REGIONAL VIEW northern virginia
Now hiring: Computer science faculty by Sydney Lake
V
irginia universities are getting ready for
Amazon.com Inc.’s
arrival, which will require the schools to produce thousands of computer scientists and engineers during the next two decades. In November, Gov. Ralph
Northam announced the Tech Talent Investment Program, which allocates $16.6 million to 11 state colleges and universities to help graduate 31,000 more computer science degree-holders by 2040. With Amazon planning to hire about 25,000 people during the next decade to work at HQ2 in Crystal City, the program will fulfill Virginia’s promise of a well-educated workforce. But at the same time,
universities will feel more pressure to hire qualified faculty when less than 5% of science and engineering grad- uates nationwide are receiving doctoral degrees, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Nonetheless,
FOR THE RECORD
Amazon Data Services Inc., an
Amazon.com Inc. subsidiary, has acquired more data center land in Loudoun County, spending $73 mil- lion for an undeveloped site south of Washington Dulles International Airport in December. The 100.2- acre parcel in Chantilly was most recently owned by H&M Gudelsky Asset Management LLC, which falls under the Montgomery County- based Gudelsky family of compa- nies, which owns 495 Trucking Inc., Chantilly Crushed Stone, Loudoun Quarries and other enterprises. Lou- doun’s assessment website puts the value of the 100 acres at $3.4 mil- lion, but prospective data center parcels typically sell for $1 million or more per acre. (Washington Busi- ness Journal)
The state government and Jack- sonville, Florida-based CSX Corp.
Photo courtesy George Mason University
100 more educators during the next five years.
Both schools have similar
Ken Ball, dean of GMU's Volgenau School of Engineering, has already seen an enrollment spike in computer- related majors.
George Mason University and Virginia Tech plan to hire dozens of computer science and engineering educators this decade, without sacrific- ing industry experience or educational standards. Tech expects to hire 25
more graduate-level faculty members for its Alexandria- based Innovation Campus by 2030, but the main thrust is in Blacksburg, where the university plans to double the number of computer science faculty to 80 or 90 during the next eight years.
announced in December a $3.7 billion joint project to improve train service between Richmond and Washington, D.C., including building a new bridge across the Potomac River dedicated to passen- ger and commuter rail. The improve- ments are set to start in the second half of this year and be phased in over the next decade. The agree- ment will double the number of Amtrak trains in Virginia and provide nearly hourly service between Rich- mond and Washington, D.C. Virginia would own the new Long Bridge across the river, which would paral- lel the current Long Bridge, built in 1904 and o wned by CSX. (
VirginiaBusiness.com)
Iron Mountain Inc. announced a major expansion in December at the Manassas-area data center it first opened in 2017. A new $225 mil- lion building will be built in phases.
Also, says Cal Ribbens,
head of Tech’s computer science department, “there’s a ripple effect in the undergraduate level all across campus.” Increased computer engineering enroll- ment will require more math and physics faculty, he adds. GMU, meanwhile, has
already seen a spike in students in computer-related majors, with its engineering enrollment doubling since 2012. Mason has hired 91 full-time engi- neering faculty members since 2015 and anticipates hiring
Added to the existing $100 million building, Iron Mountain expects its Prince William County site to employ nearly 50 workers when completed. The company currently expects to complete the first phase of the new building in early 2020. (Inside NoVa)
Leidos Holdings Inc., based in Reston, announced in December it planned to purchase defense con- tractor Dynetics Inc. in a $1.65 bil- lion cash deal. The purchase of the Alabama-based company will provide Leidos with a foothold in the emerging hypersonic, directed energy weapons and rapid proto- typing markets. Dynetics recently partnered with Lockheed Martin Corp. on a $347 million contract as part of the Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon systems inte- gration project, and inked a $352 million contract as the first company to commercially produce the Com-
www.VirginiaBusiness.com
recruitment and retention approaches: offering com- petitive salaries and selling applicants on location and opportunities. “We plan to do everything
we can to be very aggressive,” says Ken Ball, dean of GMU’s Volgenau School of Engineer- ing. “It is very competitive.” Some money will come
from state funds; TTIP is allocating $7.3 million to Vir- ginia Tech and $3.2 million to GMU, and Tech expects to tap into the $20 million Common- wealth Cyber Initiative fund. Mason uses research funding to provide stipends to make fac- ulty salaries more competitive, Ball says. But private donations to create endowed faculty posi- tions are also critical. “Virginia Tech is always
working to engage with support- ers whose philanthropy makes endowed professor positions possible,” Ribbens says.
mon-Hypersonic Glide Body. (Wash- ington Business Journal)
NCS Technologies Inc., a com- puter manufacturer and network engineering firm headquartered in Gainesville, signed a deal in December to remain in Prince Wil- liam County for the foreseeable future. The firm, which employs 120 people in Gainesville, will move to a new 109,000-square-foot head- quarters building on an 8.4-acre site in Innovation Park, and expects to expand by another 30 to 60 employ- ees. The company purchased the land on Discovery Boulevard from the county, which owns the park, for $2.2 million. The county provided an incentive credit of about $115,000 against the sale price, lowering the amount at settlement to $2.08 mil- lion. As part of the transaction, NCS agreed to sell a 6.56-acre parcel about two miles away to the county
for $1.59 million. (Washington Busi- ness Journal)
PEOPLE
Telly Tucker, formerly the director of economic development in Danville, started in January as the head of Arlington County’s economic
development department. He replaces acting chief Alex Iams, who left to become executive vice president at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority late last year. Last August, former Arlington economic development director Victor Hoskins became FCEDA’s president and CEO, one of several recent moves among regional economic development leaders. (
VirginiaBusiness.com)
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