Its AI experts are teaming up with Facebook, Google’s DeepMind, and RBC’s Borealis in Montreal. Its researchers and students are developing swimming robots, smart wheelchairs, or drones that can paint murals. Work at McGill’s School of Computer Science spans a range of disciplines that are changing our world at a dizzying pace.
And McGill students interested in computer science have no shortage of options with a broad range of programs that span two faculties.
“We have a lot of different programs because we think computer science is everywhere,” says Bettina Kemme, director of McGill’s School of Computer Science and an associate professor.
Home to many students spread out over all its programs, the School is now able to offer them more learning opportunities and financial support thanks to the remarkable generosity of two of its former graduate students.
In 2017, Feng Qian, MSc’01, PhD’05, and his wife, Beibei Zou, MLIS’01, MSc’05, donated $500,000 to the School of Computer Science – its largest gift in recent memory.
“We are thrilled because we can really see that we can make a difference with this in our program,” Kemme says.
The School has established scholarships and convocation prizes with the donation, which will also pave the way for more research opportunities for undergraduate students. In fact, half of the endowed gift is dedicated to a research experience fund.
Faculty want to expose undergraduate students to research and motivate them to undertake it. It’s quite challenging, Kemme acknowledges, because there are many opportunities for students in industry and “there is an easier path to go.”