$34 million gift to MSOE announced for next-generation tech facility at center of campus

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A $34 million gift to Milwaukee School of Engineering from an alumnus and his wife will allow it to build a new academic facility and launch a next-generation technologies program that will be one of only a few in the nation.

The Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall, funded by a donation from Dwight Diercks, a MSOE regent and alumnus, and his wife, Dian, will be built at the center of the downtown campus.

It will prepare undergraduates for a growing field of high-paying jobs and position the school at the educational forefront in artificial intelligence, deep learning, cybersecurity, robotics, cloud computing and other next-generation technologies, the school announced Monday.

The Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall, funded by a $34 million donation from Milwaukee School of Engineering regent and alumnus Dwight Diercks and his wife, Dian, will position the school at the educational forefront in artificial intelligence, deep learning, cybersecurity, robotics, cloud computing and other next-generation technologies, the school says.

Artificial intelligence involves computers simulating human behavior to perform tasks. A computer could be trained to read medical imaging as well as a radiologist, for example. The human genome could be mapped on a daily basis to detect genetic changes that indicate cancer is coming.

Tech’s biggest companies are placing huge premiums on artificial intelligence, on things ranging from face-scanning smartphones and conversational coffee-table gadgets to computerized health care and autonomous vehicles, The New York Times reported in an in-depth article Monday.

Typical artificial intelligence specialists may earn upwards of $300,000 a year in salary and company stock, according to that article.

Monday's announcement was made at MSOE’s Kern Center, with hundreds of students, faculty and staff packed into the building’s gymnasium. They gave Dwight and Dian Diercks a standing ovation.

MSOE President John Walz told the students that the new interdisciplinary center would have a “profound influence” on their lives by helping them learn artificial intelligence skills.

“People may not realize it, but it’s already all around us,” Walz said, citing the use of AI voice recognition technology when an iPhone user asks Siri a question.

Diercks provided other examples of new technologies which have evolved from AI made possible by supercomputers:

Global positioning system equipment is used to help self-driving cars navigate city streets down to the inch.

Blue River Technology, a company bought in September by Deere & Co., analyzes how much pesticide is needed for each individual corn stalk or soybean plant — reducing the amount that is sprayed.

Diercks said Milwaukee-area companies that might benefit from using MSOE's supercomputer could include Johnson Controls Inc., which designs and makes heating/air conditioning/ventilation systems for large commercial buildings; mining equipment manufacturer Joy Global Inc.; GE Healthcare, which makes MRIs and other medical imaging equipment; and motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson Inc.

Diercks, who earned his bachelor's in computer science and engineering at MSOE, is senior vice president of software engineering at NVIDIA, a California-based technology company and global leader in artificial intelligence, supercomputing and visual computing. The computer hardware and software giant employs more than 10,000 people — 3,500 of whom report to Diercks.

The success of the company where Diercks works helped him make the major gift to his alma mater possible, he said.

NVIDIA's stock price tripled in 2016 and has risen another 90% this year because the graphics chip maker, whose graphics cards dominate the gaming market, has broadened its reach to artificial intelligence applications and the development of self-driving cars. Tesla's cars use NVIDIA's graphics cards and automakers like Toyota, Audi and Mercedes-Benz are using them to develop their own autonomous vehicles.

MSOE's new computational science hall will be built on what is now a parking lot near the northwest corner of N. Milwaukee and E. State streets. It will position the university to become a national leader in application-focused artificial intelligence computational science education, Walz said.

Florida State University has a full-scale computational science program for undergraduates, and three or four other universities around the country offer some of this training for undergrads. But most computational programs are at the graduate level.

MSOE students in engineering, business and nursing also will take courses through the center to gain skills in artificial intelligence — something that Diercks said will put them on the cutting edge of advancing technologies in multiple fields.

Dwight Diercks, a MSOE regent and alumnus, and his wife, Dian, have made a $34 million gift to the school for the Diercks Computational Science Hall.

While the building won't open until fall 2019, some of the programming will begin next fall, Walz said. He said he expects about 40 new students per year to start in the computational science program.

The new building will have 64,000 total square feet on four floors above ground and 18,000 square feet of underground parking.

Its state-of-the-art data center will be home to a GPU-accelerated supercomputer that serves both students and industry. The supercomputer will be built in phases, and MSOE will be responsible for coming up with the money to build it.

Uihlein/Wilson-Ramlow/Stein Architects will design the building.

"Five to ten years from now — maybe even two years from now — if you're not an expert in artificial intelligence, your company may not survive," Diercks said.

At NVIDIA, Diercks' engineering team is one of the largest. It builds software for all of NVIDIA’s products, ranging from PC and workstation graphics cards, Deep Learning Accelerators, autonomous automobile solutions, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and gaming appliances.

Diercks earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering at MSOE in 1990. He also holds an honorary doctor of engineering degree from the university.

He began his career at NVIDIA in 1994 as a senior software engineer. He was employee number 22. In 1999, he was promoted to vice president.

MSOE is positioning itself for expansion as it develops a new master plan under the leadership of Walz, who has been on campus about a year.

The $34 million gift announced Monday represents a major leap forward, Walz said. The gift is the single largest from an alumnus in the school's 114-year history.

Walz has made key leadership appointments and is overseeing the expansion of MSOE's academic mission in tandem with a fundraising campaign for scholarships and to increase its $63 million endowment.

A new residence hall also could rise on downtown's east side in the next few years to help MSOE enhance its "campus feel."

Walz mentioned a new program in artificial intelligence was a possibility during an interview last spring with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Diercks spent part of his Kern Center presentation thanking his family and colleagues. He joked about asking his wife permission to spend $34 million.

“It’s going to be the best investment we’ve ever made,” Diercks said.

He also spoke about his time at MSOE and the dedication of its faculty and staff. That included retired longtime president Hermann Viets, who died at age 74 on Sept. 30.

“I really wish he could be here today,” Diercks said.