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The Information Networking Institute (INI) was established by Carnegie Mellon University in 1989 as the nation’s first research and education center devoted to Information Networking. As a cooperative endeavor of:

The College of Engineering
The School of Computer Science
The Tepper School of Business
The Heinz School of Public Policy and Management
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History of INI

2007

October: The INI and CyLab celebrate the official launch of Carnegie Cadets: The MySecureCyberspace Game. Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett attends the kickoff event at a local elementary school.

March: The INI graduates its first class of students from the Kobe MSIT-IS program.

To continue the globalization strategy, the INI develops two graduate degree programs in Portugal to begin Fall 2007.

The INI rennovates the lower level of the INI building to add another Distributed Education Center (DEC). The space includes distance learning equipment, lab, classroom and conference room as well as reception area, kitchen and restrooms.

2006

The INI reports 100 percent career placement rate for 2006 graduates.

June: The INI graduates its third class of students from the Athens MSIN program.

April: The INI and Carnegie Mellon CyLab partner with Alta Associates to create scholarships for women.

2005

April: The INI celebrates 15 years of achievement and growth by students, faculty, and the administration.

April: Through a grant from the National Science Foundation, the INI and CyLab launch www.MySecureCyberspace.com, which includes a prototype of the online MySecureCyberspace game.

The M.S. in Information Technology - Information Security (MSIT-IS) program is created as an INI degree program to be offered in Kobe, Japan at Carnegie Mellon CyLab Japan.

2004

April: The INI graduates its first Athens MSIN class of 19 students in Athens, Greece. This is the first Carnegie Mellon graduation ceremony on foreign soil.

July: Dena Haritos Tsamitis becomes director of the INI when Pradeep K. Khosla is appointed dean of the College of Engineering (CIT).

The INI becomes the educational partner of CMU's newly created CyLab Research Initiative and begins development of MySecureCyberspace.

2003

The INI creates the M.S. in Information Security Technology & Management (MSISTM) program in response to growing concerns in the U.S. about cybersecurity.

2002

July: The INI moves back to 4616 Henry Street, occupying two floors. The building is made wireless; students, working in shared offices and clusters, are provided with Dell computers.

August: The INI, in collaboration with Athens Information Technology (AIT), offers the MSIN degree in Athens Greece. The program becomes CMU's first international degree program. Core courses are taught via real-time video teleconferencing.

Dena Haritos Tsamitis, who was involved in the planning and design of the Athens MSIN program, is hired as Associate Director of the INI.

2001

The first INI students are awarded NSF Scholarships for Service.

2000

Wireless Andrew Phase II is completed.

Pradeep K. Khosla becomes the fifth director of the INI. The INI, previously a university initiative, becomes a part of the College of Engineering (CIT).

October: The INI holds its first reunion of 10 years.

1999

The INI conducts research into future markets for packet switched data networks for Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems.

The INI conducts research for ABB, Zurich to develop wireless infrastructure for the power industry.

1998

The INI receives an equipment grant from Lucent for Wireless Andrew Phase II, the 802.11 system. Implementation is begun.

1997

April: The INI signs a contract with Caterpillar, the biggest INI contract to date. The contract involves significant work in mobile communications and includes INI students and INI alumni doing Ph.D.s in CS and ECE.

July: In partnership with CMU Computing Services, the INI completes and makes operational campus-wide Wireless Andrew Phase I, the 900 MHz system. The system is the first campus-wide wireless network in the world.

1994

The Bellcore contract ends. INI becomes an independent program with a focus on student admissions and research.

The INI begins the Netbill Electronic Commerce Research program.

1993

The INI is awarded a $500K government grant to start the Wireless Research Initiative that develops into Wireless Andrew. The initiative develops a campus-wide research structure and gains visibility for the INI.

1992

January: The INI moves to Hamburg Hall on the lower campus. Students work in open clusters equipped with DEC Alpha workstations.

Spring: The CMU Curriculum Review Committee redesigns the MSIN program to introduce more flexibility.

1990

August: The second MSIN class enters the INI graduate program. The INI moves off campus to a floor of 4616 Henry Street. The new offices are equipped with Steve Job's NeXT workstations.

October: The first MSIN class graduates.

1989

April - August: The Information Networking Institute is founded by Marvin Sirbu. Alex Hills becomes the first director. A contract is signed with Bellcore calling for a master's-level program in information networking.

August: The first MSIN class is housed in the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). Students use Vax 2100 personal workstations with .25 MIPs processor, 16 MB RAM running Digital Ultrix.

October: The first ATI (Bellcore executive education program) class enters the INI.

1988

July: Bellcore sends an RFP out to a dozen universities

 

   
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