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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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National Center for Supercomputing Applications
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?s National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), one of the five original centers in the National Science Foundation?s Supercomputer Centers Program, opened its doors in January 1986. Over the years NCSA has contributed significantly to the birth and growth of the worldwide cyberinfrastructure for science and engineering, operating some of the world?s most powerful supercomputers and developing the software infrastructure needed to efficiently use them.

That tradition continues as the center, Illinois, IBM, and their partners in the Great Lakes Consortium for Petascale Computation develop what is expected to be the first computer dedicated to open scientific research capable of sustaining more than one petaflops, or one quadrillion calculations per second. Called Blue Waters, the system will come online in 2011. It will be dedicated to massive simulations and data analysis projects that will improve our society, health, environment, and economic competitiveness. NCSA and the consortium will also work with research communities to create the new software technologies, scientific applications, and educational programs needed to take full advantage of this new system.

Blue Waters will benefit from NCSA's ongoing focus on cyberenvironments, cyber-resources, and innovative systems research. Cyberenvironments give research communities the means to fully exploit the extraordinary resources available on the internet (computing systems, data sources and stores, and tools). Cyber-resources ensure computing, data, and networking resources are available to solve the most demanding science and engineering problems and that the solutions are obtained in a timely manner. Innovative systems research involves testing and evaluating the performance of emerging computing systems for scientific and engineering applications.

NCSA also leads efforts to develop a secure national cyberinfrastructure. Through the National Center for Advanced Secure Systems Research, a project funded by the Office of Naval Research, critical cybersecurity and infrastructure needs and research requirements are addressed. In addition, NCSA is a key partner in the National Science Foundation?s TeraGrid project, a $150 million effort to offer researchers remote access to some of the fastest unclassified supercomputers as well as an unparalleled array of visualization tools, application software, sensors and instruments, and mass storage devices.

The center also leaves its mark through the development of networking, visualization, storage, data management, data mining, and collaboration software. The prime example of this influence is NCSA Mosaic, which was the first graphical Web browser widely available to the general public. NCSA visualizations, meanwhile, have been a part of productions by the likes of PBS?s NOVA and the Discovery Channel. Through its Private Sector Program, top researchers 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.

Support for NCSA is provided by the National Science Foundation, the state of Illinois, industrial partners, and other federal agencies. For more information, see www.ncsa.uiuc.edu.

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