premier event is the ACM Career Expo, which hosts a wide range of corporate booths, allowing students to network, meet prospective companies, and pass along re- sumes. ACM also regularly hosts social events such as barbecues and LAN parties at the ICS House.[23] Women in Computer Science (WICS) is a student run organization to help and enour- age women in the fields related to computer science. The club allows a supportive envir- onment and social networking to promote success. ICS currently employs more full- time female faculty than the national average as the female undergraduate population is continuing to grow. [24] Notes [1] ^ Bren School, About the school, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [2] ^ UC Irvine, Headcounts by Academic Unit and Level, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [3] ^ Bren School, Undergraduate degrees, 21 August 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [4] Bren School, About the Bren gift, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [5] UC Irvine, Undergraduate Major in Computer Science and Engineering, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [6] ^ Bren School, Graduate Studies, Information on all the degrees offered by the school, 20 October 2006. URL accessed December 14, 2006. [7] Bren School, Dean’s bio, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [8] Fielding, Roy T., [http://www.ics.uci.edu/ ~fielding/ Roy T. Fielding], Fielding’s ICS homepage, 8 December 2003. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [9] Dalton-Taggart, Rachael, Gentleman Genius: Patrick Hanratty, History of CAD and Hanratty’s contributions, November 2004. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [10]Nominum, Paul Mockapetris Chairman and Chief Scientist, Company biography of Paul Mockapetris, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [11]D-Link,D-LINK SYSTEMS’ STEVEN JOE NAMED ’CEO OF THE YEAR’ BY ORANGE COUNTY AMERICAN ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION, 24 May 2004. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [12]Bren School, Facts and figures, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [13]UC Irvine, Map of UCI, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [14]^ Bren School, ICS building floor plan, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [15]Bren School, ICS Lab Hardware, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [16]Bren School, ICS 2 building floor plan, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [17]Bren School, Bren Hall, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [18]Bren School, IERF building floor plan, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences 4 Bren School, CSE building floor plan, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. UC Irvine destroys Frank Gehry building, Associated Press, January 23, 2007. [19]Williams, Michelle, New UCI center promotes diversity in technology fields, 8 January 2004. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [20]Calit2, About Us Overview , Calit2’s official summary page, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [21]Cheung, Jonathan, About Us Overview , Calit2’s official summary page, 2006. URL accessed December 10, 2006. [22] [http://www.housing.uci.edu/av/ theme.asp "Arroyo Vista Academic Theme Houses For 2009"]. UCI Student Affairs. 05-11-2007. http://www.housing.uci.edu/av/ theme.asp. Retrieved on 2008-10-31. [23] "Welcome to ACM @ UCIrvine". UC Irvine ACM. 2007. http://www.acmuci.org/v2.0/index.php. Retrieved on 2007-04-16. [24]Eramya, Ellen (2007). "WICS 2006/2007 - About WICS". UC Irvine. http://www.ics.uci.edu/~wics/ about_wics.html. Retrieved on 2007-04-16. External links • Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences homepage • Women in Information and Computer Sciences homepage • Calit2 homepage • ACM UCI Chapter homepage Coordinates: 33°38′36″N 117°50′31″W / 33.6432°N 117.842°W / 33.6432; -117.842 Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Bren_School_of_Information_and_Com- puter_Sciences" Categories: University of California, Irvine, Computer science departments, Information schools This page was last modified on 17 May 2009, at 21:59 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax- deductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences 5
