UNIVERSITY CENTERS AND RESEARCH UNITS

Centers & Units A-H | Centers & Units I-U

Research programs are the means by which the University contributes to the generation as well as to the preservation and dissemination of knowledge. With nationally recognized programs in many areas and funding from government, industry, and other private sources, the research effort of the University is strong and diversified and provides special learning opportunities for students as discoveries are made.

In addition to the extensive work performed by faculty through individual and team efforts in academic departments, special programs of research are conducted by the University divisions described below.

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, a statewide unit of the UA Division of Agriculture, conducts scientific research on the dynamic biological, environmental, economic, and social systems involved in the production, processing, marketing, and utilization of food and fiber, community development and family studies.

The experiment station is one of the most comprehensive research organizations in Arkansas, with a faculty of approximately 200 doctoral-level scientists. It is an essential part of the research and technology infrastructure that supports Arkansas agriculture and the food and fiber sector.

Experiment station research is conducted in agricultural and environmental sciences, marketing and economics, social issues affecting families and rural communities, nutrition, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, and other dynamic scientific disciplines.

Many experiment station scientists also are on the teaching faculty of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences. The result is a wealth of opportunity for students to study and work with some of the nation's most respected scientists. Graduate students work on master's thesis and doctoral dissertation research projects as a part of a team of experiment station scientists in modern laboratories, greenhouses, and field research facilities.

Experiment station research is closely coordinated with the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Together, they comprise the statewide UA Division of Agriculture.

The vice president for agriculture heads the division of agriculture for the UA system. The associate vice president-extension provides leadership to the cooperative extension service and reports directly to the vice president for agriculture. The dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences also serves as the associate vice president-research and provides leadership for the agricultural experiment station. The associate vice president-research reports directly to the vice president for agriculture for agricultural research programs and as the dean to the vice chancellor for academic affairs for instructional programs. The associate director of the experiment station also serves as an associate dean in the college and the associate dean serves as an associate director in the experiment station, respectively.

The mission of the Division of Agriculture, through the combined efforts of the Experiment Station and Extension Service, is to provide new knowledge to strengthen the state's food and fiber sector; assure a safe food supply; conserve natural resources and protect the environment; and assist in the economic and social development of communities, families, and individuals, particularly in the rural areas of the state.

ARKANSAS ARCHEOLOGICAL SURVEY

The Arkansas Archeological Survey is a research and public service organization charged by the legislature with statewide responsibility for conserving and investigating the state's archeological heritage and with making information on this rich heritage available to all. To this end it has an extensive publication and public relations program. With a staff of 40 (approximately half of whom are professional archeologists), it is recognized as one of the most effective state-supported archeological research organizations in the country. The survey's coordinating office on the Fayetteville campus consists of the director, the state archeologist, computer services, editorial, graphics, and other support staff. There are also several research archeologists who carry out archeological investigations under contracts as required by law to protect the state's archeological resources. There is a station archeologist at each of 10 research stations around the state, including the Fayetteville campus, who are available for graduate guidance. The survey works closely with the University's department of anthropology in training students. It cooperates with the state historic preservation officer and other state and federal agencies and trains and assists citizen groups interested in archeological conservation. The Arkansas Archeological Survey is a separate University-wide administrative unit with the director responsible to the Board of Trustees through the system president.

ARKANSAS CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

The Arkansas Center for Technology Transfer (ACTT), founded in 1985, is the industrial outreach arm of the College of Engineering. ACTT coordinates technical efforts and forms working partnerships with Arkansas industries to improve processes and help solve technical problems. The mission of ACTT is to "increase the economic well-being of the citizens of Arkansas by providing technical assistance and training to industries of Arkansas." The specialized units described below conduct its work.

The Advanced Manufacturing Technology Laboratory works with industry to resolve problems to strengthen their competitive posture. The laboratory has experience in productivity improvement, process improvement, product development, quality control, and structural analysis. Utilizing advanced engineering tools such as finite element analysis, computer-aided design, and computer modeling/simulation, the Manufacturing Technology Lab can tackle a broad range of industrial issues.

The Applied Electronic Systems Design Laboratory employs a multi-disciplinary approach to a broad base of applied and basic research topics. The laboratory's mission is to "increase the body of knowledge associated with electronic and optical systems, image processing, and digital design, through the development of advanced electronic and electro-optical systems and theories."

The Industrial Training and Multi-Media Development Laboratory specializes in the design and development of computer-based training programs for industry. Computer Based Training (CBT) combines sound, still pictures, video, animation, and graphics in a variety of customized, interactive, instructional programs. The training lab is staffed by skilled instructional designers, programmers, and graphic artists, and routinely collaborates with University faculty, and private sector experts to meet industries' changing technical training needs.

Engineering Extension Service provides short-term assistance to Arkansas businesses, industries, or local governments in seeking solutions to technical, quality, or safety problems. A full-time staff of professionals with extensive industrial experience is available to help clients throughout the entire state.

Contact information: Arkansas Center for Technology Transfer, Engineering Research Center, Research Center Blvd., Fayetteville, AR 72701. Arkansas Watts 1-800-334-3571 or (479) 575-3747, World Wide Web: <http://actt.engr.uark.edu>.

ARKANSAS COOPERATIVE FISH AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH UNIT

The Coop Unit is a cooperative venture among the U.S. Geological Survey, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the University of Arkansas, and the Wildlife Management Institute. The Arkansas Coop Unit was established in 1988 and is part of a network of cooperative fish and wildlife research units that exist in 43 state and land-grant colleges across the United States. The purpose of the Coop Unit program is to conduct applied and basic wildlife and fish research, to train graduate students in research and management methods, and to participate in graduate education and technical assistance. The three unit leaders are federal employees stationed on the University of Arkansas Fayetteville campus.

ARKANSAS HOUSEHOLD RESEARCH PANEL

The Arkansas Household Research Panel (AHRP) is a continuing project of the department of marketing and transportation. AHRP consists of several hundred Arkansas households that respond to quarterly questionnaires.

The AHRP has been used for both academic, student, and business-related research. The panel's funding comes from the professional fees that are generated.

ARKANSAS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

The Arkansas Leadership Academy in the College of Education and Health Professions is a model program that prepares leaders for the classroom and the board room, develops accountability to communities, and facilitates the creation of results-driven educational environments. The Academy supports reform of the educational system and provides direct services to school districts through district support activities or strategic leadership institutes. Academy graduates become part of a statewide network that pursues educational reform. The network includes representatives from business, industry, state government, the public schools, and higher education. The Academy is governed by partners from higher education institutions, education service cooperatives, professional education organizations, state education agencies, foundations and corporations. The synergy created among the partners builds the expertise and capacity for Arkansas to become a true community of learners.

The Arkansas School Study Council, housed since its inception in 1960 in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling and Foundations, is a professional service and outreach organization devoted to the dissemination of research and opinion on major issues pertaining to Arkansas public education. Staffed by a member of the faculty, the Council's primary work in recent years has been informing school officials about equity issues pertaining to funding for public education in Arkansas. The Council's membership includes a number of public school districts and education service cooperatives in Arkansas. It is also affiliated with the National School Development Council.

ARKANSAS WATER RESOURCES CENTER

The Arkansas Water Resources Center, established by Public Law in 1964, utilizes scientific personnel and facilities of all campuses of the University (and other Arkansas colleges and universities) in maintaining a water resources research program. The center supports specific research projects throughout Arkansas, which often provide research training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and disseminates information on water resources via publications and conferences. The center works closely with federal, state, municipal, educational, and other public groups concerned with water resources in development of its research, training and dissemination programs.

ARKANSAS WORKFORCE EDUCATION CURRICULUM CENTER

Established in 1982 in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Vocational and Adult Education, the Center is an instructional resource program associated with the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education. It provides services for educators and administrators throughout Arkansas, including curriculum and video preview and purchase, materials dissemination, workshops and in-service curriculum development activities, curriculum materials development, instructional resource searches, and free preview of curriculum materials.

BESSIE BOEHM MOORE CENTER FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION

The Bessie Boehm Moore Center for Economic Education, established in 1978, promotes an understanding of the American economy among the people of Arkansas. Its major efforts are directed to elementary and secondary school children. The center's faculty and staff hold workshops and seminars for public school teachers, conduct research in economic education, develop instructional materials, maintain a lending library, and sponsor adult economic educational programs for business, labor, industry, and the general community. In recent years, Center personnel have been involved in educating teachers in transitional or developing economies about market economics. The center is officially certified by the Arkansas Council on Economic Education and the National Council on Economic Education.

For college-level students, the Center sponsors the Walton College Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team. SIFE's mission provides college students the best opportunity to make a difference while developing leadership, teamwork, and communication skills through learning, practicing, and teaching the principles of free enterprise. The Walton College SIFE team welcomes members from other colleges who embrace their mission and want to grow through benefiting the local community. The UA SIFE team is quickly becoming a nationally recognized organization.

The Center is located in Suite 205 of the Don W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise behind the Business Building and may be reached by calling (479) 575-2855.

BIOMASS RESEARCH CENTER

The Biomass Research Center currently houses the food safety laboratory, which includes the hybridoma laboratory, the agricultural research services laboratory, museum curatorial laboratories, and one of the entrepreneurial clients of GENESIS.

CENTER FOR ADVANCED SPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES

The Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), established in 1991, is an element of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences but has a campus-wide focus. The center has particularly close relationships with the departments of anthropology; crop, soil and environmental science; biology; geosciences; and landscape architecture. Other related partners include the environmental dynamics program, the Arkansas Water Resources Research Center and the Arkansas Archeological Survey. CAST focuses on making geographic information systems (GIS) and related technologies available to a wide audience through research, undergraduate and graduate education, spatial data distribution, technology transfer, professional education, digital photogrammetry, remote sensing and interoperability.

CAST has been selected as a Center of Excellence by the Intergraph Corporation, by Trimble Navigation Inc. and by the Oracle Corpora-tion. These and other corporate sponsors have provided more than $9 million in support of the research and teaching facilities of the center. The center has extensive hardware and software capabilities including more than 50 high performance workstations, four large servers (combined 1.5 terabyte on-line) large format plotters and scanners, many other peripherals and an comprehensive inventory of software.

CAST staff are engaged in research projects in a wide range of areas. Recent projects involve a NASA-funded project to develop methods to increase availability of remote sensing data; assessment of the habitat and distribution of at-risk avian species in the western hemisphere using GIS and remote sensing methods, funded by the Nature Conservancy; creation of a seamless, on-line spatial data warehouse accessible from the World Wide Web and many others. There are extensive opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student participation in CAST efforts.

The National Center for Resource Innovations-Southwest (NCRI-SW) is one of six regional centers throughout the United States whose mission is to transfer GIS and related technologies to county and local governments. Established at the U of A in 1990, NCRI-SW became part of CAST in 1991. For more information on the CAST and NCRI visit www.cast.uark.edu.

CENTER FOR ARKANSAS AND REGIONAL STUDIES

A multidisciplinary agency within the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Arkansas and Regional Studies encourages research, publication and dissemination of knowledge about life and culture in Arkansas and the surrounding region. The Center administers the interdisciplinary major in American Studies, and sponsors lectures, seminars, conferences, radio programs and international student exchanges. The Center also produces workshops and audio and video documentary recordings, and works with Mullins Library to locate and collect Arkansiana and other regional materials.

CENTER FOR BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH

The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) is a public service/outreach center and a student-faculty research center. An integral part of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, the CBER conducts externally sponsored research for local and state government, as well as the state business community. The staff responds daily to requests for state and local economic and demographic data.

In addition to conducting externally funded research, the CBER maintains several electronic database libraries of economic and financial information to serve the needs of students and faculty. Examples of organizations with which the CBER has been involved include the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Beverly Enterprises Inc., Mercury Energy, and the Arkansas Research and Technology Park planning group.

The CBER publishes the Arkansas Business and Economic Review, a quarterly business and economics journal, which is dedicated to providing information about Arkansas' business and economic environment. The Review covers state, regional, and national business and economic issues. It includes state and regional economic indices relating to personal income, industrial output, employment, population and other factors.

The CBER is housed in room 217 of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development. CBER staff can be reached by phone: (479) 575-4151, fax: (479) 575-7687, or e-mail: cberinfo@cavern.uark.edu.

CENTER FOR HEALTH, PERFORMANCE AND WELLNESS

The Center for Health, Performance and Wellness in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation and Dance provides comprehensive educational services as well as research-based programs for the health, optimal performance, and wellness of individuals and/or groups of employees in public and private organizations. The activities of the Center are supported through contractual agreements with agencies, hospitals, and schools as well as health and fitness programs. In addition the Center provides internships for students in a variety of settings and conducts research on health and wellness issues.

CENTER FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

The Center for Instructional Technology in the College of Education and Health Professions was developed to meet a spectrum of technology needs in the K-12 public schools and higher education programs in Arkansas. It serves as a technology training and development center to effectively incorporate technologies into instructional practice. As a model educational technology program, the Center has the following purposes: to demonstrate educational technology in the instructional programs of the College; to link K-12 teachers and students throughout the state with the technology programs and systems at the College; to conduct outreach and courses via distance education technologies to the K-12 and higher education communities in Arkansas; to serve as a major technical assistance resource on education and technology in Arkansas; and to conduct research on educational technology issues facing the state.

CENTER FOR MANAGEMENT AND EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT

The Center for Management and Executive Development provides executive and middle management training opportunities designed to enhance quality in leadership, management decision making, and human resource skills and abilities for corporate and public clients. Programs provide training for implementation of current acceptable practices and approaches to problem solving that support progressive management achievements. Programs are custom designed for individual clients or they are designed in modular fashion from several pre-prepared programs to meet the general leadership needs of organizations and include such topics as customer service, leadership, team development, total quality and continuous improvement, and personal skills development.

The Center serves local, national, and multinational businesses. The Center operates on a fee for service basis, and its activities are supported from fee based revenues. The Center also provides directive support for
Arkansas manufacturers who seek to produce and market products for the mass market and for its retailers through the Support Arkansas Made program. Support Arkansas Made assists manufacturers in the evaluation of new products and product ideas based upon marketable criteria.

CENTER FOR MIDDLE-LEVEL EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Established in 1992, the Center for Middle-Level Education, Research and Development in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction has three main purposes: to provide technical assistance and consulting services for schools seeking to restructure as middle schools; to conduct research on middle-level education and disseminate the findings; and to provide professional development programs, including summer institutes and follow-up sessions, to middle-school educators. Center personnel conduct research and assist educators to develop research initiatives, and provide consultation for the development, evaluation, and improvement of programs at the district, middle school, or classroom levels. In addition, a clearinghouse is operated to locate, collect, develop, and disseminate resources on the educational, social, and health needs of adolescents.

CENTER FOR PROTEIN STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND DYNAMICS

The Center for Protein Structure, Function and Dynamics is an interdisciplinary unit for research and teaching within the departments of chemistry and biochemistry, and biological sciences in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. The Center raises funds from federal, state, and private sources and sponsors faculty- and student-initiated basic research on the folded structures of protein molecules, their dynamic properties, and their diverse functions in biological systems. Recent funding has been awarded from the National Science Foundation, the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, and the National Institutes of Health. Co-directors of the Center are Frank Millett and Roger Koeppe in the department of chemistry and biochemistry (phone 575-4601).

CENTER FOR RETAILING EXCELLENCE

The Center for Retailing Excellence promotes superior performance in retail practice through both research and education programs. Through its efforts, the center promotes student interest in and preparation for careers in retailing and closely related businesses. The center works to develop strategic alliances between business academics and industry by focusing on interdisciplinary issues and concerns of retailers and vendors in both its activities and research programs. By means of its initiatives and support, the center stimulates research that advances our knowledge of retailing and addresses problems faced by retailing organizations and vendor firms. The Center for Retailing Excellence provides a range of benefits for constituent groups comprised of students, retail organizations and their suppliers, and faculty researchers.

CENTER FOR SENSING TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH

The Center for Sensing Technology and Research (CSTAR) is a focused effort to draw upon unique campus strengths to carry out a high-impact research program directed toward fundamental and applied research in new sensor technology. The center pursues fundamental advances in sensing technology from the conceptual to implementation stages. Drawing upon present state-of-the-art campus facilities and faculty research and engineering strengths, the center emphasizes support of competitive research in this critical area of biotechnology. It is intended that CSTAR will become an important component of the state's research infrastructure, which is essential to the continued implementation of
biotechnology within Arkansas-based businesses. Thus, synergistic interaction with industrial participants within the state is anticipated, with the expectation that they will provide "real-world" applications in need of advanced sensing technology.

The investigators who are involved in the CSTAR represent a broad range of scientists and engineers with research experience ranging from fundamental chemical studies of sensor materials and principles to fabrication and utilization of sensors in practical applications. It is envisioned that the proposed center will be the vehicle for synergistic cross-disciplinary interaction of the researchers and their students, which will result in highly effective and rapid implementation of new sensors in a variety of applications. At present, faculty from chemistry and biochemistry, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and poultry science are participating in CSTAR research programs. In addition to present faculty participants, a new chemistry and biochemistry faculty member specializing in the field of combinatorial chemistry is currently being recruited. Addition of such an individual will permit the center research programs to more rapidly move into the important area of highly specific microsensor development, based upon developing requisition recognition functionality in synthetic materials. It is anticipated that the goal of combinatorial syntheses could well be the specific materials to be incorporated in sensors Those would be produced in the center by researchers who have expertise in microfabrication and who are interested in the viability of highly sensitive specific microfabricated sensors.

An essential goal of the center is to contribute to the graduate education of a new generation of scientists and engineers skilled in advanced sensing technology, therefore, the center provides support for recruitment and research of qualified graduate students to the relevant doctoral programs of the participating faculty.

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF REPRESENTATION

The Center for the Study of Representation (CSR) is a research center located in the department of political science at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Created by the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees in 1999, the CSR is an officially recognized university research center.

The mission of the center is broadly defined in terms of scholarship and outreach related to representation, a topic that has long been the subject of theoretical discourse and empirical inquiry in the discipline of political science. In pursuit of its mission, the center performs two primary functions. First, it promotes original research by faculty and students into various aspects of political representation. Second, the center seeks to foster a wider understanding of the process of representation through its civic education programs. Lectures, symposia, speakers, television and radio appearances, and publications supported by the center contribute to public education and the development of a better informed citizenry. The centerpiece of the center's civic education program is The Arkansas Poll, a semi-annual survey of the opinions and attitudes of Arkansans on matters of politics and public policy.

The diverse aspects of the center combine to create a unique set of resources with which to study representation. However, the center is more than a set of research projects and outreach programs. It is a group of individuals sharing in a common intellectual experience who are devoted to creating an environment that promotes scholarship and interest in representative democracy.

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR POULTRY SCIENCE

With designation by the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees for poultry science as a center of excellence in the state's university system, the department of poultry science became a reality in 1992.

The Center of Excellence for Poultry Science (CEPS) is comprised of full-time poultry science faculty members, full-time USDA/ARS Poultry Research Group faculty members, graduate assistants, adjunct faculty and poultry science departmental staff. CEPS receives multidisciplinary contributions from several university departments including animal science; biological and agricultural engineering; biological sciences; crop, soil, and environmental sciences; entomology; food science; industrial engineering; the School of Human and Environmental Sciences and the UALR College of Pharmacy.

The department of poultry science and the research group are housed in the John W. Tyson Building, which is a 112,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art laboratory and office complex that was completed the fall of 1995 on the UA campus. In addition to the John W. Tyson Building on the main campus, CEPS is comprised of the following facilities:

• FDA-licensed feed mill;
• 10,000-square-foot processing plant used for teaching processing techniques and for ongoing food safety research projects;
• 12,000-square-foot John Kirkpatrick Skeeles Poultry Health Laboratory, which holds the highest bio-safety rating (P3) available in the country;
• a poultry research farm facility including hatchery, genetics unit, pullet rearing facility, battery brooder, caged layer house, broiler breeder houses and turkey houses; and,
• four full-sized broiler houses equipped with computerized environmental control and data collection systems capable
  of commercial-type production research.

By majoring in poultry science, students are provided a scientific as well as a technical education preparing them for positions of leadership and responsibility in the expanding fields of poultry processing, marketing and production, breeding and genetics, nutrition, physiology, poultry health, poultry business management and food science.

Students in poultry science may also meet all pre-veterinary and pre-medical requirements necessary for entry into those professional areas.

DELTA RESEARCH AND DESIGN CENTER

See University of Arkansas Community Design Center.

Regional Continuing Education Center in Rehabilitation

Established in 1974, this center provides human resource development programming for personnel employed in rehabilitation programs funded by the Rehabilitation Act. These programs include state vocational rehabilitation agencies, independent living centers, community rehabilitation programs, client assistance programs and projects with industries in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The center is located in the Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Research and Training Center for People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Established in 1981, this national center conducts research and training programs to enhance rehabilitation efforts on behalf of the 24 million U.S. citizens who are deaf or hard of hearing. These programmatic efforts are directed toward enhancing the career preparation, job entry and placement, career advancement and workplace communication accommodations consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The center is located in Little Rock and also operates two graduate training programs in deafness rehabilitation at that location.

ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION

Research is a major function of each of the faculties within the seven departments in the College of Engineering. Research coordination is achieved through the Engineering Experiment Station, which was estab
lished for that purpose by an act of the Arkansas Legislature in 1920.

The overall goal of research in the College of Engineering is to provide engineering solutions to important problems that face our society. We utilize our faculty, staff, students, and facilities to enhance the well-being of both public and private sectors. Student involvement in research is especially important in that it helps link them to the needs of their future employers. All departments biological and agricultural, chemical, civil, computer engineering, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering conduct research over a broad spectrum of subjects that includes areas such as biological and chemical processes; electronics manufacturing; environmental and ecosystems analysis; material and manufacturing; software and telecommunications; and transportation, logistics and infrastructure. Funding for research within the college comes primarily through grants received from government and industry sources.

ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER

The Engineering Research Center provides the facilities and support services for a wide variety of research activities of the College of Engineering. The center houses the Engineering Experiment Station through which the research of individual departments of the college is handled, the Genesis Technology Incubator program, the Southwestern Regional Calibration Center, the High Density Electronics Center, the Arkansas Center for Technology Transfer, the Industrial Training Laboratory, the Center for Interactive Technology, the Systems Technology Laboratory, the Highway Construction Materials Laboratory, the Hydrology Laboratory, the Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Laboratory and the engineering extension office.

The center is located in a modern 186,000-square-foot facility on 32 acres located approximately two miles south of the main campus in Fayetteville.

FULBRIGHT INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

An interdisciplinary unit within the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Fulbright Institute of International Relations encourages student and faculty research and scholarly analysis of foreign policy and international affairs.

The institute sponsors instructional activities, conferences, seminars, public events, and publications, including a major spring symposium on a significant topic in international affairs. The institutea center for scholars and researchers from around the worldalso sponsors a visiting fellows program, which brings national and international scholars, journalists, and professionals to campus.

The undergraduate international relations major is based in the institute, and there are five associated area studies programs. The institute's office of Study Abroad and International Exchange coordinates a number of overseas programs and provides support services for students interested in study abroad. In conjunction with Mullins Library, the institute also oversees the papers of J. William Fulbright, longest-serving chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

GENESIS TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR

GENESIS provides technology-based companies with research and development support by allowing these firms access to university labs and facilities as well as technical support from university researchers. Firms accepted into GENESIS are provided physical space in university research centers as well as office space, shared support services, and both business and technical guidance. GENESIS' goal is that of creating jobs for Arkansans skilled in the science and engineering professions as well as helping to diversify both Arkansas' technology and economic base. Applicants must meet strict technical guidelines as determined by a committee of university researchers, administrators, and a 15-member advisory board comprised of community business leaders. GENESIS was conceived to span all university colleges and departments by providing entrepreneurs needing research and development support a method for obtaining and coordinating the same through a program which focuses the resources of the entire campus for this common objective.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS OF ARKANSAS

Great Expectations of Arkansas, based in the College of Education and Health Professions, prepares teachers and administrators to create classroom change through effective environments in which academic, attitudinal and behavioral outcomes are attained in keeping with high standards for achievement. Encouraging group work and confidence building, Great Expectations students are involved in classrooms in which they can learn regardless of their background. The mission of Great Expectations is to provide a supportive learning environment based on core beliefs that will allow every student in participating schools to experience high degrees of success. The program delivers specialized institutes and follow-up services for teachers throughout the state.

HEALTH EDUCATION PROJECTS OFFICE

The Health Education Projects Office in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation and Dance serves schools and communities to assist them in the delivery of effective health education programs. In addition to ongoing research in selected health education areas, the Office has developed health education programs and interventions to foster effective education of children and youth. In addition, the Office provides professional development for teachers and other educators, assists with program implementation, and consults on health education projects. The Office has specialized in abstinence education, substance use prevention, tobacco use prevention, rural health education, and HIV/AIDS education.

HIGH DENSITY ELECTRONICS CENTER

The High Density Electronics Center (HiDEC) was established in 1991 as an interdisciplinary research program in advanced electronic packaging technologies, particularly the rapidly developing technology of multichip modules (MCMs), which allow electronic systems to be small, fast and cheap.

With generous support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a large clean room was constructed and an MCM fabrication facility, unique among universities, was installed. Current research programs focus on 3-D electronic packaging, high density laminate substrates, cofired ceramic substrates for wireless applications, high temperature superconducting (HTSC) tunable filters, micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), and integrated passives development. The program involves faculty from six departments and more than 25 graduate students. Continuing funding comes from DARPA and several industrial sponsors. Significant national recognition has resulted from work performed at HiDEC.

HUMAN PERFORMANCE LABORATORY

The Human Performance Laboratory in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation and Dance has a dual-purpose mission: educational outreach and research programs for targeted populations. The program is committed to the pursuit of knowledge about the health and well-being of people through research, research dissemination, outreach, and service. Known for an emphasis on fitness, the program provides an opportunity for the faculty to conduct ongoing research and service programs.