Weeklong Celebration for IU’s Luddy Hall

Luddy Hall Indiana University Bloomington

A whole week of activities and events are planned around the opening of the Indiana University School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering’s Luddy Hall. The $42.4 million, 124,000-square-foot building will house most of the school’s programs and departments.

The celebration, dubbed LuddyFest, includes a student startup pitch contest paying a $15,000 prize, a lecture series, and the unveiling of a high-tech work of art hanging in Luddy Hall’s glass atrium. The building honors IU Alumnus Fred Luddy and his family. Luddy is the founder of Silicon Valley-based ServiceNow, and is a member of the school’s Dean’s Advisory Council. 

"This celebration will showcase the extraordinary growth and impact of the School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, a prime example of how Indiana University’s academic programs and degrees are rapidly evolving in response to the needs of students and the demands of our state and nation," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "Luddy Hall will serve as a state-of-the-art home for our world-renowned faculty, as well as for our students who will graduate with degrees in such vital disciplines as data science, informatics, cybersecurity and intelligent systems engineering — disciplines that are impacting nearly every major sector of the national and world economy. It will also serve as a dynamic environment for the development of new innovations aimed at growing new businesses and solving some of the most important problems facing our communities.

Keynote speakers for events being held April 12-13, include former Apple Music senior director, and IU Alumnus, Ian Rogers, and Indiana Applied Research Institute chair Gen. Victor "Gene" Renuart, and IU informatics professor Christopher Raphael. Other events during the celebration include panel discussions, and a virtual reality showcase. Luddy Hall’s dedication ceremony will be April 13.