The digital future is now. College of Computing Dean Dennis Livesay shares what’s ahead.
This academic year marked the College of Computing's five-year anniversary. We're in a strange and wonderful transitory place. We're not new, yet we're still young. There's still a feeling of novelty and a surprising cadence of things we haven't done before.
Get ready. That feeling is going to continue.
From the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts theater to the world cybersecurity stage, we're joining with entities across both Michigan Tech's campus and the communities beyond to accelerate computing opportunities for people of all ages.
I was interested to recently find out that it's not just our students who enjoy hanging out in the College of Computing lounge. This space, where folks from across campus feel comfortable, is the perfect illustration of our firm belief that computing is for everyone, everywhere. Like Balto the Robot Dog, our official robotics lab greeter who's been making the rounds across campus, we put out the welcome mat for anyone who wants to get to know us better.
Our friendly reception also comes in the form of new front doors for our two departments: Applied Computing and Computer Science. They're now next-door neighbors on the third floor of Rekhi Hall—a focal location for faculty, staff, and guests that most importantly offers our students expanded access to support and advising.
This climate of intentional growth is also evident on the research front. Our annual computing research expenditures are on the increase, corresponding to more than 300 percent in growth since the College was formed. Last year, Michigan Tech ascended into the Top 100 for computer and information science research expenditures in the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey. We remain in the Top 100 this year. For context, Tech was ranked 150th when the College was formed. This rapid rise is a testament to the excellence of our faculty, staff, and collaborators.
Our growing array of cybersecurity programs is a particularly outstanding example of across-the-board excellence in research, teaching, and outreach. Tech is the only institution in Michigan with the prestigious CAE-R designation as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Research. Our relatively new cybersecurity bachelor's program is thriving, and we've just launched a fully online version of our cybersecurity master's program. Engagement is equally important to us, and for the second year in a row we were recognized nationally as one of the Top 10 Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CDs) in the CAE-CD Community Outreach Competition.
This academic year, we also unveiled the Center for Artificial Intelligence, which is housed in the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems. We traveled to Washington, DC, to share the visionary workforce education offered through Tech's mechatronics programs. And we're moving forward with creating a data science department in the College of Computing, reaffirming that the discipline of data science remains a key priority for us and the entire University.
The digital future is often predicted as some future point where computing and AI are ubiquitous in all aspects of industry and society. It is nearly as often couched as some abstract far-away point in time—or perhaps it's just around the corner. I argue that it is already here.
As the University conducts ongoing conversations that will lead to the next iteration of our Tech Forward initiatives, I'm not surprised to see computing and AI emerge as both a thematic focus (vertical) and a cross-cutting thread (horizontal).
The rapid evolution of computing and information sciences, especially AI, drive our need to be nimble and embrace change. Our curricula, research, and organizational structures must continually align to contemporary needs.
"My vision for the CCI is that when a visitor walks down the hall, they will see in its classrooms and labs a dynamic, cross-disciplinary interface between business and computing."
While many of our current efforts are focused on cybersecurity, data science, and AI, other urgent priorities await. Our future includes a deeper dive into the centrality of computing and entrepreneurship. We expect that forging new connections in the computing field, both as a stand-alone discipline and as an enabling, essential technology in other spaces, will only get more complicated as we cross old boundaries, spanning units and disciplines.
Our collaborative efforts with other colleges create new opportunities for our students and faculty, but it's hard— interdisciplinarity always is. The Center for Convergence and Innovation, a tangible sign that collaboration and convergence are valued at Michigan Tech, will be a quantum leap forward in this intrepid endeavor.
My vision for the CCI is that when a visitor walks down the hall, they will see in its classrooms and labs a dynamic, crossdisciplinary interface between business and computing. Just as students from other disciplines feel comfortable hanging out in our lounge, or delight in taking Balto for a walk, this space will be a place where all feel welcome.
Creativity is also essential to our growth. Whether it's the annual Art In Silico computational art show, College faculty and students taking center stage in the Michigan Tech Theatre Series's annual spring production, or how two of our longtime leaders connect with campus and community through music, we value the element of curiosity and delight that pushes us to pursue new approaches and bold expression.
I hope and expect that the College of Computing at its 10-year anniversary will be substantively different from the College today. But our commitments will never change: to students; to the broadening of participation in computing; and to the kind of growth in enrollment, research, and industry engagement that impacts the University, our state, and beyond.
As the state of Michigan's first academic unit committed solely to computing and one of just a few institutions of our kind in the nation, we have a responsibility to question, evolve, expand, and lead. Tomorrow won't wait. Neither will we.
The digital future is now. We welcome you to join us in looking at what we've accomplished, what's underway, and what's ahead as the College of Computing transforms the world.
Annual Computing Showcase Accents Integration
C+X was the formula for the annual Computing [MTU] Showcase, which focused on the convergence of computing, everywhere and with everything. The three-day showcase explored the integration of computing into industry, research, and society in October at Michigan Tech. Sponsored by Tech's Institute of Computing and Cybersystems and the College of Computing, the event featured speakers, panels, and exhibits from across the University and the country.
College of Computing Dean Dennis Livesay noted that each year of the event has highlighted different perspectives in the rapidly evolving field.
"The first showcase really focused on the past, present, and future of computing at MTU," he said. "Last year's focus was on artificial intelligence. And this year's event focused on convergence, emphasized by the title C+X, which shows how we are focusing on the integration of computing—C—with a wide variety of other domains—X."
Speaker Shankar Subramaniam, a distinguished professor of engineering at the University of California San Diego, offered a compelling example of why computing research is essential to addressing some of the world's most complicated problems, Livesay said.
"Shankar works with clinicians, engineers and computer scientists to synthesize biological and medical information from genes and molecules into integrated knowledge at cellular and system levels," said Livesay. "This work, critical to modern understanding of systems biology, is paving the way for a new set of therapeutic approaches in complex diseases like cancer, obesity, and neuropathologies."
The showcase's opening speaker was Markus Buehler, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Michigan Tech students presented their research to close the event.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
