You know that data science is truly becoming a recognized scientific discipline when billions of university dollars will be spent on its future.

I wrote previously about Columbia’s effort to expand its Manhattan campus to build a data science and engineering center.  However, Stanford and Cornell are also in the race. 

Much of this comes from a desire by the City of New York to become home to a leading engineering and applied science campus.   NYC is willing to invest $100 million into infrastructure improvements for the winner.

Stanford and Cornell have put in bids for the project to use the land on Roosevelt Island, while Columbia will be expanding its Manhattanville campus.  Other schools are looking to expand in NYC as well – Carnegie Mellon, which is looking at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and NYU, which wants to move into Downtown Brooklyn.