Bill Gates Dedicates Cornell University's New Gates Hall

ITHACA, NY — Bill Gates visited Cornell University on October 1 to dedicate the university’s new Computing and Information Science (CIS) building and help celebrate 50 years of computer science at the institution.

Bill & Melinda Gates Hall is designed to help foster Cornell faculty research collaboration and to strengthen students’ educational experience by bringing together two CIS academic departments — Computer Science and Information Science — in one facility. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated $25 million toward the $60 million total cost of the project.

Cornell University President David J. Skorton and Cornell CIS Dean Haym Hirsh joined Bill Gates in a ceremony to officially open the new building.

President Skorton calls the building “a stunning addition to the Cornell campus” and says it will “facilitate collaboration and the free exchange of ideas, and inspire our students, faculty and staff through elegant design and state-of-the-art sustainability.”

Cornell CIS Dean Haym Hirsh says, “Cornell University has helped shape the face of computing for 50 years, since the creation of our Computer Science department. Through the generosity of the Gates Foundation and our other donors, Gates Hall will help us continue to be a world-leader in computing and information science — and an education and research model in the information economy — for the next 50 years and beyond.”

Designed by award-winning architect Thom Mayne and the Morphosis architecture firm, Gates Hall features human-computer interaction, networking and systems, robotics, vision and graphics and artificial intelligence labs; a 150-seat lecture hall; distance-collaboration technology; and space for faculty, researchers, graduate students and support services. Ninety-five percent of the building has natural light, and LEED Gold certification is pending. Construction on the 101,455 gross-square-foot facility began in 2012, and it was completed earlier this year.

About Cornell CIS
Cornell Computing and Information Science (cis.cornell.edu) was established in 1999 to respond to the educational and scientific challenges of the information age. Composed of the Computer Science, Information Science and Statistical Science departments, this college-level unit’s mission is to integrate computing and information science into every academic field. Cornell CIS programs reach thousands of Cornell students across multiple colleges.

Featured

  • University of Connecticut Upgrades Basketball Facility’s AV Systems

    The University of Connecticut recently partnered with Metinteractive to upgrade the AV systems of the Gampel Pavilion basketball facility on its campus in Mansfield, Conn., according to a news release.

  • Texas A&M Adds ALPR Technology to Parking Solutions

    Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, recently integrated automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology into its parking services and enforcement strategies, according to a news release. The university’s Transportation Services division deployed Genetec AutoVu ALPR to manage the campus’ 36,000+ parking spaces.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2025 New Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning is now accepting entries for the 2025 New Product Awards! The program’s goal is to honor the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products and services are particularly noteworthy in helping to improve K–12 and Higher Education learning environments.

  • Illinois Elementary School Breaks Ground on Campus Expansion

    Heather Hill Elementary School, part of Flossmoor School District 161 in Palatine, Ill., recently broke ground on a new addition to the school focused on student support and security, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers for the expansion as part of a longer-term facility planning and modernization initiative.

Digital Edition