{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/"},"author":{"name":"Gillie","@id":"/#/schema/person/c301966f0bb21479cda0af065f81c286"},"headline":"UNC computer science department turns 60","datePublished":"2025-04-02T15:40:46+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-10T14:57:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/"},"wordCount":583,"publisher":{"@id":"/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/CS60_HERO.jpg","keywords":["Computer Science"],"articleSection":["College of Arts and Sciences","Research","University News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/","url":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/","name":"UNC computer science department turns 60 | UNC-Chapel Hill","isPartOf":{"@id":"/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/CS60_HERO.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-02T15:40:46+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-10T14:57:03+00:00","description":"A celebration April 10-12 will showcase its history and the latest research in AI, security, graphics, robotics and more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/#primaryimage","url":"/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/CS60_HERO.jpg","contentUrl":"/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/CS60_HERO.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"Among the events to celebrate the computer science department's 60th anniversary is an open house, which will includes tours of lab spaces and hands-on demonstrations of research projects. (Submitted photo/Department of Computer Science)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"/posts/2025/04/02/unc-computer-science-department-turns-60/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UNC computer science department turns 60"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"/#website","url":"/","name":"The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill","description":"The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill","publisher":{"@id":"/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"/#organization","name":"The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill","url":"/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"/#/schema/logo/image/","url":"/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo.svg","contentUrl":"/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/logo.svg","caption":"The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"},"image":{"@id":"/#/schema/logo/image/"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/uncchapelhill/","https://x.com/unc","https://www.instagram.com/uncchapelhill/","https://www.linkedin.com/school/3757","https://pinterest.com/uncchapelhill/","https://www.youtube.com/user/UNCChapelHill"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"/#/schema/person/c301966f0bb21479cda0af065f81c286","name":"Gillie","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1a9098a9b4cd54d0b40e97034bac8baf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1a9098a9b4cd54d0b40e97034bac8baf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gillie"},"url":"/posts/author/gsibrian/"}]}

Adverse

Adverse: !TEST! !TEST! 2025-04-08 08:50:20

University News

UNC computer science department turns 60

A celebration April 10-12 will showcase its history and the latest research in AI, security, graphics, robotics and more.

By Rosario Vila, computer science department, Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025
A student wearing an augmented headset does an activity in virtual reality.
Among the events to celebrate the computer science department's 60th anniversary is an open house, which will includes tours of lab spaces and hands-on demonstrations of research projects. (Submitted photo/Department of Computer Science)

In 1964 Frederick P. Brooks Jr., a visionary computer scientist and leader of IBM’s revolutionary System/360 family of computers, founded the computer science department at UNC-Chapel Hill, the second such free-standing university department in the U.S.

Since its inception, the department has contributed groundbreaking research that has transformed industries, shaped technological advances and played a critical role in propelling the Research Triangle region — and North Carolina — into the digital age. With more than 8,000 alumni making impacts across technology sectors globally, the department has established itself as a computing powerhouse in research and education.

The department soon led the field of computer graphics and built the world’s fastest graphics processors through the pioneering Pixel-Planes series in the 1980s. The department’s collaborative approach has resulted in transformative applications from radiation therapy systems that precisely target cancer tumors to revolutionary augmented reality environments that help train medical professionals.

Today, the department is a hub for artificial intelligence research and features pioneering projects in other areas like real-time systems, robotics and security. Carolina computer scientists Mohit Bansal and Ron Alterovitz won the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and faculty researchers continue to push boundaries in motion planning for medical robotics, multimodal natural language processing and AI-driven security systems.

From a collection of offices, the department has grown to have its own specialized research labs, classrooms and co-working spaces across a connected two-building complex named for its founding chair (Brooks Building) and a former chancellor (Sitterson Hall).

Its 60th anniversary comes during another period of growth, as the department has hired 25 faculty members in the last four years; expanded its teaching faculty cohort to reach more than 1,700 undergraduate majors and 9,000 seats in its classes annually, offering foundational courses to complementary fields including data science, economics, statistics and mathematics; renovated several of its laboratory spaces; and unveiled the Computer Science Experience Labs.

60th anniversary celebration

The department announced three events to be held April 10-12.

April 10: “Engineering to Impact: Leading in Tech with Julia Grace,” 5:30 p.m., 201 Chapman Hall

From coding in Sitterson to driving innovation at Apple, Netflix and leading tech companies, Julia Grace ’04, ’07 (MS) returns to Carolina to share insights on technology’s evolving landscape and critical transitions facing today’s tech professionals.

April 11: “Next in CS: Speed Research Talks,” 4 p.m., location to be announced

These talks will highlight 15 tenure-track faculty members hired in the last four years. Attendees will get an exclusive preview of cutting-edge research that positions Carolina at the forefront of computing’s most exciting frontiers, including AI, security, robotics, graphics and more.

April 12: Open house, 1-4 p.m., Sitterson Hall and Brooks Building

Researchers will provide tours of the lab spaces and demonstrate research projects. Visitors will experience hands-on demonstrations, including robotic systems being developed to assist people with everyday tasks, next-generation virtual reality environments and AI systems that can generate realistic graphics and sounds.

Register for anniversary events.

Key department milestones:

  • 1962: Fred Brooks gives a lecture at Carolina on “10 Research Problems in Computer Science.”
  • 1963: A faculty study committee recommends the creation of a computer science department within the UNC College of Arts and Sciences.
  • 1964: Fred Brooks establishes Carolina’s information science department.
  • 1966: The department awards its first master’s degree.
  • 1971: In response to industry trends, the department changes its name to computer science.
  • 1987: The department moves into its first dedicated building, Sitterson Hall.
  • 2008: Construction finishes on Brooks Building, an expansion of Sitterson Hall.
  • 2024: The department celebrates 60 years of computing excellence.
Keep Reading Honorary degrees go to athlete, producer, former faculty, US representative

You May Also Like...