On November 12, 2015, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) opened a new center for advancing computational science and networking. Shyh Wang Hall is named in honor of the UCB professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science who passed away in 1992. Shyh Wang is especially well-known for his research in semiconductors, magnetic resonances and semiconductor lasers.
Among the dignitaries helping open the facility were UC President Janet Napolitano and UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks. In an inspired twist on the standard ribbon-cutting ceremony, Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos and Mrs. Dila Wang (a major donor to the building) officially opened the facility by connecting two high-speed networking cables.
Wang Hall will be home to the Department of Energy's National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) as well as the Energy Sciences Network (ESNET) and research programs in applied mathematics and computer science.
A contingent of Research IT staff attended the building's dedication, as well as panel discussions addressing key questions in research computation: "Have we reached a scientific tipping point?" and "Will technical innovation and computing research keep up with scientific imagination." Distinguished panelists included Nobel Laureate Saul Perlmutter (Physics, 2011); and Larry Smarr, Director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology.
More information about the opening is available on the Berkeley Lab web site.