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Programs of Study, 1997-1999
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research and Instructional Resources
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a comprehensive graduate institution. A distinguished graduate faculty, outstanding research facilities, one of the top-ranked libraries in the nation, and superior computer facilities make the Urbana-Champaign campus a stimulating environment for graduate study and research.
The following pages describe some of the facilities and resources available to graduate students and faculty. The instructional and research programs of individual departments and of interdisciplinary and other graduate units are described in the Programs of Study section of this catalog.
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
The University Library's resources for advanced study and research are exceptional. It is the largest public university library in the world, with nearly 9 million volumes. Its mission is to acquire, preserve, and provide access to the collected knowledge of the world.
The library system includes the Undergraduate Library and thirty-seven other departmental libraries. Among the most important rare and special items are world-famous rare book and manuscript collections dealing with Milton, Shakespeare, Proust, H.G. Wells, Carl Sandburg, the international Olympic movement, John Philip Sousa, and the history of science. A pioneer in library automation, the library now has one of the largest online public-access catalogs, serving a network of more than 2,300 academic, public, special , regional, and school libraries in Illinois. It is also a leader in interlibrary loan within Illinois, due to a strongly developed, unique statewide resource-sharing network.
The Grainger Engineering Library Information Center, which opened to the public in March 1994, is the largest engineering library in the country, with more than 250,000 volumes and 3,400 serials. It contains a digital imaging and visualization laboratory, and a computer and multimedia laboratory with more than sixty advanced computing workstations. It serves as a research and development site for the testbed group of the National Science Foundation Digital Library Initiative grant.
The University Library is the site of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, which brings librarians and those engaged in library-related materials from around the world to learn about the library and its activities, and to share knowledge and experience with the library staff. The goal is to strengthen ties among international libraries as a means to promote freer access to information worldwide.
COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES OFFICE
The Computing and Communications Services Office (CCSO) on the Urbana-Champaign campus provides computer accounts and support for instructional and research programs as well as for communications services throughout the University. CCSO provides services to all faculty, staff and students on a variety of servers. These servers are interconnected and serve a network of campus computer sites, networked workstations, graphics equipment, office desktop systems, remote facilities as well as dial-up access from off-campus locations. CCSO provides ongoing development and support of a campuswide network, called UIUCnet. Currently, all campus offices are networked as well as all the dormitories. CCSO is committed to upgrading its networks to meet campus research and instructional needs.
Student registration is done via computer and all students get free general purpose computer accounts. CCSO works with departments that need to provide specialized computer or networking services for their discipline. Students engaged in research are eligible for accounts on University research machines. The use of computers as part of class work across all colleges has increased significantly in the last few years, particularly with the advent of the World Wide Web.
In order to provide easy access to computing resources, CCSO maintains computer sites that are open to university faculty, staff and students; these sites offer computer systems, software, and printing services. CCSO works with faculty, staff, and departments to provide software in support of many classes in a wide range of curricula. CCSO public sites are located in the Illini Union, Illini Hall, Nevada Street, Oregon Street, Undergrad Library, Commerce West, Everitt Lab, English Building and Lincoln Hall. CCSO also works with the Housing division to provide a common software interface for students using the Housing division computer labs.
The University owns a vast array of computer resources, including personal computers, workstations, servers and supercomputers. This equipment is networked by UIUCnet and departmental LANs, which deliver basic services-electronic mail, newsgroups, world-wide-web access, file transfer, access to remote networks, access to the library card catalog, a timely weather report, the online student/staff directory, a campus information server and several commercial databases. Hardware components based on national standards are used, providing a firm basis from which to build a ubiquitous campus network.
CCSO offers a full complement of computer-related user services through a Resource Center currently located in the Digital Computer Laboratory, which also houses CCSO offices and server operations. User services include consulting on computer systems, software packages, network connections, e-mail and other uses of the campus network. Consulting is offered on a phone-in or appointment basis. Computer training courses and seminars are offered each semester by a consortium of training units which includes CCSO staff. The Resource Center is the source for site-licensed software and documentation.
CCSO has developed several outreach projects to deliver quality computing services to all sections of the campus community. The Office of Computing and Communications for the Social Sciences (OCCSS), located in Lincoln Hall, is a joint effort between CCSO and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to provide support for teaching and research in the social sciences. Although focusing on the social sciences, this facility and its services are open to the general campus community. OCCSS provides statistical consulting, access to various data archives, and specialized assistance for members of the social sciences or humanities fields.
CCSO operates a Network Operations Center (NOC) to monitor and support the campus network and servers. A Network Design Office (NDO) coordinates the upgrade of network building connections to the campus network as well as assisting departments with local area network designs. Recognizing the distributed nature of campus computing, CCSO offers a Computer Consultant Support Program to provide training and a forum for collaboration among departmental computer support professionals. CCSO also has a Network Administrator Support group for training and information dissemination.
The University of Illinois continues to be a leader in utilizing computers in the educational and research process.
CIC TRAVELING SCHOLAR PROGRAM
The Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), a consortium of the Big Ten universities and the University of Chicago, established the Traveling Scholar Program as part of its effort to increase cooperative use of its member institutions' resources. The program enables doctoral-level students to attend other CIC institutions in order to take advantage of special course offerings, laboratory facilities, or library collections. Visits of traveling scholars are limited to two semesters or three quarters. Traveling scholars register and pay regular fees at their home universities. Credit earned while in this program is automatically accepted by the home university.
Application forms are available from the Graduate College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 202 Coble Hall, 801 South Wright Street, Champaign, IL 61820.
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AND STUDIES
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers many opportunities for graduate students to pursue international studies both at home and abroad. Graduate study and research often form an integral part of University programs with foreign institutions. Research opportunities are available through many departments; the Graduate College; the Center for African Studies; the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies; the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies; the Center for Russian and East European Studies; the Program in South and West Asian Studies; the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security; and the Office of Women in International Development.
For full information on these opportunities, as well as other graduate study-abroad programs and a wide range of courses and seminars in international studies, write for the handbook International Programs and Activities, obtainable from International Programs and Studies, 303 International Studies Building, 910 South Fifth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, or contact the appropriate college or department.
In addition, overseas teaching opportunities are often available in music education, English as an international language, and some of the modern language departments. Interested students should consult the executive officer of the appropriate department or division. See, also, the information available on the IPS homepage at http://www.uiuc.edu.providers/ips/.
BECKMAN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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.
The general goal of the biological intelligence area is to develop understanding of intelligent systems by studying the diverse ways in which neurally-based systems become capable of intelligent behavior. Within this area, programs extend from biochemical, molecular, and cellular level studies of how neurons work, through integrative and computational neuroscience, to cognitive science, which seeks to understand how humans process sensory information and represent knowledge.
The general goal of the human-computer intelligent interaction area is to improve the ways a human operator interacts with a computer by studying not only the input-output techniques, but also the human factors. Within this research theme, programs range from artificial intelligence, robotics, computer vision, cognitive science, and human perception and performance to virtual reality (VR) environment experiments carried out in collaboration with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).
The general goal of the molecular and electronic nanostructures area is to develop new approaches leading to electronic devices. Within this research theme, programs range from computational electronics, scanning tunneling microscopy (including lithography and fabrication of semiconductor nanostructures), and photonics, to efforts to synthesize and characterize new materials including self-organized syntheses of inorganic, organic and biochemical systems.
The Beckman Institute has acquired or developed a wide range of state-of-the-art resources supporting this research, including chemistry and robotics laboratories; a scanning tunneling microscopy facility; human subject study rooms; and specialized laboratories for magnetic resonance imaging; scanning force, electron, and confocal microscopy; laser spectroscopy; and digital image processing. Institute researchers are also able to take advantage of NCSA supercomputers as well as facilities located in the Institute, such as the CAVE™, a VR theater.
The building was made possible by a $40 million gift from UIUC alumnus Arnold O. Beckman, founder of Beckman Instruments, Inc., and his wife Mabel M. Beckman; and a $10 million capital appropriation from the state of Illinois, which also provides the ongoing operating support for the facility. The research programs in the building are supported mainly by external funding from the federal government, corporations, and foundations.
BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER
The Biotechnology Center, a special unit of the Graduate College, is an organization of more than 100 faculty members of the Urbana-Champaign campus from more than a dozen departments that have active research programs spanning a broad range of biotechnology research areas. The center supports an expanding industrial-affiliates program that promotes interaction between the faculty and scientists in industrial research settings.
The Biotechnology Center administers five centralized service facilities: the Genetic Engineering Facility, the Immunological Resources Center, the Flow Cytometry Facility, the Fermentation Facility, and the Transgenic Animal Facility. The Genetic Engineering Facility synthesizes peptides and DNA oligonucleotides and performs protein sequencing, DNA sequencing, and amino acid analysis for faculty members and for industrial affiliates. The Immunological Resource Center generates polyclonal and monoclonal antibody reagents and the Flow Cytometry Facility operates three state-of-the-art fluorescence-activated cell sorters. The flow cytometers are available to all faculty members and graduate students for use in conjunction with their research efforts. A full-time operator is available to run samples and to train staff members in the use of these sophisticated instruments. The Fermentation Facility is supervised by a trained chemical engineer who operates 20-, 30-, and 200-liter fermenters for the growth of large quantities of microorganisms. The Transgenic Animal Facility, jointly supported with the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, is available to help faculty members test gene constructs in transgenic mice.
The Biotechnology Center supports interdisciplinary graduate courses and workshops in biotechnology depending on the availability of funds.
MICROELECTRONICS LABORATORY
The Microelectronics Laboratory building is one of the nation's largest and most sophisticated university-based facilities for III-V compound semiconductor research. University of Illinois faculty and students are using the building's state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to conduct research that may ultimately solve many of the problems facing the next generation of telecommunications and information-processing technology.
The 50,000 square foot building houses facilities and equipment for optoelectronic materials' growth, submicron device patterning and fabrication, high-speed optical and electrical measurements, and ultra-high-purity semiconductor characterization. Among the highlights of this building are its sixteen class 100 and class 1000 clean room laboratories for crystal growth and device processing and fabrication. Specific capabilities include molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), metal-organic chemical vapor (MOCVD), chemical beam epitaxy (CBE), electron and optical lithography, plasma-assisted deposition of oxides and nitrides, reactive ion etching, and plasma etching.
The building also houses the Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics-one of twenty-four National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers nationwide. The CCSM has three goals: develop the engineering science and technology base required to fabricate low-cost, high-performance optoelectronic integrated circuits and apply them in optical interconnect systems; educate engineers in this field; and transfer this technology to industry. Eight of the CCSM's nineteen research groups reside in the building.
Funded by the state of Illinois, the $13.5 million building was the first university facility in the world to be built in accordance with the stringent H6 fire and safety codes applicable to semiconductor laboratories.
NATIONAL CENTER FOR SUPERCOMPUTING APPLICATIONS
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) was established in February 1985 with a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant and opened to the national research community in January 1986. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, other federal agencies, corporate partners, the University of Illinois, and the state of Illinois supply additional funding.
NSF placed the national centers at major research universities to provide fertile ground for the multidisciplinary exchanges needed to create new fields in computational science. NCSA supports a variety of programs involving national visitors; staff research scientists; UIUC adjunct faculty; postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate students; computer scientists; and computer professionals.
NCSA does not directly fund research projects, but provides the environment in which they can be carried out effectively. The center is a training ground for undergraduate and graduate students working with NCSA staff. Training includes the use of high performance computers, workstations, and productivity software for research purposes. In addition, NCSA sponsors many educational activities, such as seminars and technology demonstrations that are open to the entire University community.
NCSA's plan for meeting the computational requirements of its users is constantly reevaluated in response to advances in technology as well as changes in federal funding policy. For example, NCSA phased out traditional vector processing platforms and moved to scalable, shared memory platforms constructed from microprocessors. Scalable computers are modular, upgradeable, and binary compatible from desktop to supercomputer, making them a flexible alternative to traditional architectures. NCSA is deploying new scalable machines from leading computer corporations. Allocations on the NCSA systems are awarded by peer review. Graduate students can gain access through their advisers or through a group that has been allocated time on a system.
NCSA's visualization research and development effort adopts new technologies and develops new techniques to serve computational science. Virtual reality (VR), the latest step in visualization technology, surrounds the user with a synthetic environment that emulates reality. NCSA's VR Laboratory provides a resource where researchers can explore their data while experimenting with the latest equipment. NCSA's VR Laboratory, located in the Beckman Institute, includes the CAVE™, a collaborative project between NCSA and the University of Illinois at Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL). In the CAVE, a virtual environment is displayed on multiple walls of a room using rear-projection monitors. A scaled-down version of the CAVE is the ImmersaDesk™, a drafting table format, VR projection-based display. When folded it fits through a standard door; when deployed it fills a 6'x8' footprint. The latest addition to NCSA's Laboratory is the Infinity Wall™, a creation of EVL, NCSA, and the Laboratory for Computational Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. The Wall, which can fill a classroom, consists of four screens tiled together in a two-by-two format. The resulting 12'x9' image holds as much information as four workstation screens.
Software packages are supported at NCSA for most branches of science and engineering. In addition, the NCSA Software Development Division (SDD) develops software tools for computational scientists and turns prototypes into products. Its highly successful communications package, NCSA Telnet, and its Internet browser, NCSA Mosiac™, are used worldwide. The newest software from SDD is NCSA Habanero™, an object-sharing framework that lets software developers easily transform single-user applications into multi-user, shared applications. The Habanero Collaborative Environment lets users participate in Habanero-based collaborative sessions easily.
To learn more about the programs, services, and facilities at the center, call (217) 244-0072 or check NCSA's web site.
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF READING
The Center for the Study of Reading is a multidisciplinary community of researchers and scholars who conduct basic and applied research and engage in practical programs designed to produce a better understanding of how people learn to read, how they comprehend what they read, and how they can be taught to read. The center disseminates its work to educators, researchers, and others interested in reading research and education through its Technical Reports series and through publications such as Becoming a Nation of Readers, 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers, and Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print.
CENTER FOR WRITING STUDIES
The Center for Writing Studies facilitates research and promotes graduate study in the areas of rhetoric, written composition, language, and literacy. For graduate students pursuing M.A. or Ph.D. degrees in participating departments, the center offers a program leading to a specialization in writing and literacy research. Participating departments and programs include the Department of English, the Department of Speech Communication, the Division of English as an International Language, and the College of Education. Other campus units and programs with which faculty members are affiliated are the Beckman Institute, the Center for Advanced Study, the Center for the Study of Reading, the Institute for Communications Research, the Program for the Study of Cultural Values and Ethics, and the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory.
The work of the center is focused around three principal areas:
the historical, the theoretical, and the empirical study of writing. Specific interests
include research in computers and composition studies, methods of rhetorical and
functional language analysis, cognitive processes in message production, the development
of language and literacy theory and policy, and problems in technical and scientific
writing. Graduate training in scholarship and research is accompanied by an equally
thorough preparation for teaching. The Center for Writing Studies is also home to
Computers and Composition, an international journal for teachers of writing,
and Language, Learning and the Disciplines, a journal on writing across the
curriculum.
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