Khoury 40th event highlights Roux partnership and resulting impact in Maine
Author: Paul Murphy
Date: 02.13.23
Photos by Josephine Pettigrew.
This piece is the fourth in a series on Khoury College’s 40th anniversary celebrations, a series that also covers events in Boston, London, and Vancouver.
While the temperatures outside dropped to record lows this past Friday, the mood inside Northeastern University’s Roux Institute in Portland, Maine was warm and festive as more than 100 Khoury College students, alumni, faculty, and staff celebrated the college’s 40th anniversary at the seaside campus.
The Portland event was the fourth in a yearlong series of celebrations that will culminate in Boston on May 16. Each event highlights the unique contributions its host campus makes to Northeastern’s global network; for the Roux, it was the growth and diversification of Maine’s economy through technology.
“The premise of the Roux Institute was to build a tech and life science economy for the state of Maine,” began Mike Pollastri, senior vice provost and the Roux’s academic lead. “Talent is all over the world, and yet opportunity does not exist everywhere.”
Khoury College was the first Northeastern college to partner with the Roux when the Institute opened three years ago, and now offers five master’s programs enrolling 283 students there — a number that is expected to significantly grow over the coming years.
“By embracing our mission of computer science for everyone, we are empowering a set of leaders that can go out into the world and say, ‘This is how computer science should be in the world. These are the benefits that should accrue to all of society,’” Khoury College Dean Elizabeth Mynatt said. “The Roux Institute exemplifies this mission of computer science for everyone.”
Mynatt cited the many ways Khoury College and the Roux collaborate. At Roux, Khoury offers master’s programs in computer science, data science, and cybersecurity, along with its innovative Align programs for students with no tech background. There are seven full-time Khoury teaching faculty, three full-time research faculty, and two part-time faculty — a number that has continued to grow over the past three years. Additionally, over the last two co-op cycles, 12 Maine companies have brought in Khoury students, and several additional companies are working with Khoury faculty.
Following Mynatt’s remarks, she and Chris Mallett, the Roux’s chief administrative officer, participated in a lively discussion about the future of computer science and the ways it can grow and attract local businesses in Maine. During the networking reception that followed, students shared their work in web development, data visualization, security, and artificial intelligence — all done in partnership with Maine-based companies, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits.
Guests stayed well beyond the scheduled end time, none too eager to face the cold winds swirling just beyond the lively discussion taking place indoors.