The ceremonial shovels have reached into the ground at Potomac Yard in Alexandria, a spot that was once one of the largest rail yards in the country. Now it's about to become an Innovation Campus, a place where 750 masters students and 200 doctoral students research the computer science and computer engineering of the future.
Governor Ralph Northam says it all began with that announcement three years ago that Amazon would be coming to Virginia. "This is becoming exactly what we envisioned back in 2018, a place where academia, government and industry connect working to solve problems through technology."
Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands says the graduate campus will serve as a catalyst for change. "It was anchored by Amazon's decision to locate HQ2 here just over Four Mile Run from where we are standing right now," Sands said following the ceremony. "But it will transform the economy of the region. I have no doubt about that."
The new graduate school is already operational at a satellite campus in Falls Church. The first academic building here on the Innovation Campus is set to open for the fall semester 2024.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
