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Research Units
Biotechnology
Center
The Biotechnology Center is an interdisciplinary program
including 127 faculty members from the Colleges of Liberal
Arts and Sciences, Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental
Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Medicine, Applied
Life Studies, and the Beckman Institute. Its primary mission
is to augment research in Biotechnology at the University
of Illinois Campus by providing state-of the-art research
services to University of Illinois faculty and facilitate
interdisciplinary research. Center staff work to promote
educational, training and career opportunities for undergraduates,
graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as to
create corporate research projects.
The major research
facilities are the W. M. Keck Center for Comparative and
Functional Genomics Flow Cytometry Facility, Immunological
Resources Center, Protein Sciences Facility and Transgenic
Animal Facility. In addition, the Biotechnology Center Placement
Office provides job placement for advanced degree students
in the biological and biomedical sciences. The facilities
are located at four different centrally located campus sites,
close to major users. Research services are available to
all University of Illinois faculty at subsidized on-campus
rates. Services are also available to off-campus users at
non-subsidized rates.
Center
for Advanced Study
The mission of the Center for Advanced Study (CAS) is to
recognize the highest level of scholarly excellence and
achievements of members of the faculty; to promote discourse
across disciplines; and to provide a forum for interaction
with national and international academics, creative artists
and public figures. The Center serves UIUC by providing
special recognition for achievement, release time appointments
for faculty and opportunities for participation in an interdisciplinary
scholarly community. It also serves both UIUC and surrounding
communities by providing an ongoing public lecture series,
long term visiting scholars, interdisciplinary symposia
and special events.
Committee
on Natural Areas
The Committee on Natural Areas is responsible for maintaining
and managing University of Illinois owned properties that
have been acquired to enhance environmental/ecological research
and education.
The role of the
CNA is to provide and facilitate long-term research and
teaching opportunities on University-owned properties. Sites
are managed to protect both the integrity of the ecological
systems and the biological research that takes place on
them. Nine University areas are currently under the direct
supervision of the Committee on Natural Areas: Brownfield
Woods, CCDC Collins Woods, Funk Forest, Nettie Hart Woods,
Phillips Tract, Edgar and Sophia Richter Research Area,
Rutan Research Area, Trelease Woods and Trelease Prairie.
Together they comprise about 430 acres. They are composed
of seven woodlands, a restored prairie and a multi-use former
farm. The sites also provide direct access to stretches
of Timber Creek, the Sangamon River, the Saline Ditch and
the Salt Fork River. In addition, the CNA supervises biological
research on the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department's
Vermilion River Observatory site, 460 acres that are mostly
wooded.
All of the CNA
areas are restricted access, closed to the public and to
recreational activities. Only authorized research and class
field trips are permitted on the sites. Permits may be issued
to U of I faculty, staff, students, Illinois Department
of Natural Resources personnel, or qualified researchers
from other colleges/universities. Professor May Berenbaum
is the Chair of the Committee on Natural Areas.
Division
of Animal Resources
The Division of Animal Resources (DAR) administers the UIUC
animal care and use program. In this capacity, the DAR provides
professional services in laboratory animal science and medicine
and works with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
(IACUC) to provide oversight and assistance in ensuring
compliance to all laws, regulations, and policies governing
the care and use of research and teaching animals.
The UIUC campus recently received accreditation by the Association
for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal
Care (AAALAC). The UIUC animal care and use program is evaluated
twice yearly by the IACUC.
Division
of Research Safety
The Division of Research Safety (DRS) provides advice and
technical assistance in using biological, chemical and radiological
materials safely. In addition, DRS helps the campus community
understand and comply with required regulations. DRS responsibilities
include monitoring emerging regulations, identifying compliance
requirements and maintaining a liaison with regulatory agencies.
DRS assists campus units by providing technical assistance
for safety and compliance issues; conducting risk assessments
for use of biological, chemical and radiological materials;
reviewing research projects using biological, chemical and
radiological materials; providing safety training; identifying,
collecting and disposing biological, chemical and radiological
waste; and providing oversight for spill cleanup procedures.
Institute
for Genomic Biology
The mission of the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) is
to advance life sciences research and to stimulate bio-economic
development in Illinois. The IGB will house seven interdisciplinary
Research Themes that will capitalize on the recent advances
in genome science and technology. Six Research Themes are
envisioned to fall under two cross-cutting Program Areas:
Systems Biology and Cellular and Metabolic Engineering.
One additional Theme will deal explicitly with Genome Technology.
A Program Area will likely encompass one theme that utilizes
microbes, plants or animals (including insects) as model
organisms. The goal is to achieve integration within life
kingdoms and across Program Areas, as well as higher order
interactions among the Research Themes. Significant problems
facing humanity will be addressed, such as stabilizing the
biosphere, managing new and emerging pests and pathogens,
and maintaining an abundant and healthy food supply. Coupled
to the Research Themes will be programs that will explore
the ethical, legal and social issues arising from the New
Biology.
National
Center for Supercomputing Applications
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications was
one of the five original centers in the National Science
Foundation's Supercomputer Centers Program. The program
was created in 1986 to provide high performance computing
resources to the national academic research community. NCSA
has an international reputation in high-performance computing
and networking and in developing innovative software applications.
NCSA greatly broadened the user base of remote supercomputing
and the Internet with NCSA Telnet in 1987. In 1992, the
center introduced NCSA Mosaic, the first readily-available
graphical Web browser.
Since 1997, NCSA
has been the leading-edge site for the National Computational
Science Alliance, one of two partnerships of the NSF's Partnerships
for Advanced Computational Infrastructure program. The center
is a base for all Alliance teams and oversees the administration
of all Alliance programs. It has the largest production
high-performance computing facility in the Alliance, and
it works with government agencies, communities, and schools
to discover how high-performance computing and communication
can benefit them. Through its Private Sector Program, top
researchers from Fortune 500 companies explore the newest
hardware and software, virtual prototyping, visualization,
networking, and data mining to help U.S. industries maintain
a competitive edge in the global economy.
In August 2001,
NCSA-as part of a team of institutions that also includes
the San Diego Supercomputer Center, Argonne National Laboratory,
and the California Institute of Technology-was funded by
the National Science Foundation to build the most comprehensive
infrastructure ever deployed for scientific research. Besides
offering the world's fastest unclassified supercomputers
with 13.6 teraflops of aggregate computing power, this "Teragrid"
hardware and software will include ultra high-speed networks,
high-resolution visualization environments, and toolkits
for grid computing. Building and deploying the Teragrid
will take three years.
State Scientific
Surveys Associated with the OVCR
Natural
History Survey
Since 1858, the Illinois Natural History Survey has been
the guardian and recorder of the biological resources of
Illinois---the state's biological memory. With a staff of
over 200 scientists and technicians, it is recognized as
the premier natural history survey in the nation. Over the
years, its mission has remained fairly constant: to investigate
the diversity, life histories, and ecology of the plants
and animals of the state; to publish research results so
that those resources can be managed wisely; and to provide
information to the public in order to foster an understanding
and appreciation of our natural heritage. While housed on
the campus of the University of Illinois, the Illinois Natural
History Survey is a division of the Illinois Department
of Natural Resources.
Illinois
State Geological Survey
Created in 1905, the Illinois State Geological Survey provides
the information and analyses needed to solve environmental
and resource problems for the citizens of Illinois. Their
scientific research is key to understanding and addressing
issues such as groundwater supply and protection, waste
disposal, lakeshore erosion, and earthquake risk. Research
and service programs encompass geologic mapping, water and
mineral resources, environmental and engineering geology,
geochemistry, and education. While housed on the campus
of the University of Illinois, the Illinois Natural History
Survey is a division of the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources.
Illinois
State Water Survey
The Illinois State Water Survey is the primary agency in
Illinois concerned with water and atmospheric resources.
The Water Survey includes three technical sections (watershed
science, ground water, and atmospheric environment), one
national program, and an analytical chemistry and service
unit, together with central administration and management
functions. Each of the three technical sections share some
common features: information services; a focus on environmental
impacts and responses; data collection for the Water and
Atmospheric Resources Monitoring program; and a renewed
emphasis on modeling studies, research, and analysis. A
significant portion of the National Atmospheric Deposition
Program (NADP) involves chemical analysis and data dissemination.
The primary focus of the Analytical Chemistry & Technology
Unit is public service.
Waste
Management and Research Center
The Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC) helps businesses
and citizens reduce and manage solid and hazardous wastes
released to air, water or land through programs in pollution
prevention, analytical and information services, and research.
WMRC headquarters is located on the campus of the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a division of the
Office of Scientific Research and Analysis in the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources.
For more information
on OVCR units and programs, please contact Melanie Loots,
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, at 333-0034 or by
email to mloots@uiuc.edu
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