Information Sciences Institute

Keith Uncapher

DARPA logo

USC Bovard Hall

The Information Sciences Institute has a history of solving difficult problems – beginning with its own creation.

In 1972, technology maverick Keith Uncapher received an unusual offer. His work at Santa Monica, California-based think tank RAND Corporation, where Uncapher directed the computer science division, had drawn the attention of the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Create and lead a center for emerging technologies, said DARPA officials, and the agency would provide financial support.

Uncapher initially approached the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was told a decision would take 15 months. But given DARPA's interest, Uncapher felt he had no time to waste.

He then appealed to George Bekey, chair of Electrical Engineering Systems at the University of Southern California and a consultant to Rand. Bekey helped arrange for Uncapher to meet with USC Dean of Engineering Zohrab Kaprielian, who wielded considerable influence – and who thought Uncapher’s concept had tremendous promise.

USC's Board of Trustees authorized the center just five days later. In less than a month, ISI launched operations as a largely autonomous arm of USC's School of Engineering. At Uncapher's insistence, the new center would be located off campus to maximize its entrepreneurial bent.