The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents recently approved an innovative new program at UNLV called the School of Informatics.This new program, housed in the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, will begin recruiting students July 1, with inaugural Informatics courses offered in the fall semester. The new program will offer both undergraduate and graduate degree programs that combine information technology with other academic disciplines.
"The School of Informatics curriculum is inherently interdisciplinary, and recognizes that the human, information, and technology dimensions of problem solving are equal contributors in advanced informatics applications areas," said Dr. Hal Berghel, associate dean of engineering and founder of the new program. "The School of Informatics will produce graduates that become successful and internationally competitive educators, entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders in the global information economy."
"This exciting new program fills a growing need for the region and the country for trained professionals who can turn data into useful information," said Eric Sandgren, dean of the College of Engineering. "It represents one of the fastest growing technical segments of our economy."
Informatics develops new uses for information technology to solve specific problems in areas as diverse as biology, fine arts, and economics. The most popular and newest informatics areas are digital cinematography, design of interactive IT systems for resorts and casinos, developing anti-spam and anti-phishing tools, and digitizing the choreography of a play.
"Informatics is multi-disciplinary and teaches a student how to be more sensitive to the core business strategy of an employer," Dr. Berghel said. "Informatics will appeal to those that wish to study the content of information and technology and to apply this knowledge to solver real problems."
Students in the new program will select a particular field of study (a cognate) such as business, fine arts, engineering, hotel management, etc. Informatics is the bridge that connects IT to a particular field of study. The cognate element enables each student to follow their own personal interests yet experience the new emerging disciplines within Informatics. For example, the fine arts cognate leads to the design of interactive Internet web sites, motion pictures, or interactive games.
An internship is required for all Informatics majors. According to Dr. Berghel, several industry partners including Station Casinos, Harrah's Entertainment, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department will support the internships as a means to aid in the recruitment and retention of talented future employees that will also select Nevada as their home state. Industry partners will also continue to voice their business needs in order to support the continued growth required to advance the field of Informatics.
Currently, the College of Engineering provides research and academic programs to over 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students. With more than 70 full-time faculty, the College offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees through its five academic departments. The School of Informatics provides a sixth major academic program offered within the College of Engineering.
