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Research is not an abstract ivory tower enterprise. Rather, research is essential to progress and to solving the social, technological, and economic problems besetting contemporary society. It is equally essential to quality graduate and undergraduate teaching, presenting students with the latest developments in their fields and pointing them toward the future. By developing new ideas, refining the tools of scientific investigation, critiquing established positions and views, and approaching problems in innovative ways, research provides a vital service to local, state, and national economies. Because Rutgers is recognized as a prestigious institution with world-class faculty and modern facilities, it has been able to attract significant investments from outside the state. The growth of extramural research at Rutgers has been phenomenal and attributable to the great progress the institution recently made, particularly during the last five years. Extramural funding provides much more than a short-term economic benefit resulting from the infusion of money into the economy. The research it funds helps to solve our most perplexing problems; for example: understanding and curing AIDS and cancer; improving the ability of our K-12 students in the sciences and in mathematics; and dealing with pollution and its effects on people. Thus, the research conducted at Rutgers has the potential for solving current economic problems, creating new economic opportunities, improving the environment, and enhancing the quality of life for New Jersey citizens. Some examples of the university's successes follow. The Internet Institute Initiative involves the development of a curriculum and an educational infrastructure for Internet studies, the strengthening of Internet research, and the exploration of new research opportunities in this area. Ongoing activities include establishment of the Internet Technology Certificate for undergraduate computer science majors, the Internet Technology Lab, and the Internet Telephony Lab. Major federal grants have been awarded. The Institute's goal is to make Rutgers the world premier center of research in mobile and wireless computing. Rutgers' Center for Advanced Infrastructure Technology was established in 1996 to assist the State of New Jersey in the application of advanced technology to transportation infrastructure problems. The Center's mission includes basic and applied research and emerging technologies for NJDOT and other agency and industry participants, and training graduates for contributing to the state. In the last five years faculty and New Jersey Department of Transportation personnel have been addressing fundamental and operational research problems in areas of soil improvement, soil dynamics, utilization of recycled materials, nondestructive testing of geomedia, smart materials, construction scheduling, and traffic engineering. The Center for Computational Neuroscience is developing a high performance parallel computing facility to supply high-end parallel computing resources and state-of-the-art visualization facilities for research and teaching. Current existing external funding for 18 faculty members in the initial user group is over $12 million. The proposed Laboratory for Network Imaging and Modeling of the Neuronal Code will use these new computation facilities. The Council on State Constitutional Studies was established to enhance the study of state and subnational constitutions, such as provincial constitutions in South Africa. The Council is producing a television documentary commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of New Jersey's state constitution and publishing a companion printed guide to the New Jersey constitution. With planned publications and conferences Rutgers can become an international leader in this field. Apart from technological innovation, Rutgers research improves the quality of life in other ways. For example: - Rutgers periodically publishes Rutgers Regional Report which analyzes trends in real estate, demography, and business in the tri-state region. The research provided in the report enables economic and political decisions to be made on the basis of solid information about strengths and weaknesses in New Jersey's economy. - The Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling through its highly respected Star Ledger / Eagleton Poll keeps the state aware of political and social trends. - The Institute for Women's Leadership researches women's issues on local and global levels in an effort to improve the status of women and speed their entry into positions of responsibility in society. - The Rutgers - Camden / Courier Post Business Outlook Conference helps businesses gauge the economic climate in southern New Jersey and to predict future trends. - The Center for Electronic Texts in the Humanities utilizes modern computer technology to support humanistic research and teaching. - The Institute of Jazz Studies serves as a central resource in the study and celebration of America's unique art form. An accurate presentation of the scope and range of Rutgers' research activities would run to several volumes. A brief overview, Creating New Knowledge: Rutgers Research in the 90's, was published in 1994. |