Northwestern’s Reading Week has begun as students prepare for their final exams of the winter quarter. (Jerry Wu / The Purple Wire)
Welcome back to The Purple Wire! This is your hosts Lily Ogburn and Jerry Wu. Today, we have three stories about new plans and programs at Northwestern. We also wanted to share that we will be taking some time off for finals and spring break — we’ll be back on March 30. We will get back on it soon!
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1. Northwestern launches AI major
The AI major will be housed in the McCormick School of Engineering. (Lily Ogburn / The Purple Wire)
Starting in fall 2026, Northwestern students will have the opportunity to major in artificial intelligence.
The AI major will be housed in the McCormick School of Engineering and administered by the Department of Computer Science.
“Through rigorous training in machine learning and natural language processing, AI systems and infrastructure, data structures and algorithms, and the mathematical foundations that underpin modern AI, students will learn to design efficient, reliable, and scalable solutions to complex problems,” according to a March 9 news release.
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education and Computer Science Prof. Sara Owsley Sood will serve as the AI major program director. Computer Science Profs. Larry Birnbaum, David Demeter, Edith Elkind, Bryan Pardo and Zach Wood-Doughty will serve on the major’s faculty team.
McCormick students who declare the new major will graduate with a bachelor of science in engineering and a major in AI. Students from any Northwestern school will be able to add the AI major as a second major.
2. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is looking at a major ICU improvement plan
The project will add 42 beds and other connectors between pavilions to the hospital. (Lily Ogburn / The Purple Wire)
The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s $96 million proposal to add intensive care unit beds to its facility.
The project will add 42 beds and other connectors between pavilions as part of a major overhaul aimed at improving the hospital’s emergency care capacity.
A lack of ICU beds has created constraints for the hospital, contributing to long emergency department wait times and an increasing number of patients leaving without receiving care.
According to Northwestern’s application proposal, more than 10,000 patients leave each year without being seen. Hospital bed occupancy has exceeded the recommended level of 60% between 2014 and 2024.
The renovation will also expand specialized services, including cardiac care.
3. Northwestern is joining a new entrepreneurship hub with other Midwest universities
The initiative’s goal is to connect a group of universities to the innovation and investing resources in San Francisco. (Jerry Wu / The Purple Wire)
Northwestern is one of eight top universities establishing the Third Coast Foundry, a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation based in San Francisco.
Third Coast Foundry is a two-year pilot program supported by Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin–Madison and Washington University in St. Louis.
The initiative hopes to “strengthen the collective presence of Midwest research institutions in one of the world's most active venture ecosystems,” according to a news release.
The hub is a 3,500-square-foot workspace where university-founded startups and student initiatives can work, collaborate, and host meetings, events and other programming.
The idea is to connect these universities and their communities to the innovation and investing resources in San Francisco.
Details about Third Coast Foundry’s grand opening have yet to be announced.
~ Thanks for reading. See you next time!