Amazon is giving a major push to the campaign to build a second Computer Science & Engineering building on the 蘑菇视频 campus with a $10 million gift, the university announced Thursday.
鈥淥ur state鈥檚 economy 鈥� and the world鈥檚 economy 鈥� depends on innovation and on innovators. 蘑菇视频 graduates with skills in computer science are highly sought after, yet we are turning away excellent students who want to pursue studies in the field because we simply don鈥檛 have enough room,鈥� said 蘑菇视频 President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淭his generous gift from Amazon brings us closer to doubling our capacity and allows us to better meet both student and workplace needs, which will benefit our state and nation.鈥�
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A long-time supporter of the 蘑菇视频鈥檚 Computer Science and Engineering programs, Amazon鈥檚 gift is a significant boost in the 蘑菇视频鈥檚 public-private partnership to raise $110 million for a new 130,000-square-foot building. The new building will provide the space needed for 蘑菇视频 to double, to more than 600, the number of degrees awarded annually by the Department of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE).
鈥淭he 蘑菇视频 is a world-class institution, and we are lucky to have thousands of 蘑菇视频 graduates inventing and pioneering in Seattle 鈥� including right here at Amazon,鈥� said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to support 蘑菇视频 as they expand their computer science program, which will benefit the whole community.鈥�
The 250-seat Amazon Auditorium and Gallery will be one of many new features that enhance the 蘑菇视频 CSE student experience. Other key elements of the building include classrooms and educational labs, a sophisticated maker space, an undergraduate commons where students can study and collaborate, and research labs, including a 3,000-square-foot robotics lab.
The gift is only the latest way in which Amazon has supported the 蘑菇视频. For example, in 2012 Amazon established two $1 million endowed professorships in CSE 鈥� the Amazon Professorships in Machine Learning 鈥� to assist in recruiting two highly sought-after machine learning faculty members. The company also launched the Amazon Catalyst program 鈥� a collaboration with select universities aimed at identifying, funding and supporting bold, risky, globally impactful projects 鈥� at the 蘑菇视频 last fall.
鈥淥ver the past 20 years, Amazon has grown into one of the leading and most innovative companies in the world, 蘑菇视频 CSE has grown into one of the leading and most innovative computer science programs in the world, and Seattle has grown into one of the one of the leading and most innovative technology hubs in the world,鈥� said Ed Lazowska, 蘑菇视频鈥檚 Bill & Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science & Engineering. 鈥淎mazon鈥檚 gift will help make it possible for 蘑菇视频 CSE to prepare more of Washington鈥檚 students for careers in Washington鈥檚 booming technology sector. It鈥檚 an investment in our collective future.鈥�
to kick off the largest philanthropic听campaign in 蘑菇视频 history on Oct. 21.
According to the Washington Student Achievement Council, the workforce gap in computer science 鈥� the gap between available jobs and prepared graduates 鈥� is far greater than in any other field. At the 蘑菇视频, student demand far outstrips program capacity: more incoming 蘑菇视频 freshmen list CSE as their first choice major than any other field, and 蘑菇视频 CSE currently can accommodate just one out of three qualified students who apply to the major. In addition, students in all fields recognize the value of a basic knowledge of computer science, so the demand is even greater 鈥� in the most recent year, 5,000 students enrolled in 蘑菇视频 CSE鈥檚 introductory courses.
鈥淎mazon is a global company, but it鈥檚 also a Seattle company,鈥� said Hank Levy, 蘑菇视频 CSE鈥檚 Wissner-Slivka Chair and department chair. 鈥淲e are extremely thankful to Amazon for their support of 蘑菇视频 CSE, and for the amazing impact they鈥檝e had on Seattle and on the world.鈥�
Seattle-based LMN Architects are designing the building with a goal to break ground in January 2017 and open in 2019.
For more information on the , contact Lazowska at lazowska@cs.washington.edu.