WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Board of Trustees voted Friday to approve the construction of a new $40 million facility. The new building will be dedicated to Data Science, is scheduled to open for use in 2022.

“Data science and related fields will transform every sector of our economies and societies in the coming years and decades,” said Purdue President Mitch Daniels. “This facility will ensure that Purdue’s students and faculty alike remain at the forefront of this acutely important new field.”

According to Purdue News, the four-story,  86,000 square foot building will have classroom and teaching space as well as group workspaces for the College of Science researchers and faculty.

“By bringing together Purdue’s strengths in mathematics, statistics, and computer science within an innovative building design, we will further cement our leadership in a critical STEM area and fulfill our commitment to make Purdue the first school for which data science is a part of every student’s education, no matter their field of study,” said Patrick Wolfe, the Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science. “This is the new language of life, and it’s crucial that our students are prepared for this future.”

Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2020 with completion in June 2022.