The major research centers and interdisciplinary programs of the College of Engineering are described in this section. Also included are the university-wide engineering-related centers.

• AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION CENTER
• AVIATION RESEARCH LABORATORY
• BECKMAN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
• BIOENGINEERING PROGRAM
• CENTER FOR CEMENT COMPOSITE MATERIALS
• CENTER FOR COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR MICROELECTRONICS
• CENTER FOR COMPUTATIONAL ELECTRONICS
• CENTER FOR MICROANALYSIS OF MATERIALS
• CENTER FOR RELIABLE AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING
• CENTER FOR SIMULATION OF ADVANCED ROCKETS
• ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL
• ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
• ILLINOIS STATE WATER SURVEY
• LABORATORY FOR FLUORESCENCE DYNAMICS
• MANUFACTURING RESEARCH CENTER
• MICROANALYSIS LABORATORY
• NATIONAL CENTER FOR SUPERCOMPUTING APPLICATIONS
• SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER FOR SUPERCONDUCTIVITY

AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION CENTER

C. BULLARD, Director
204 Mechanical Engineering Laboratory 105 S. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-7734

The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center has two major goals. The first is to contribute to the technology base for a new generation of equipment that eliminates reliance on refrigerants (CFCs and HCFCs) that have been linked to stratospheric ozone depletion. The second is to provide an opportunity for manufacturers to coordinate research and share results in an increasingly competitive international marketplace.

AVIATION RESEARCH LABORATORY

C. D. WICKENS, Head
Airport Savoy, IL 61874
217-244-8617
http://www.aviation.uiuc.edu/willard

The Aviation Research Laboratory (ARL) is a unit of the Institute of Aviation, which conducts and coordinates research activities in aviation and human factors in all parts of the university. Current research efforts relate to the human factors of cockpit design, pilot performance measurement and training, air traffic control display, and advanced automation. NASA Ames Research Center has sponsored research to examine the perceptual/cognitive factors in the design of electronic flight instruments for guidance and traffic, terrain, and weather hazard awareness using 3-D display technology. Research has also explored the human performance implications of 3-D displays and automation-based attention guidance techniques in both airborne and ground-based systems.

BECKMAN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

J. JONAS, Director
405 N. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-244-1176
http://www.beckman.uiuc.edu

The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is an inter- and multidisciplinary research institute devoted to basic research in the physical sciences and engineering and in the life and behavioral sciences. Its primary mission is to foster interdisciplinary work of the highest quality in an environment that transcends many of the limitations inherent in traditional university organizations and structures. Research at the institute focuses on three broadly defined themes: biological intelligence, human-computer intelligent interaction, and molecular and electronic nanostructures.

BIOENGINEERING PROGRAM

L. A. FRIZZELL, Chair
52 Everitt Laboratory 1406 W. Green St.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-1867
http://www.ece.uiuc.edu/~bioen

Bioengineering combines the analytical tools and methods of engineering and the physical sciences with details of biology and medicine to provide better understanding of biological phenomena and of living systems, to create new instruments and techniques to deal with biologically and medically oriented problems, and ultimately to improve the human condition.

CENTER FOR CEMENT COMPOSITE MATERIALS

J. F. YOUNG, Director
204 Ceramics Building 105 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-244-6209

The Center for Cement Composite Materials is an interdisciplinary research program that was founded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research as a part of the DOD-University Research Initiative Program.

CENTER FOR COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR MICROELECTRONICS

S. G. BISHOP, Director
127 Microelectronics Laboratory 208 N. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-3097

See the Microelectronics Laboratory description on page 399.

CENTER FOR COMPUTATIONAL ELECTRONICS

J.-P. Leburton, Director
Beckman Institute 405 N. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-9734

The NSF-supported Distributed Center for Advanced Electronics Simulations (DesCArtES) consists of team at Arizona State University, Purdue University, Stanford University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Its mission is to attack key research and educational challenges for electronic devices and materials by complementing theory and experiment with large-scale computation. The focus is on collaborative theme projects addressing: atomic sale effects in electronics, silicon technology beyond the roadmap, and optoelectronics. In addition to its core research efforts, DesCArtES provides outreach and leadership to the electronics research community through intellectual networking, network-based simulation and collaboration, and educational programs with input from industrial and federal laboratories. The center's research program is directed at understanding quantum and atomic scale processes as well as at relating computer models for such processes to the continuum and compact models used in the electronics industry. At the Illinois, researchers are using computation to explore the relation of atomic structure to the reliability of thin oxides. Advanced optoelectronic devices for ultrahigh-speed fiber optic networks are also being examined by simulation. At Stanford, semiconductor fabrication processes are being examined at a microscopic level. Continuum models that capture essential quantum and atomic scale features are being developed. At Purdue, techniques from quantum chemistry and molecular electronics are being adapted to examine the limits of nanotransistors. Classical transport in the near-ballistic regime is being simulated by full Boltzmann solutions. Researchers at Arizona State are investigating the role of discrete charge and many body effect in ultrasmall electronic devices.DesCArtES is co-directed by Karl Hess of Illinois and Robert Dutton of Stanford. To complement its core activities, partnerships have been formed with industrial researchers at a number of companies including Lucent Bell Laboratories, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, and Raytheon. DesCArtES has strong ties to several centers and organizations including the National Computational Science Alliance (NCSA) for high-performance computing and the National Nanofabrication User's Network (NNUN) to connect with academic experimentalists. Collaborative projects are also underway with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the NASA Ames Research Center.

CENTER FOR MICROANALYSIS OF MATERIALS

I. PETROV, Director
262 Seitz Materials Research Laboratory 104 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-8396
http://www.mrl.uiuc.edu

The University of Illinois has, in the Center for Microanalysis of Materials, the best center for the characterization of materials in any American university and perhaps in the world.

CENTER FOR RELIABLE AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING

R. K. IYER and J. H. PATEL, Co-Directors
251 Computer and Systems Research Laboratory 1308 W. Main St.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-244-7171
http://www.csl.uiuc.edu

The center is part of the College of Engineering's Coordinated Science Laboratory and focuses on integrating research in the areas of reliable and high-performance computing. UIUC has had a long history of research in the areas of high-performance architectures, fault tolerance, and testing. The faculty in the center have several individual and joint research contracts with both industry and government, including major research grants from DARPA and NSF. The center consists of 7 faculty, 10 academic professionals, and over 70 graduate students; with a total external funding of approximately $4 million annually. Research conducted by the faculty in the group covers a wide range of topics, including reliable and fault-tolerant computing, testing and design for testability, high-performance VLSI architectures, experimental study of computer systems, high-performance knowledge and data engineering, and computer-aided design tools in VLSI, and networking for mobile environments.

CENTER FOR SIMULATION OF ADVANCED ROCKETS

M. T. Heath, Director
2266 Digital Computer Laboratory, 1304 W. Springfield Ave.
Urbana, IL 6l801
217-333-0654
http//www.csar.uiuc.edu

The Center for Simulation of Advanced Rockets (CSAR) was established in 1997 in response to the scientific and technological needs of the U.S. Department of Energy posed by the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative/Academic Strategic Alliances Program.The goal of CSAR is the detailed, whole-system simulation of solid propellant rockets under both normal and abnormal operating conditions.Solid propellant rockets perform the "heavy lifting" in the aerospace industry, providing the immense thrust required to launch large payloads into Earth orbit or into outer space. CSAR has chosen the solid rocket boosters (SRB) of the NASA Space Shuttle as the simulation vehicle. The Shuttle SRB is a well-established commercial rocket, is globally recognized, and most importantly, design data and propellant configurations are available.CSAR researchers have completed a simplified version of an integrated rocket simulation code that provided invaluable experience in system integration (GEN0). The first implementation of the fully integrated simulation code (GEN1), expected to be operational in 2000, will provide a simplified characterization of various burn scenarios and the onset of potential component failures.

ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL

D. J. WUEBBLES, Director
1101 W. Peabody Dr.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-4178

The Environmental Council integrates and expands research, education, and public service in environmental studies at the university. It helps build strong disciplinary-based environmental studies programs and conducts multidisciplinary programs on the physical, biological, and social environment and human interaction with that environment. The council supports development of research, courses and curricula, seminars, workshops, and faculty hiring that expand study of the environment at UIUC.Two units of the council administer competitive grants programs of basic and applied research that are open to researchers at colleges and universities throughout the state. The Office of Solid Waste Research administers a state-funded research program on solid waste reduction, reuse, landfilling, and incineration. Researchers investigate technological, chemical, biological, economic, and social science aspects of solid waste management in Illinois. The Water Resources Center administers a state- and federally-funded program of multidisciplinary water resources research and technology transfer and also coordinates research for the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program.

ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

W. W. Shilts, Chief
121 Natural Resources Building 615 E. Peabody Dr.
Champaign, IL 61820
217-333-4747
http//www.isgs.uiuc.edu/isgshome.html

The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), a division of the state's Department of Natural Resources, is one of the largest of the 51 state and territorial geological surveys. Since 1905, when it was first organized by legislative mandate, the ISGS has been assisting citizens, industries, and government agencies by supplying the geological information they need to protect the environment and help the state's economy grow. The ISGS works closely with other offices and divisions of the Department of Natural Resources, and with universities across the state to bring multidisciplinary research to bear on the problems and opportunities confronting Illinois' citizens.

ILLINOIS STATE WATER SURVEY

D. WINSTANLEY, Chief
2204 Griffith Dr.
Champaign, IL 61820
217-244-5459
http://www.sws.uiuc.edu

The Illinois State Water Survey conducts research, collects data statewide, and provides analytical services involving atmospheric and water resources. Scientific staff consists of engineers, chemists, meteorologists, and physicists. Located on the south campus, the survey often cooperates with departments of the College of Engineering in research and teaching programs.

LABORATORY FOR FLUORESCENCE DYNAMICS

E. GRATTON, Principal InvestigatorW. W. MANTULIN, DirectorR. M. CLEGG, Co-Principal Investigator
184 Loomis Laboratory 1110 W. Green St.
Urbana, IL 61801-3080
217-244-5620
http://www.physics.uiuc.edu/Research/fluorescence/index.html

The Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics (LFD) is part of the Department of Physics and is supported by the National Institutes of Health and by UIUC.The laboratory has a dual commitment. It provides a user-oriented facility with staff and laser-based, time-resolved instrumentation to aid research scientists in measuring the fluorescence properties of biological systems and it provides a focus for research and development in fluorescence instrumentation and theory so that the user facility is maintained at the most advanced level possible. The current thrust of technology development is in the area of multiphotonic fluorescence microscopy. The LFD is available to scientists from academia and industry.

MANUFACTURING RESEARCH CENTER

S. G. KAPOOR, Director
357 Computer and Systems Research Laboratory, 1308 W. Main St.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-3432
http://www.mie.uiuc.edu

The Manufacturing Research Center is an industry-driven center of excellence in manufacturing research that fosters collaborative research initiatives between the university and both large and small industries. It is a program of the colleges of engineering on both the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses of the university. The center currently has two thrusts: multichip module microelectronics packaging and advanced technology for machining and machine tool systems.

MICROANALYSIS LABORATORY

J. H. LENKE, Director
151 Roger Adams Laboratory 600 S. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL 6l801
217-333-3095
http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/~micro/index.html

The Microanalysis Laboratory in the School of Chemical Sciences is a drop off service facility open to use by the entire campus. It provides routine elemental analysis and physical analysis.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR SUPERCOMPUTING APPLICATIONS

LARRY L. SMARR, Director
152 Computing Applications Building 605 E. Springfield Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820
217-244-0072
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu

NCSA opened its doors in 1986 as one of the five original centers in the National Science Foundation's Supercomputer Centers Program. During the decade covered by that program, the center earned an international reputation for innovative applications in high-performance computing, visualization, and desktop software. Its virtual environment laboratory is among the most advanced in academia, with three different projection-based display systems-the CAVE, the ImmersaDesk, and the PowerWall. NCSA Mosaic, the Web browser that launched a billion-dollar browser industry, was developed at the center in 1992.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER FOR SUPERCONDUCTIVITY

M. V. KLEIN, Director
1020 Seitz Materials Research Laboratory 104 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-1744

The Science and Technology Center for Superconductivity (STCS) is a National Science Foundation center for research, education, and outreach in the field of high-temperature superconductivity. The center is a cooperative effort of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and Argonne National Laboratory. In a highly integrated approach, center chemists, physicists, materials scientists, and electrical engineers collaborate to investigate the fundamental properties and possible applications of the new high-temperature superconductors.