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By Dennis
Kafura
Professor and Head
Department
of Computer Science,
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is
making another major
step to enhance
its capability in
computing and information
technology. As part
of the university
restructuring led
by Provost Mark
McNamee, a new multidisciplinary
academic unit has
been approved that
promotes collaborative
work across the
entire spectrum
of information technology
activities at Virginia
Tech - from the
liberal arts to
engineering, from
business to architecture.
Tentatively
named the School
of Computer Science
and Information
Technology, the
School was approved
at the June 2002
meeting of the university's
Board of Visitors.
The School is designed
to build on Virginia
Tech's strength
in the computing
sciences while positioning
the university to
operate more effectively
in exciting cross-cutting
areas that require
the active participation
of researchers and
faculty in different
departments and
colleges. The new
school, in many
ways the academic
analog of the International
Institute for Information
Technology (IIIT),
will work in concert
with IIIT to achieve
its goals.
The
outcomes expected
from the creation
of the School include:
- fostering interdisciplinary
research collaborations
in the broad domain
of computing and
information by engaging
and supporting faculty
from across the
university,
- facilitating and
providing administrative
support for interdisciplinary
research and degree
programs in information
technology,
- building relationships
with the university’s
information technology
service units to
advance information
technology research,
enrich the educational
experience of students,
and improve the
quality of the university’s
information technology
services.
These
outcomes are seen
as in direct support
of the University's
strategic plan of
moving to among
the top-tier research
institutions.
While the details
of the organization
and operation of
the School are still
being worked out,
the plan currently
under discussion
has two major elements.
First, the School
will become the
primary home for
the faculty of the
Department of Computer
Science. The Computer
Science faculty,
whose departmental
motto is "We
Collaborate,"
view the School
as an excellent
means of extending
and enhancing their
ability to work
with a wide range
of researchers across
and beyond the campus.
Second, a matrix-like
arrangement will
be used to include
the participation
and leadership of
faculty from other
departments that
are affiliated with
the School's programmatic
thrusts.
The
School will promote
expanded research
and educational
programs by investing
in a variety of
initiatives among
which are:
-
providing summer
support for faculty
to collaborate with
each other under
the auspices of
the School on joint
projects;
- paying for the
release time of
a faculty member
who would initiate
and coordinate the
submission of a
major (multi-million
dollar) grant request
that involves researchers
from a number of
departments;
- providing graduate
research support
to existing or newly
initiated collaborative
projects to accelerate
their progress;
- spurring the acquisition
of critical equipment
or access to facilities
operated on a cost-recovery
basis;
- funding “internal
sabbaticals” by
faculty outside
of the School to
work with faculty
in the School;
- providing summer
support for faculty
committed to developing
and deploying novel
educational technologies
and methods that
would benefit many
information technology
oriented departments;
- supporting the
sabbatical visits
by leaders in emerging
areas;
- sponsoring a nationally
advertised seminar
series in information
technology
These initiatives
are expected to
yield a large return
on investment through
the acceleration
of research programs,
better responsiveness
to research opportunities,
and greater synergy
among research efforts.
A number of critical
focus areas have
been defined that
will be the initial
programs developed
within the School.
These programs are:
- bioinformatics
- software engineering
- computational
science and engineering
- electronic-commerce/digital
government
- digital design/human-computer
interaction
- digital discourse
and culture
Bioinformatics is
at the confluence
of the life sciences
with computing and
information technology.
This area promises
to be a central
element in the “century
of biology” inaugurated
by the availability
of genomic information
for humans, animals,
and plants. Virginia
Tech has already
made an investment
in bioinformatics
research through
the creation of
the
Virginia Bioinformatics
Institute (VBI).
VBI and Computer
Science collaborated
to win an award
of $2.5 million
from the Commonwealth
Technology Research
Fund for the purchase
of equipment (VBI)
and the hiring of
five additional
faculty (CS) to
build a strategic
capability in bioinformatics
within the Commonwealth.
Within
academic departments,
life science and
computer science
faculty are establishing
a track record of
significant research
funding in bioinformatics
from a variety of
funding agencies
including NSF, NIH,
DARPA, and USDA.
Planning is progressing
for and courses
are being offered
in anticipation
of the creation
of graduate degree
programs in bioinformatics.
The bioinformatics
program within the
School will capitalize
on these existing
synergies, provide
a possible administrative
structure of the
proposed degrees,
and facilitate the
interaction of life
science researchers
in academic departments
with researchers
in VBI.
Software
engineering is a
vital concern to
industry because
the development
and deployment of
software intensive
systems is increasingly
a pivotal business
requirement. For
approximately two
years, the Colleges
of Arts and Sciences
(Computer Science),
Business (Accounting
and Information
Systems, Business
Information Technology),
and Engineering
(Electrical and
Computer Engineering,
Industrial and Systems
Engineering) have
been collaborating
on the definition
of a Master’s degree
in software engineering.
In anticipation
of this program
being created, the
International Institute
for Information
Technology is funding
positions in Computer
Science (presently)
and in the collaborating
departments (in
the future) to create
a more visible presence
for Virginia Tech
among the information
technology industry
in Northern Virginia
and nationally.
The degree program
builds on the graduate
courses in software
engineering already
offered by the participating
departments with
newly created courses
that are being prototyped
and taught currently.
The initiative also
builds on the active
research programs
in software engineering
currently in place
both in Blacksburg
and Northern Virginia.
Computational
science and engineering
is a collaborative
area involving the
computing and mathematical
disciplines -- providing
computational methods,
software, and machinery
-- and the scientists
and engineers solving
discipline-specific
problems using computational
means. A number
of critical research
projects are already
under way in materials
science, nanotechnologies,
aerospace design,
and wood products.
E-commerce is a
natural point of
collaboration between
the College of Business'
strong information
technology orientation
and computer scientists
with expertise in
distributed database
systems, security,
and networking.
Existing research
laboratories and
centers provide
a solid foundation
for this undertaking.
The
digital design program
will allow experts
on virtual environments
and visualization
to apply their expertise
to problems in a
variety of fields.
Exciting work is
already underway
with faculty in
Building Design
and Construction
in the College of
Architecture. Virtual
environments, including
the university's
immersive CAVE facility,
are also in use
by engineers working
on advanced materials
engineering. The
digital design program
will leverage the
national strength
that Virginia Tech
has in the broad
area of human-computer
interaction.
The
impacts on society
will be the focus
of the program in
digital culture
and digital government.
As information access
and high-speed communication
become increasingly
available, their
effects on the daily
lives of individuals
will become more
pronounced. How
these effects are
manifested in our
cultural values
and our democratic
governmental processes
are central concerns
of this program
that connects the
research of computer
scientists and engineers
with faculty in
the humanities and
social sciences.
The
School of Computer
Science and Information
Technology promises
to be an exciting
addition to Virginia
Tech's capabilities
and reputation in
computing and information
technology.
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