Engineering without boundaries
The surging demand for energy. The country’s aging, overwhelmed electrical grid. Threats of cyberattacks. The explosion of interest in — and confusion about — artificial intelligence. These real-life problems don’t know boundaries. Neither should the search for solutions, says Azim Eskandarian, dean of Virginia Commonwealth University‘s College of Engineering. Cross-disciplin[...]
U.Va. opens School of Data Science building
Billed as a “school without walls,” the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science officially inaugurated its first dedicated academic building Friday, five years after the school started. “I was a little surprised and somewhat disappointed, if I’m being honest, when I came here yesterday for a tour and I realized [school without walls] was […]
ODU hires director for cybersecurity school
Old Dominion University has named Daniel Takabi to direct its School of Cybersecurity. Takabi joins the school from Georgia State University, where he worked for four years and served as an associate professor of computer science, according to his LinkedIn account. Takabi started in his new role July 25; the university announced his new role […]
ICF acquires SemanticBits for $220M
Fairfax-based management consulting firm ICF International Inc. announced Thursday it had completed its $220 million acquisition of health tech contractor SemanticBits. In June, ICF announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Herndon-based company, and that its existing credit facility would fund the $220 million transaction. “As one of the industry’s leading [&hell[...]
U.Va. breaks ground on data science building
The foundation for the University of Virginia’s new School of Data Science will begin to take shape in the coming months at the corner of Emmet Street and Ivy Road. The $35 million, 61,000-square-foot building is expected to open to students in spring 2024. It sits on part of a 14-acre site that formerly housed […]
Criterion Systems acquires Protas Solutions
Vienna-based Criterion Systems Inc. has acquired Reston-based Protas Solutions Inc., a government contractor providing data science, software engineering and management consulting services to the intelligence community. Financial terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed. Protas will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Criterion, a federal contractor specializing in cybersecurity and IT [...]
Gannett names first chief data officer
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc. named Nate Rackiewicz its first chief data officer, it announced Monday. Rackiewicz will lead a team to implement the company’s customer identity, data and growth analytics, as well as data science and modeling capabilities. He will report to Gannett’s chief marketing and strategy officer, Mayur Gupta. “We are excited to welcome […]
‘From K to grey’ – Bank of America donates $100K to VCU for tech talent pipeline
Continuing a yearslong partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University, Bank of America has awarded a $100,000 grant to the school’s College of Engineering Foundation to focus on establishing data science talent pipelines. The idea behind the grant is to develop interest in computer science and other STEM programs for “K to grey,” says VCU College of […]