In April of 2023, the ground was broken on the UW campus for the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s School of Computer, Data, and Information Sciences building (CDIS). Once finished, the building will become a new home to several different university departments, including the Information school, departments of Computer Sciences and Statistics, and the departments of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. It will also house other institutes, including the N+1 Institute, the Center for High Throughput Computing, and the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute. 

Attending the groundbreaking ceremony were such notable figures as Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, UW System President Jay Rothman, UW Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, and CDIS founding director Tom Erickson. Among these, Erickson shared that partnerships are already being made with both local and leading employers in the industry, offering students access to the computer science workforce early through programs at the university. Others issued similar sentiments, including Rothman, who noted that “The UW System currently produces more than two-and-a-half times the graduates in computer and information sciences than we did just a decade ago,” according to an article about the building released by UW Madison. At UW, computer science is currently the largest degree, and requires a high amount of collaboration, connecting to former Chancellor Emerita Rebecca Blank, namesake of the new student commons, who encouraged the sharing of ideas according to current Chancellor Mnookin. 

Filled with open labs, collaborative space, a lecture hall, and vast common areas, CDIS has a modern design that fills a need in the UW community to expand the included departments. Moreover, it also helps to build connections between students of different disciplines, including engineering (especially biomedical), computer science, and other science fields, promoting innovation at the most basic level. Already inspiring such connections, a 16 foot steel beam was recently added to the CDIS building with signatures of students, donors, faculty, and alumni, making the building a true part of the community. 

Now, less than a year after the groundbreaking ceremony, another development has been made as construction of the CDIS building continues: the selection of a modern artist for a sculpture outside the building’s front entrance. Hiring Seattle-based sculptor Clayton Binkley, UW Madison hopes to further encourage collaboration through the art outside of the building. As a sculptor, structural engineer, and designer, Binkley has studied how humans engage emotionally with artistic structures and spaces, and has created a sculpture which he calls ‘Ghost Forest’ to be placed on the northeast entrance of the building. 

Visible from University Avenue and Charter Street and large enough to be seen from a distance, the piece was chosen because it ties closely with Southern Wisconsin’s natural landscape. Using organic materials, such as weathering steel, the browns of the work blend well with the plants set to be around the sculpture. According to Professor Rebekah Willet, a member of the committee who selected Binkley, the work ties closely to the building’s purpose. Given that climate change is an ever present and growing issue, the piece seeks to remind those around it of the innovation needed to fix modern problems. Similarly, the interdisciplinary interconnectedness of the piece, including history, science, art, and technology, represents the goals of the new CDIS building’s environment. 

Scheduled to open in 2025, CDIS will become a new focal point of campus, with the art of ‘Ghost Forest’ being a highlight of the modern beauty of the building, hopefully inspiring even those passing by with a spirit of collaboration expected of the university.