Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences facts for kids
Donald Bren Hall, one of the buildings on the campus of the Bren School
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| Type | Academic unit |
|---|---|
| Established | 2002 |
| Affiliation | University of California, Irvine |
| Dean | Marios Papaefthymiou |
The Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, often called UCI's School of ICS or the Bren School, is a special part of the University of California, Irvine (UCI). It is the only school fully dedicated to computer science in the whole University of California system.
About three thousand students, teachers, and staff are part of this school. It has three main buildings on the UCI campus. The school also works with other groups and research projects at UCI.
The School of ICS has three departments: Computer Science, Informatics, and Statistics. These groups focus on different areas of computing and how information is processed. They offer many types of degrees for students.
Contents
History of the Bren School
In 1968, just three years after UCI opened, a new department was created. It was called the Department of Information and Computer Science. This department was independent, meaning it didn't belong to any other school.
In 2002, after 35 years, this department became a full school. Its teachers were split into two new departments: Computer Science and Informatics. The Department of Statistics, which started earlier in 2002, also joined the new school.
In 2004, the school received a very large gift of $20 million. This gift came from Donald Bren, a successful real estate developer. Because of his generous donation, the school was renamed in his honor.
What Students Learn
The Bren School of ICS is one of only a few independent computer science schools in the United States. It is the only one in the University of California system.
U.S. News & World Report is a group that ranks schools. In 2016, they ranked the Bren School 29th in the United States for Computer Science. It was ranked 14th among public university programs. For some specific areas, the school was ranked even higher. For example, it was 4th in human-computer interaction and 9th in software engineering.
Studying as an Undergraduate
The school offers 8 main study programs for undergraduate students. These programs lead to a Bachelor of Science degree. They cover everything from how computers are built to how they are used in society.
Some of these programs are unique because they work with other schools at UCI. For example, some programs are shared with the business school or the engineering school.
Here are some of the main study areas:
- Information and Computer Science: This is a main program that focuses on computer science ideas and building software. It gives students freedom to choose what they want to study in computer science.
- Computer Science: This program is similar to the first but follows a more traditional computer science plan. It is based on recommendations from groups like the ACM.
- Informatics: This program is special to the UC system. It teaches students about how people use and interact with technology. This can help with jobs like software design or managing computer systems.
Some programs combine different fields:
- Computer Science and Engineering: This program is offered with the engineering school.
- Business Information Management (BIM): This program is with the business school. It teaches students about technology in business.
- Biomedical Computing (BMC): This program combines computer science with biology and medicine.
Studying as a Graduate
The Bren School also offers many programs for students who want to continue their education after their first degree. These include master's and doctorate (Ph.D.) programs. Since computing is used in many fields, the school works with other departments on these programs.
Some programs focus on specific areas:
- Embedded Systems: This is about building specialized computer systems.
- Knowledge Discovery and Data: This involves finding useful information from large amounts of data.
- Human-Computer Interaction: This looks at how people and computers work together.
- Software Engineering: This focuses on how to develop and build software.
There are also programs that combine studies from different schools:
- Networked Systems: This program works with the School of Engineering. It covers how computer networks and telecommunications work.
- Arts Computation Engineering: This program works with the School of Engineering and the arts school. It uses computer science ideas in creative fields.
- Informatics in Biology & Medicine: This program involves biology classes. It can cover topics from tiny proteins to large groups of people.
The Department of Statistics offers a graduate program in Statistics. This program helps students learn how to use data to solve problems in many areas, like business or science.
Important People
The current leader of the Bren School is Dean Marios Papaefthymiou. He is a professor of computer science.
Many notable people have studied at the school, including:
- Roy Fielding: He helped create the rules for how web pages work (like Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and the Apache HTTP Server.
- Patrick Hanratty: He was a pioneer in CAD, which helps engineers design things with computers.
- Paul Mockapetris: He created the Domain Name System, which helps computers find websites, and the first Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server for sending emails.
- Steven Joe: He was the CEO of D-Link North America, a company that makes networking equipment.
School Buildings
The school has three main buildings that are used for classes and research. These buildings provide a lot of space for students and staff. There are also many computer labs with over 500 computers. All the buildings are next to the School of Engineering on the UCI campus.
The Information and Computer Science building (ICS) is where most undergraduate classes are held. It has four floors and many classrooms. The first floor has three computer labs for new students. Another lab is used for business software projects. The upper floors have offices for teachers and meeting rooms.
This building also has the largest computer lab, ICS364. It has many different types of computers for students to use. This lab is next to a special room that keeps the computer servers cool.
Information and Computer Science 2 (ICS2) is a smaller building that mainly has offices for graduate students. It also has the Human Computer Interaction lab.
Donald Bren Hall is the newest and largest building for the school. It opened in 2007. It has offices for many teachers and staff, along with four large lecture halls and ten classrooms.
Groups at the School
Research Groups
The school helped start the Ada Byron Research Center (ABRC). This center helps people from minority groups get involved in Computer Science. It is named after Ada Lovelace, a famous female mathematician.
The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) is a research group that works on many different topics. UCI has one of its buildings, where many projects related to technology and information take place.
LUCI, the Laboratory for Ubiquitous Computing and Interaction, is a research center focused on how computers are everywhere around us.
The Connected Learning Lab (CLL) studies how technology can help people learn in new and fair ways.
Student Groups
The ICS Student Council is the official student government for the school. It helps organize fun events, career development workshops, and networking opportunities for students. They also put on the biggest event of the year, ICS Day.
The ICS House is a special house on campus where a limited number of students from the school can live.
UC Irvine ACM (ACM) is the student chapter of a national organization for computing professionals.
Women in Computer Science (WICS) is a group that supports and encourages women who are studying computer science.
Cyber at UCI (Cyber@UCI) is a student group focused on cyber security. They help everyone learn about keeping computers safe.
Management Information Student Society (MAISS) is a student group for those interested in technology and business.
