Deceased Oculus co-founder to be honoured at University of Maryland
Part of Brendan Iribe's $31 million complex will be named after co-founder Andrew Reisse, who died in 2013
The University of Maryland's new computer science center will be named after three of Oculus VR's co-founders, including two whose names are seldom in the press.
The entire center will be named after Brendan Iribe, who made the project possible with a $31 million donation. The auditorium will be named after Michael Antonov, Oculus VR's chief software architect, and a pivotal figure who lacks the visibility of Iribe or Palmer Luckey. A rooftop park will be named after Andrew Reisse, who died in tragic circumstances in 2013, prior to the company's $2 billion acquisition by Facebook.
Iribe, who broke ground on the site, wrote on Facebook that, "the park will contain native plant life and natural water features in memory of Andrew's love of nature and water. The perfect place for students to take a walk or read.
"The three pillars of the innovation center - the CS building, auditorium, and park - symbolise the partnership that we formed 18 years ago when Michael, Andrew and I met at UMD freshman year and started our journey together. I hope this inspires students to form similar lifelong friendships and teams.
"With access to everything they need to build the next great company or breakthrough technology, I'm excited to see what future engineers and entrepreneurs come out of UMD."
The Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Innovation will have 13 computer labs and five seminar rooms, with almost 800 seats for classes. It will also have a raft of cutting-edge facilities, including labs dedicated to VR, AR and motion capture.