Proposal for an Applied Mathematical, Computational,
and Information Science Institute
S. Bruell, J. Broffitt, Bor-Luh Lin, W.Polyzou,
OVERVIEW
Below is a proposal for a "University of Iowa Institute for Applied
Computational, Mathematical, and Information Science." The
purpose of this Institute is to facilitate interdisciplinary research
collaborations between faculty, students, and research scientists who
apply common algorithms from mathematical, computational, or
information science to research problems.
What is the Institute? Members of the proposed Institute would
consist of faculty, staff, and students who make essential use of
mathematical, computational, or information science algorithms in
their research.
Each year an annual program will be set by a board of directors
composed of a broad representation of Institute members and adjunct
members from the public/private sector. The annual program will
consist of a number of topical activities. A topical activity might
include a set of seminars, a workshop, a short course, a student
research project, or other relevant elements. The board will be
charged with choosing a sufficient number of topical activities so
each institute member will find at least one topic of relevance to
their area of research. At the same time the board will also be
charged with ensuring that each topical activity is narrowly focused
on the interests of members from more than one department. This
structure should be able to simultaneously accommodate a broad
spectrum of interests, while at the same time maintaining a sufficient
focus to ensure participation in the specific activities that are
relevant to individual members.
In order to promote the interdisciplinary nature of the Institute,
each topical activity will be co-sponsored by members in at least two
departments. Emphasis will be on common algorithms being applied to
problems in different disciplines. When possible, topical activities
will be held in the facilities of one (or more) of the sponsoring
departments. This will help to break down departmental barriers by
providing a mechanism for members to visit departments of other
Institute members.
The Institute will actively promote the extensive research activities
of the University in the area of applied computational, mathematical,
and information science. The promotion will be directed at the
University, industry, the state office of economic development, and
other research universities.
The institute's primary mission is to promote interdisciplinary
research, but it will work closely with the Applied Mathematical and
Computational Science Program (AMCS), Software@Iowa, and other programs
with related educational missions. The board of directors will also
choose at least one topical activity that is designed primarily to
benefit students. The institute will work with
Software@Iowa and the Applied Mathematical and Computational Science program
in developing certificates for specific types of student
participation.
The Institute will not have faculty lines or offer degrees. The
purpose of the Institute is to facilitate
interaction between members in different departments. This implicitly
recognizes that individual departments are best equiped to evaluate
the quality of faculty hired in their own disciplines, and that individual
faculty should be accepted and recognized by peers in their fields.
Similarly, students are more competitive for research jobs or graduate
school if they have a degree in a traditional department. The AMCS
program would be the appropriate degree granting program for
graduate students whose orientation is more toward the application
of mathematical or computational methods.
History The idea for an interdisciplinary program in
applied computational sciences is not new. Computational and
mathematical methods have long been important tools in the basic
sciences and engineering. Developments in mathematics, computer
science, engineering and the hard sciences have all benefited from
advances made in any one of them. An interdisciplinary Ph.D. program
in Applied Mathematical and Computational Sciences was started
in 1971. This is a degree-granting program designed to assist students
in their development in applied and computational mathematics with
sufficient professional experience and versatility to meet some of the
research, teaching, business, and industrial needs of our technology
based society. This program involves 35 faculty members from 13
departments.
In the 28 years since the AMCS program was started, advances in the
power of computers have made many problems solvable that were
previously considered intractable. Computer power has evolved to the
point where quantitative methods can now be applied to the complex
problems that are confronted in disciplines like business,
biological sciences, medicine, meteorology, and atmospheric science. Many
complex problems in engineering, from the design of new aircraft to
micro circuits, are now performed by computer rather than in the
laboratory. Information management algorithms also impact
non mathematical fields such as law, where complex cases require
sophisticated statistical analysis, the arts, where special effects in
audio and visual media are treated with digital methods, and many
other disciplines. The connectivity of modern computers has made
information management an important concern. As a consequence of all
of these rapid changes, it is clear that starting the AMCS program
was visionary when founded. It is also clear that more needs to be
done for the University to effectively respond to rapid changes in the
way science is now conducted.
A second related initiative, which was recently approved by the Board of
Regents, is Software@Iowa. It is a business-education venture proposed by Jon
Kuhl (ECE), Roger Shultz (Management Science), and Don Epley (CS). It is a
working partnership with industry to educate students and professionals in
practical software development. There are many areas where the proposed
Institute would work closely with members and affiliates of Software@Iowa.
In addition to the AMCS and Software@Iowa programs, a group led by Professor
Atkinson proposed an institute for computational science several years
ago. Our proposal is similar to the one submitted by Professor Atkinson.
It is focused more toward faculty research than the AMCS program and
Software@Iowa. The University has many faculty performing fundamental
research using quantitative or information management techniques.
This proposal focuses on facilitating interdisciplinary exchanges between
these faculty and promoting new research collaborations that grow as
a result of these exchanges.
Since this proposal was circulated, a related proposal for a new
College of Computational and Information Science was submitted. The
proposal for a new College of Computational and Information Science
attempts to address many of the concerns discussed in this proposal.
However, this proposal is more limited in scope and does not require
any changes in the University's administrative structure.
Why have an Institute?
Pressure for educational institutions to respond to the rapid advances
in computational and information management power comes from many
sources, including the state government, the federal government,
industry, and other institutions of higher learning. Advances in
computer hardware are making the difficult research problems on the
boundaries of traditional disciplines more tractable. Activities that
promote the exchange of ideas between faculty that work in different
disciplines directly benefit the research mission of the University
by putting faculty in a position to develop new leading edge research
programs.
The Skills 2000 Commission Report is an assessment of major employer's
skill and employment needs in East Central Iowa. It projects that 33
of the major employers in Eastern Iowa will hire 2992 new employees in
information technology jobs in the next five years. In order to keep
these major employers in Iowa, the state must be able to furnish
highly skilled workers to fill these jobs. The state has initiated
the "Human Resource Recruitment Initiative" while the private sector
software companies have created the "Iowa Software Association" to
address these problems. Software@Iowa is designed meet some of these
needs by providing students with transferable skills in software
development.
Locally there is a Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Technology Corridor
marketing initiative. A recent (Oct. 8,1999) article in the New York
Times cites numerous examples of how technology transfer from
university research is fueling the economy in communities located near
these universities. A significant fraction of this new development
is in the area of computational or information science. Every one of
the University of California campuses has a nearby high-tech cluster.
Two new information technology companies are born each business day in
the corridor between the University of Southern Florida and the
University Central Florida. The city of Pittsburgh has tied its
economic development to new high-tech start-ups from local
universities such as Carnegie Mellon University and the University of
Pittsburgh. Connections between universities and local and national
economies are beginning to redefine education paradigms in many
institutions. Even Harvard University is contemplating new economic roles.
At the national level, The President's Information Technology Advisory
Committee's Executive report concluded that "federal support for
research in information technology is seriously inadequate." In this
report leaders from 13 major industries stated "The fundamental
research investments in university research by the federal government
have served to train the majority of our information technology
professionals. In recent years, however, the shortage of workers with
adequate skills makes it difficult for companies to grow both near and
long-term research, even if budgets allowed. This alone suggests the
critical need for government support of university research." The
federal initiative, "Information Technology for the twenty-first
century (IT2)" recommends a 28% increase in federal funding over the
next five years in the computational and information technology
research budgets of six federal agencies (DOD, DOE, NASA, NIH, NSF,
and NOAA). Universities that have programs in place will compete
effectively for these new funds. They will be in a position to be at
the forefront of research in the application of computational and
information science techniques to fundamental scientific and technical
problems.
The changes brought on by newly found abilities to solve complicated
problems in many fields has motivated many universities to rethink ways
of breaking down boundaries between different fields of science and
engineering. NSF supports numerous science and engineering research
centers. In addition, many major research universities have already
responded to these needs by setting up interdisciplinary centers in
computational or information science. The appendix lists a number of
peer institutions that have such centers. Thomas Everhart, the
President Emeritus of the California Institute of Technology
wrote a contribution to the Keck
foundation home page specifically addressing the need for new
approaches to research. In his contribution, "New Approaches to
Research," he mentions that at the California Institute of Technology,
the Provost, Steve Koonin (a physicist) persuaded the biology
department to sponsor a series of classes for the entire faculty on
contemporary problems in biology. Approximately half of the faculty
attended these classes which resulted in new research
collaborations. The success of this exercise led to new "classes for
faculty" in other areas. The University of California in Berkeley is
starting a $500 million interdisciplinary science initiative
From the point of view of individual faculty, the most important
reason to have such an Institute is that it will facilitate breaking
down departmental and collegiate barriers. This is particularly
beneficial in the application of computational and information science
methods to research problems, where similar algorithms undergo
parallel developments in many disciplines. Advances in any one
discipline have potential impact in many other disciplines. As
important as it is for faculty to be aware of parallel developments in
other fields, it is even more important for students, who will be
entering a world where the solution of complex
problems will require an even broader base
of interdisciplinary skills. Although the connections between diverse
areas might initially focus on the common methods and algorithms,
having faculty involved in interdisciplinary topical activities has
the potential to facilitate deeper insights into common elements of
problems in diverse areas. This will put university faculty in a
better position to make important contributions in research areas that
lie at the boundaries of traditional disciplines.
Individual faculty will benefit because it will be easier for them to keep
up-to-date with advances in other fields which may impact
their research. They will also benefit by developing a deeper
understanding about the connections between seemingly distinct areas of
research. Finally, faculty will be in a better position to prepare
proposals for funds in new research areas that fall between the
boundaries of traditional disciplines, or come through the
IT2 initiatives. In some cases they will be better prepared to
contribute to economic development through technology transfer.
Visibly promoting the research of Institute members will bring more
attention to the diversity of computational, mathematical, or
information science opportunities available at the University of Iowa.
This is attractive for recruiting students and junior faculty, as well
as drawing attention to industries who may be interested in
capitalizing on the student talent generated by these programs.
Attracting additional students with computational aptitudes will
clearly benefit the local economy.
Information science methods are becoming an increasingly important
component in many disciplines. Evidence exists for an emerging
economic "digital divide" between the technological haves and
have-nots [see Business Week, Aug. 2, 1999 - p. #40]. If this trend
continues, information literacy could play a role similar to the role
played by a college education during the decades following the second
world war. The importance of information literacy has been recognized
by many universities who have responded to this need in a variety of
ways. The impact of mathematical, computational, and information
literacy is not limited to the hard sciences and engineering; it spans
all sectors of our economy. It is important in business, management,
medicine, law, the social sciences, humanities, and the arts.
Providing select students with a first-hand opportunity to see how
common methods in the mathematical, computational, and information
science contribute to the solution of a broad range of research
problems will directly contribute to the "information literacy" of the
participating students. Certification processes developed with the Applied
Mathematical and Computational Science program and Software@Iowa would
be models for more a comprehensive "information literacy certification"
for the broader student population.
This initiative will facilitate economic development and technology
transfer initiatives at the University of Iowa by focusing primarily
on faculty research. Research is the creative driving force for all
technology transfer. Technology transfer is facilitated when faculty
research is made visible to entrepreneurial students, venture capital
investors, or individuals in the private sector. This type of
activity will not happen by mandate; success requires that the
creative and innovative aspects of faculty research be nourished. The
rest will follow if the proper communication channels are made as open
as possible.
A draft proposal appears below. Conversations with a number of
interested groups and individuals materially contributed to this
proposal; however, this draft is intended to be the starting
point for a more extensive discussion involving a broader group of
supporters.
PROPOSAL
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Members of the "Institute for Applied Computational, Mathematical,
and Information Science" would include faculty, research staff,
and students. The Institute will have no faculty lines. All faculty
appointments would be in academic departments. Members would be
related by having research programs where mathematical, computational,
or information science is central to solving research problems in
their fields. Members are expected to have a commitment to create an
environment that promotes applied computational, mathematical, and
information science in other disciplines.
Interested members of the public/private sector or members of other
educational institutions are eligible for Adjunct Memberships.
Adjunct memberships must be approved by a majority vote of the
members. Adjunct members are entitled to participate in board
meetings and are expected to participate in some of the topical
programs.
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Mission: The mission of the "Institute" is to facilitate
interdisciplinary communication and collaboration between researchers
and students using common mathematical, computational, or information
science techniques.
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Board of Directors: The "Institute" will be run by a "Board
of Directors," consisting of members representing a broad cross
section of interests. The board will also have a graduate student
member, an undergraduate member, and external members. External
members will normally be adjunct members from the public sector,
private sector, or other educational institutions. Faculty board
members would be elected to staggered three-year terms. The election
process will be designed to produce a broad representation on the
board, however, board meetings will be open to all interested members.
Directors of other university boards and programs who have an interest
in technology transfer and/or economic development will also be
invited to participate in board meetings. The purpose of the Board of
Directors is to set an annual program and to solicit and respond to
feedback from both internal and external constituents.
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Annual Program: Each year the Board of Directors will solicit
suggestions for an annual program. Although the board will determine
the program, solicitations for topics should be encouraged from
students, the public and private sector, and other interested parties.
Topical elements of the annual program could include (but are not
limited to) a series of seminars, a workshop including external
participants, an interdisciplinary student project, or a cross
disciplinary research project. Because the broad range of interests of
participants, the proposed topics should meet the following criteria:
(a) They should be "co-sponsored" by members in different departments.
The purpose of co-sponsorship is to help facilitate the interdisciplinary
nature of the of the programs. In the case of seminars, it will ensure
an audience from the co-sponsoring departments.
(b) They highlight topics that are of specific interest to the co-sponsors
and are of broad interest to the members of the "Institute."
The board will select a suitable number of topical activities each
year. A number of parallel topical activities will be scheduled that
appeal to different members. In this way members may restrict their
participation to activities that are more narrowly focused on topics
relevant to their research program. At the same time, the full
program will broadly address interests of the entire membership. At
least one topic each semester will include a significant component which
involves student participation.
While each topical activity will be coordinated and promoted through
a central office, the co-sponsoring members will be charged with
choosing a time and place for activities that maximize participation.
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Topical Areas: Each topical area may involve any number of
elements including seminars, workshop discussions, interdisciplinary
classes, and group research projects. A typical model might be a
series of seminars - beginning with elementary talks which are
appropriate for faculty and students in other fields, and progressing
to technical issues which highlight the role of mathematical,
computational, or information science. This could be followed by
talks presented by outside speakers, initiation of a
student research project, a
workshop, or a special topics class. Groups of experts could be
invited for a short period of residence to contribute to the program.
At the end of each topic the co-sponsors will prepare a report,
summarizing both the success of the particular topical component and
a making suggestions to improve the program. These summary reports
will be reviewed by the Board of Directors each year. Edited versions of
these reports will be included in an annual report that will be made
available to all interested parties.
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Interdisciplinary Aspects: Interdisciplinary
collaborations between faculty in different departments are an
important goal of the initiative. In cases where collaborations
involving junior faculty or students develop, the director will consult
with the department heads (or deans if appropriate) to find a
mutually acceptable means to ensure that the participating faculty and
students receive credit for their contribution. This is particularly
important for junior faculty, where expectations for performance in
interdisciplinary collaborations should be made in advance, and the
results should be addressed in annual reviews.
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Students: Student participation in both the topical discussions
and the board is important. The board should ensure that at least one
topical activity each semester has a significant student component.
They will be able to register for special
interdisciplinary courses run by the Institute members. Credit will be
given to encourage student research projects. A small number of
graduate college research assistant (RA) positions will be allocated
to support interdisciplinary graduate research. A subcommittee
appointed by the Board of Directors will make annual awards of these
research assistantships.
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Student Certification: The board of directors, in collaboration
with the AMCS, Software@Iowa, and industry, will investigate the
implementation of a certification process for students.
Certification would provide a
means for employers to identify University of Iowa students who are
pre-screened for desirable educational experience in technical areas.
A list of "certified" students, would be maintained on the web for
potential employers. Because mathematical, computational, and
information science is such a broad area, several different
certifications might be possible.
- Outreach: The focus of the Institute is on promoting
communication and interdisciplinary research among faculty. The rapid
growth of the field of information technology and the efficient
communication available via the Internet makes interactions that go
beyond the boundaries of the University both important and relevant to the
activities of the Institute. The Institute will have a formal
mechanism to appoint participants from outside of the University as
adjunct members. Adjunct members could be from the public/private
sector, other universities, research labs, or former students. Adjunct
members would be welcome to participate in board meetings that are
used to set the annual program. This participation could be
electronic. An institutional mailing list will be
maintained and each year's annual program will be sent out to all
adjunct members. Adjunct members are welcome to participate in all
topical programs and to contribute to board decisions on subsequent
programs. Each year an annual report will be published and mailed
to internal and external members. The annual report will also be sent
to selected universities, corporations, economic development agencies,
alumni, and interested venture capitalists.
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Staff: Staff support would be required for the
administrative functions of the institute. These administrative functions
include organizing the annual board meeting, scheduling weekly mailings,
maintaining various databases, preparing an annual brochure,
newsletters, and annual reports, maintaining a web page,
fund raising, coordinating the annual program, and maintaining the budget.
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Director: The "Institute" will have a director. The director
will chair board meetings, supervise the Institute employees, be responsible
for the institute budget, manage external relations, and be an advocate
for the program. The director will be a faculty member of an affiliated
department. He or She will serve at-will and
be appointed by the Vice President
for Research.
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Space: The Institute does not require any space.
The topical programs are designed to take place in home departments
of the co-sponsors. Space for workshops could also be handled in a
similar manner. A long-term goal would be to have office space for
the director and secretary, offices for visitors, a room for seminars,
and a conference room.
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Budget:
The main mission of the Institute could be achieved with minimal financial
resources. Topical programs involving faculty would not have any significant
costs. Grant and contract funds could support annual programs involving outside
participants. A long-term goal would be to have salary for a secretary, funds
to support a teaching reduction for the director, a commitment of GRA funds, and
a budget for visitors, publications, and public relations.
APPENDIX 1:
PROGRAMS AT OTHER UNIVERSITIES
Most of the programs listed below are interdisciplinary in nature
and involve the application of computational and information science to
problems in other fields. Although most of the applications are in
science and engineering, some of the programs are broader in scope.
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Purdue - Department of Computing Technology
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Georgia Tech - Computational and Applied Mathematics Program
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Penn State - School of Information Science and Technology
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UC Berkeley - School of Information Management
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Cornell University - Cornell Center for Simulation and Theory in Science and
Engineering, Cornell Advanced Computing Research Institute, Cornell Center for
Applied Mathematics
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Illinois - Graduate Program in Computational Science and Engineering
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Minnesota - Graduate Program in Scientific Computing
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Clemson - Computational Science Program
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George Mason - Institute for Computational Science and Informatics
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Mississippi State - Research Center for Computational Field Simulation
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North Carolina State - Center for Research in Scientific Computing
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Rensselaer - Computational Science and Engineering Program
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Rice - MS and PhD in Computational Science and Engineering
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Syracuse - Computational Science Program
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Stanford - Scientific Computing and Computational Mathematics Program
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UC Davis - Computational Science Program
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UCSD - Proposed PhD in Scientific Computation
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Michigan - Joint Degree Program in Scientific Computing
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Utah - Joint Computational Engineering and Science Program
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