Stepping Up
Lights, data, action
Coming Soon: The Murchie Shore Data Theater
By Jacqueline Ghosen
UB President Satish K. Tripathi; Sr. Assistant Dean Cynthia Shore, BS ’81, MBA ’82; Tunney Murchie, BS ’75, MBA ’76; and School of Management Dean Ananth Iyer. Photo: Tom Wolf
The School of Management will soon be home to a fully equipped high-tech data analysis lab, the Murchie Shore Data Theater. Set to open in 2026 and located on the second floor of the Alfiero Center, the facility will provide a space uniquely designed for collaborative data analysis.
Available to all disciplines within the school, the data theater will feature flexible configurations, large screens and state-of-the-art hardware and software, enabling users to interact with and make sense of complex information for the purpose of research, teaching, simulations, immersive visualization and decision-making.
The data theater will feature an open floor plan that can be easily configured to meet the needs of various meetings. Left: Close-range view of projection wall. At right, top: View from Alfiero Center second floor atrium. At right, bottom: View of projection wall from the back of the theater. Data theater concept renderings courtesy of University at Buffalo Facilities
The Murchie Shore Data Theater is made possible by a $1 million gift from Tunney Murchie, BS ’75, MBA ’76. A successful businessperson who founded Lackawanna Products and its startup spinoff, LPC Logistics, Murchie exemplifies what hard work and commitment can lead to. The extraordinary success of the companies he has founded is proof. Murchie is also a longtime and generous supporter of the university and its athletics program.
Cynthia Shore and Tunney Murchie
At Murchie’s request, the data theater will be co-named with Cynthia Shore, BS ’81, MBA ’82, longtime senior assistant dean of alumni and external engagement, whom Murchie wishes to honor in appreciation for her efforts connecting him and many other alumni with the School of Management.
“Thanks to Tunney’s generosity, we will be able to turn data into insight at a scale we’ve never had before,” says Ananth Iyer, dean of the School of Management. “The Murchie Shore Data Theater will become a hub where students, faculty and industry partners immerse themselves in sophisticated datasets, collaborate across disciplines and develop data-driven solutions that shape smarter businesses and a better world.”
