One of the strengths of the School of Computer Science (SCS) is the entrepreneurial nature of its students, faculty and researchers. The Dean's Innovation Fund (DIF) is used by the Dean to fund new ideas that emerge during the year and are not covered by the current operational budget or research grants. In addition, the Dean uses support from the DIF to improve the quality of life for graduate and undergraduate students. Some examples of projects the DIF supported the past year are:

· Seed funding for the Robotics Zoo Project
· High Dependability Computing Consortium
· Girls, Technology and Education Symposium
· Support of the Medical Robotics Information Technology Center (MERIT)
· Building Virtual Worlds

Alumni and friends of the SCS who are looking for ways to enhance the research and education that takes place on campus should direct their gifts to this fund.