Information Science and Technology

The design and operation of networks requires technical concepts such as information theory, algorithms and optimization, but also depends on economic, social and even political factors.

One example is the concept of net neutrality, in which infrastructure providers seeking to recoup their investments by charging differently based on bandwidth consumption come into conflict with users who oppose making economic distinctions related to information content. The department has deep expertise in all facets of these and other problems of technology implementation and usage in the real world.