UMass Lowell Launches School of Computer Science with Support from Esteemed Alumnus

Media Contacts: Emily Gowdey-Backus: 978-934-3369 or Emily_GowdeyBac[email protected] and Nancy Cicco: 978-934-4944 or [email protected]

UMass Lowell will start a new faculty of personal computer science to be named in honor of distinguished alumnus Prosperous Miner, co-founder of Android, the firm and cell operating procedure which was acquired and introduced by Google.  

College management had approached Miner, believing his story and accomplishments would contribute to the eyesight they had for the new university. Currently, the UMass Board of Trustees authorized establishing the Richard A. Miner University of Laptop or computer & Facts Sciences at UMass Lowell as a result of a $5 million donation from Miner as effectively as a $2 million matching contribution from the point out.   

“UMass Lowell’s newly named Richard A. Miner School of Computer system & Facts Sciences additional elevates a method nicely recognized for transformative schooling and revolutionary research in the industry,” stated UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney. “We are profoundly indebted to Abundant. His most current reward displays his ongoing generous donation of his time, experience and means to support college students via entrepreneurial competitions like UMass Lowell’s DifferenceMaker and put together them to grow to be leaders in their careers.”

An esteemed record

Miner, who holds three degrees in laptop or computer science from UMass Lowell (B.S. 1986, M.S. 1989, Ph.D. 1997) exemplifies the university’s longstanding investment decision in and determination to making ready students for the at any time-evolving field.

These days, the office, elevated to a faculty with the trustees’ vote, is household to approximately 1,600 undergraduate college students and more than 300 graduate students, making it the largest educational application on campus with nearly 6% of the full UMass Lowell undergraduate population. From slide 2016 to slide 2021, UMass Lowell’s undergraduate enrollment in laptop science applications enhanced by more than 50%. This yr, a file 12% of students in UMass Lowell’s applicant pool listed computer system science as their meant big. 

UMass Lowell study expenditures in computer system science have developed in tandem with enrollment, jumping from $2.7 million in 2016 to $4.4 million in 2021. School are authorities on a large array of subjects from artificial intelligence, visualization, robotics, natural language processing, info analytics, pc security and privateness, to wellness informatics and additional. 

Miner co-founded Android, the world’s most well-liked running technique with in excess of 3 billion people. Soon after providing Android to Google in 2005 and launching the 1st number of releases, Wealthy co-founded GV, Google’s 1st venture fund. GV has led investments in a number of the earlier decade’s most successful startups. In his role with GV, Loaded backed some of Massachusetts’ leading startups which include Recorded Upcoming, Toast, Hubspot and Tamr. 

As a UMass Lowell undergraduate, Miner wrote laptop systems for the Commodore 64, a initial-technology gaming procedure. In his graduate a long time, his get the job done with the university’s Heart for Productivity Improvement paved the way for breakthroughs in imagery, online video digitization and videoconferencing. In that identical college lab, he helped incubate Avid Technological innovation, the world’s to start with computer system video enhancing system. He afterwards went on to co-discovered Wildfire Communications, the initial voice-based particular assistant – patenting several of the principles now prevalent in today’s voice assistants. He credits his UMass Lowell training as crucial to his entrepreneurial good results and thinks his donation will assistance personal computer science students see how limitless their foreseeable future is as they comply with their passion.

“UMass Lowell ready me academically and entrepreneurially for a job the place I was in a position to add to so a lot of impactful improvements. I am honored to be able to give again in means that could motivate other individuals to meet up with or exceed their goals,” Miner claimed. 

Miner has returned to UMass Lowell to share his tale and mentor students, like those who take part in the university’s Rist DifferenceMaker Institute, a method which delivers entrepreneurship education and learning and chances. In 2012, he established the Professor Patrick D. Krolak Innovation Scholarship. Named for Miner’s mentor, a previous UMass Lowell laptop science college member admired for his collaborative strategy to exploration, these scholarships are open up to UMass Lowell computer science college students.     

The next generation

Developing the university exemplifies UMass Lowell’s motivation to furnishing laptop science learners with the academic coursework, laboratory study, cooperative schooling, and internship possibilities they require to be successful in the fast evolving industry.

Housed within just the university’s Kennedy College or university of Sciences, the Richard A. Miner School of Pc & Information Sciences presents bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral packages blending utilized and theoretical study of computation. The course of analyze also features options for minors in robotics, cybersecurity, information science and bio-cheminfomatics. In partnership with the university’s Division of Graduate, On line and Experienced Studies, the faculty also offers certificates in cybersecurity, systems styles and administration and telecommunication.

“The new Richard A. Miner College of Personal computer & Details Sciences is intended to provide instructional and investigate options to a varied human body of students and faculty. With each other, they will make major discoveries and improvements that tackle lots of of the challenges that our entire world faces. In an increasingly interconnected earth, the faculty will enlighten our potential and minimize our uncertainties. We are grateful to Rich Miner for this chance to significantly mature the school,” reported Kennedy Faculty of Sciences Dean Noureddine Melikechi, professor of physics.

The university is preparing a drop dedication ceremony to honor Miner and the new college.

UMass Lowell is a countrywide investigation college situated on a significant-electricity campus in the heart of a world neighborhood. The college presents its students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels in small business, education, engineering, fine arts, wellbeing, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers higher-quality academic systems, vigorous hands-on discovering and private awareness from main college and staff, all of which put together graduates to be leaders in their communities and all-around the globe. www.uml.edu