The final phase of a project begun in 1994 to unite and enhance the classroom, laboratory, and staff facilities for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering began this year.

Beginning with the demolition of the old Electrical Engineering building, the project will provide 75,000 square feet of space for research and teaching laboratories, offices for faculty and staff, and meeting spaces. Construction has begun with estimated completion in 2003.

The new building is being constructed as a public/private partnership. State and University resources are providing $30 million of the $70 million total cost of the project, with the remaining $40 million to be raised privately.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering has attracted worldwide attention for research at the forefront of areas like intelligent Internet systems, data mining, invisible computing, artificial intelligence, computer graphics, and “active networks”—a technology that will transform the Internet in the next decade.