Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering

Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering is the technology and engineering school of Indiana University Bloomington. Established in 2000 as the first school of its kind in the United States, it was renamed in 2019 following a transformational gift from alumnus Fred Luddy. The school integrates the study of information, technology, and engineering to address complex challenges in fields ranging from bioinformatics to cybersecurity.

History

The school was founded in 2000 as the School of Informatics at Indiana University Bloomington, a pioneering move championed by then-president Myles Brand and founding dean Michael A. McRobbie. Its creation responded to the growing need for interdisciplinary study at the intersection of information technology, computer science, and human systems. In 2005, it merged with the Computer Science Department from the College of Arts and Sciences, forming the School of Informatics and Computing. A major expansion occurred in 2016 with the incorporation of engineering programs, leading to a rename as the School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. A landmark gift from Fred Luddy, founder of ServiceNow, prompted the final renaming to the Luddy School in 2019, endowing new professorships and initiatives in data science and artificial intelligence.

Academics

The school offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees through departments including the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Informatics, and the Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering. Core undergraduate programs include B.S. in Computer Science, B.S. in Informatics, and B.S. in Engineering. Interdisciplinary specializations are available in areas like human-computer interaction, bioinformatics, and secure computing. Graduate programs are closely tied to research centers, offering advanced study in complex networks, software engineering, and cognitive science. The curriculum emphasizes experiential learning through capstone projects with partners like the U.S. Department of Defense and Cummins, and students frequently participate in national competitions like the Association for Computing Machinery programming contest.

Research

Research is organized around cross-cutting themes of data science, cybersecurity, health informatics, and intelligent systems. The school is home to several prominent institutes, including the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, the Data Science Program, and the Institute for Software and Systems Engineering. Faculty collaborate extensively with the Indiana University Network Science Institute, the Regenstrief Institute, and the School of Public Health-Bloomington. Key research projects have been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Energy, addressing challenges in quantum computing, digital humanities, clinical informatics, and autonomous systems. The school also contributes to the NSF HDR Institute for Harnessing Data and Model Revolution in the Polar Regions.

Facilities

The school's primary home is the Luddy Hall, a state-of-the-art building completed in 2018 featuring specialized labs for robotics, immersive visualization, and fabrication. The adjacent Myles Brand Hall houses the Game Design and Development program and the Esports at Indiana University arena. Research facilities include the Cyberinfrastructure Building, which supports high-performance computing resources like the Big Red 200 supercomputer, part of the Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institute. Other key spaces are the Prototyping and Fabrication Lab and the Security and Privacy Informatics Research and Education Laboratory. The school also maintains strong ties with the Innovation Center at Indiana University and the Bloomington tech park.

Notable people

Notable faculty have included pioneers like Douglas Hofstadter, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gödel, Escher, Bach, and Andrew J. Hanson, known for work in scientific visualization. Former dean Bobby Schnabel later served as CEO of the Association for Computing Machinery. Distinguished alumni span industry and academia, including Fred Luddy, founder of ServiceNow; Jeffrey D. Ullman, co-recipient of the Turing Award; and Sue Workman, Vice President for Information Technology at Case Western Reserve University. Other prominent graduates are Chris D. Hondros, award-winning photojournalist, and Michele G. Wheatly, former Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at West Virginia University.

Category:Indiana University Bloomington Category:Informatics schools Category:Computer science schools Category:Engineering schools Category:Educational institutions established in 2000