The Department of Statistics at UC Irvine has formally joined the School of Information and Computer Science (ICS), becoming the school’s third academic department. Founded in July 2002 as an independent department, the Department of Statistics emphasizes research centered in statistical theory with a focus on the development of statistical methods for solving interdisciplinary problems. “Statistical principles and methods are important for addressing questions in public policy, medicine, industry and virtually every branch of science,� said Hal Stern, professor and department chair. “The interplay of statistical and computational methods is increasingly important in modern society.� “Statistics is critical to many fields of information and computer science and I foresee great synergy,� said Debra J. Richardson, the Ted and Janice Smith Interim Dean of ICS. “Modern statistics is no longer simply a mathematical discipline, but rather is inherently interdisciplinary.� Elevated to school status in December 2002, ICS also houses the Department of Informatics and the Department of Computer Science, which is split into two divisions – computing and computer systems. “It is a ripe time for such creative activity at UC Irvine, and ICS is poised to help foster the Department of Statistics’ success in any way we can,� Richardson added. THE SCHOOL OF INFORMATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCE: Founded as a department in 1968, information and computer science became a school in December 2002. It is home to the largest computing program in the University of California system and leads innovative research into new information and computing technology, including studies of its economic, commercial and social impact.