Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering
Of the research centers and institutes at the University of Arkansas, a number focus on Sustainability, Business, Science and Technology that work at the cutting edge of innovation. The promise of a sustainable future drives scientists and entrepreneurs, and the bottom line is a dynamic environment for economic development and continued growth. The centers below are grouped into categories of:
- Sustainability
- Science
- Technology
- Business
Sustainability Centers
The Applied Sustainability Center was established in 2007 with a $1.5 million grant from the Walmart Foundation and is based at the University of Arkansas, Sam M. Walton College of Business. The vision is to accelerate the creation of a sustainable global consumer goods economy and to serve as a catalyst for innovation in the retail and consumer goods industries, using the lens of sustainability. Toward this end, the center developed a broad-based coalition of partners, including consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, industry associations, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies, in order to promote efforts to build and support an economy built around people, planet and profit.
The center assembled a cross-disciplinary team of academic researchers with expertise in life-cycle assessment and environmental footprint assessment. Drawing from the colleges of engineering, business, law, arts and sciences, and agriculture, teams of faculty researchers can be customized to address specific needs. Areas of expertise include life-cycle analysis, ecological engineering, energy audits, carbon footprint measurement, mathematical modeling, uncertainty analysis, agricultural economics, agricultural law and policy, logistics and supply chain management, and geospatial technologies. The center is co-administering the Sustainability Consortium with the University of Arizona’s Global Institute of Sustainability and has identified specific initiatives in the areas of measuring and reporting environmental impacts relevant to the consumer goods industry.
Science Centers
Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences
The Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences is a research institute at the University of Arkansas and it is a partnership among six departments (Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Geosciences, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics) in four colleges (Arts/Sciences, Engineering, the Honors College, and the Graduate School). Primary research is on astronomy and planetary science, the geology and biology of planets, asteroid and comet surfaces, and instrument design and mission planning for the exploration of the solar system and other planetary systems.
Arkansas Water Resources Center
In 1964, Congress passed the Water Resources Research Act, establishing water research institutions like the Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC) at land-grant universities throughout the United States. AWRC is part of a network of 54 water institutes and, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Institute for Water Resources, has helped local, state and federal agencies learn to manage water resources for more than 30 years. Each year several research faculty members participate in AWRC projects with the help of students who gain valuable experience doing environmental work. AWRC research projects have studied irrigation and runoff, innovative domestic wastewater disposal systems, ground water modeling and land use mapping, erosion and pollution, water quality and ecosystems.
Center for Protein Structure and Function
The Center for Protein Structure and Function was established in 2000 with a $9.6 million COBRE (Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence) grant from the National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources (NIH NCRR). Support for the center was continued in 2005 with $10.2 million grant from NIH NCRR, as well as numerous other grants to faculty in the center. The goals of the center are to strengthen collaboration between investigators and allow them to develop promising new approaches to biomedical research in protein structure and function. Future advances in the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of human disease will depend upon better understanding of the structures, functions and interactions of the thousands of proteins that are encoded within the genomes of humans and human pathogens.
Center of Excellence for Poultry Science
The Poultry Science Department/Center of Excellence for Poultry Science is housed in an 112,000-square-foot office, laboratory and classroom complex located on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus. Additional poultry science facilities are located within close proximity to the campus and include a poultry research farm, a pilot processing plant, a feed mill, a poultry health and isolation unit, and commercial-style research farms for broilers and broiler breeders. The center’s mission is to provide comprehensive programs in research, teaching, and extension dedicated to improving the lives of Arkansans associated with all components of the poultry industry by generating knowledge through research and putting that knowledge to use through education. Additionally, the center works to develop knowledge to meet the specific needs of poultry production firms, processing firms, and marketing firms to help them remain competitive in a global economy, as well as meet the needs of society regarding issues such as food safety and security, human nutrition, animal health and well-being, and environmental stewardship.
Institute of Food Science and Engineering
The Institute of Food Science and Engineering (IFSE) was established to better focus the research and extension expertise of the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture on food industry issues and challenges. The institute has successfully done so by promoting alliances between the food industry and the university. The IFSE assists companies in framing issues, focusing efforts and solving problems. The food industry has supported this approach as demonstrated by IFSE’s partnering with many different companies, representing different states and foreign countries. Many of these projects are multi-year, multiple-stage investigations and have resulted in more than 108 publications by affiliated scientists. The institute provides a mechanism for the university to package its multidisciplinary expertise to address industry needs and serves as a catalyst for mutually beneficial partnerships, and it welcomes opportunities to team with industry for research into all related disciplines in food science and engineering.
The University of Arkansas’ Stable Isotope Lab has three isotope ratio mass spectrometers (one Delta XP and two Delta Plus IRMS systems) for stable isotope analysis, allowing the capability to measure the C, N, O or H isotope composition of trace gasses, solid and liquid samples. To compliment their compound-specific IRMS (Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry) work, they have an Agilent GC with a Quadrupole mass spectrometer for compound identification and quantification. The University of Arkansas’ Statewide Mass Spectrometry Facility is a state-of-the-art mass spectrometry resource established in 1999 through a combination of National Science Foundation and state funding. Currently two laboratories comprise the facility: the High Performance Structural Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, located in Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, located in Biological Sciences.
Technology Centers
Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies
The Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) focuses on research, education, outreach, and applications in geomatics, including GIS, geospatial analysis and modeling, high-density survey, enterprise spatial databases, remote sensing, digital photogrammetry and geospatial interoperability. Much of CAST’s research efforts involve new approaches to spatial data and the development of new methodologies for analysis of these data. The research efforts compliment and greatly benefit the educational and public service focus by allowing staff and students to stay on the leading edge of emerging technologies as well as providing opportunity for economic development through the center’s business incubator efforts. The center works closely with large and small businesses in a business incubator role and has been selected as a Center of Excellence by more than 10 companies, including Intergraph Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Trimble Navigation Ltd., Sun Microsystems, Skyline Software, Defineins Imaging Software, Safe Software, PCI Geomatics, IONIC Software and eSpatial Systems. CAST can collaborate with any company that requires geospatial data warehousing, interoperability and distribution, software development, multi-instrument data fusion, web-mapping, natural resources analyses, land-use/land-cover identification, and/or organizational and infrastructural processes relating to technology diffusion into the public sector.
Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures
The Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures (CSPIN) is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the University of Arkansas and the University of Oklahoma. The quest to improve computing power, data storage, and communication speed demands new approaches to device fabrication and new materials systems. The mission is to develop ways to create and probe structures on the nanometer scale, study their individual and collective dynamics, and explore their use in next generation electronic, optical and chemical systems. Collaborations with industrial, government, and national laboratories are a vital part of the CSPIN mission and operating structure. The collaborative arrangements have included exchanges of samples, data, and personnel. The research performed at CSPIN has had a significant impact on local industry through the founding of three small companies.
The Center for Sensing Technology Research
The Center for Sensing Technology and Research (CSTAR) is a cohesive, high-impact program directed toward fundamental and applied research in new bio-sensor technology. CSTAR is a vehicle for cross-disciplinary interaction of students, researchers, and companies resulting in highly effective and rapid implementation of new sensors in a variety of applications. The mission is to stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations necessary to tackle sensor problems; to educate scientists, engineers and industry about available resources, problems and new technological solutions; to stimulate Arkansas’ national competitiveness in science and technology; and to implement sensor technology within Arkansas-based businesses. With the sense of urgency in the sensor field concerning bioterrorism, chemical warfare, and homeland security, CSTAR has the resources to make a difference in these and other areas. To that end, the goal of CSTAR is to pursue fundamental research in sensing technology from the conceptual to implementation stages. Synergistic interaction with industrial participants provides real world applications in need of advanced sensing technology. Current industrial partners include Eastman Chemical Company, Danaher Tool Group, and the local Beaver Water District.
Information Technology Research Institute
The mission of the Information Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is to advance the state of research and practice in the development and use of information technology for enhancing the performance of individuals and organizations; to provide a forum for multi-disciplinary work on issues related to information technology; to promote student interest in the study of information technology; and to facilitate the exchange of information between the academic and business communities. Realizing the multi-disciplinary nature of IT research, the institute promotes research from many different areas that can potentially influence understanding of IT. The ITRI promotes IT research by providing research grants, matching faculty and organizations for research projects, and funding research-related activities.
Microelectronics and Photonics
The microEP program is an interdisciplinary graduate program designed to expand a student’s knowledge beyond the boundaries of traditional departmental based graduate programs. Students in the Microelectronics-Photonics program participate in cross-departmental research, take applications-intensive classes from multiple engineering and science departments, and develop workplace productivity skills in a simulated industrial environment. The outcome of a graduate education in this interdisciplinary environment is a better understanding of microelectronic-photonic materials; the creation of high-performance, miniaturized devices and systems made from these materials; and an understanding of the economics that affect successful introduction of these devices and systems into industry and the community.
Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering
The Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering is engaged in groundbreaking research. Nano-manufacturing is the science and engineering of the synthesis, fabrication and high precision manipulation of nanostructures and systems. Two different competing approaches are used in nanomanufacturing: (a) Top down approach: manufacturing starts on the macro scale and proceeds to create nanosized structures and features by processing the bulk material on a very fine scale, and (b) bottom-up approach: manufacturing starts at the smallest possible scale (atomic and molecular level), and proceeds to create nanostructures by the process of self-assembly of atoms/molecules.
Some of the current application areas of nano materials are: cosmetics, composites, micro electronics, clays, coatings, tools, paints, displays, fuel cells, nano fibers, nanotube composites, lubricant and medical implants. Scanning probe microscopy techniques, such as scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and atomic force microscope (AFM), have become the workhorses of nanotechnology and probe-based nanomanufacturing.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Research Center
The University of Arkansas RFID Research Center is distinguished as being one of only a few university research centers in the nation exclusively dedicated to RFID. The research center’s facilities include a lab which models a production warehouse and retail store environment in 10,000 square feet of space which contains the latest RFID technology. The center works hand-in-hand with leading companies, including Walmart, Microsoft, Intel and ACNielsen.
RFID is a wireless data collection technology that uses electronic tags to store data and identify items. These tags are like bar codes because they are used to identify items. Unlike bar codes, which must be close to the scanner for reading, RFID tags are read when they are within the proximity of a transmitted radio signal. Tracking items at a distance reduces human contact points and increases efficiencies across supply chains. The benefits of RFID are substantial, including real-time product tracking, reduced pilferage, fresher delivery of perishable goods, and increased overall accuracy in inventory management.
The RFID Research Center spans many disciplines, including retail, supply chain, industrial engineering, and computer science, among others. The RFID Research Center collaborates with a major retail industry organization and a global supply chain association to explore the feasibility and value of using radio-frequency identification technology for item-level tagging of apparel and footwear. The project generates greater inventory efficiency for retailers and product availability for consumers. Taken further, the research could lead to purchasing items without a cash register.
Business Centers
Center for Business and Economic Research
The Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business on the University of Arkansas campus provides excellence in applied economic and business research to federal, state, and local government, as well as to businesses currently operating or those that desire to operate in the state. The center further works to improve the economic opportunities of all Arkansans by conducting policy research in the public interest.
The center supports economic development by providing economic and demographic data and analysis to business, government and individuals. In addition, the center serves as a focal point in providing assistance to faculty and students in experimentation with their ideas and techniques in theoretical and applied research.
Center for Engineering Logistics and Distribution
The Center for Engineering Logistics and Distribution (CELDi) is a multi-university, multi-disciplinary National Science Foundation-sponsored industry/university cooperative research center. Research endeavors are driven and sponsored by representatives from a broad range of member organizations, including manufacturing, distribution, transportation and information technology. CELDi helps industry partners excel by leveraging their supply chain to achieve a distinguishable, sustainable difference. CELDi has the mission of enabling member organizations to achieve logistics and distribution excellence by delivering meaningful, innovative and implementable solutions that provide a return on investment. Through collaborative applied research with industry and education, CELDi is a catalyst for developing the engineering logistics methodology necessary for optimizing logistics value chains.
The Center for Retailing Excellence
The Center for Retailing Excellence, through a strong partnership with retailer and supplier industries, is one of the foremost internationally acclaimed centers for retail studies focused on research and the development of students as future leaders in the retailing and related industries. The center provides a bridge between academics and industry for developing future leaders.
The mission of the University of Arkansas’ Community Design Center (UACDC) is to advance creative development in Arkansas through education, research and design solutions that enhance the physical environment. As an outreach center of the School of Architecture, UACDC is developing a repertoire of new design methodologies applicable to community development issues in Arkansas with currency at the national level. UACDC design solutions introduce a multiple bottom line, integrating social and environmental measures into economic development. Their recombinant design solutions add long-term value and offer collateral benefits related to sustained economic capacity, enhanced ecologies and improved public health—the foundations of creative development—and their planning approaches are tailored for historic downtowns, rural sites, watersheds, highway/rail infrastructure, the college campus, retail environments, and the office/residential/retail subdivision.
The Mack-Blackwell Rural Transportation Center
The Mack-Blackwell Rural Transportation Center (MBRTC) is one of only three national study centers for education and research in rural transportation established by the U.S Department of Transportation. The U.S DOT selected the University of Arkansas as the site for the center because the state’s geographic diversity and because Arkansas’ multimodal transportation system provide a natural laboratory for rural transportation studies. Since the center’s establishment in 1992, MBRTC’s program has taken advantage of Arkansas’ geographic variety, its diverse transportation system and its central location in the U.S.
MBRTC has funded more than 100 transportation research studies from a variety of disciplines. Sponsored research includes all modes of transportation (water, highway, rail, and air) and their connections. By contributing to improved systems of roads, waterways, railroads and airways, MBRTC helps industry and institution move people and goods to their destinations more efficiently and economically.
Supply Chain Management Research Center
The Supply Chain Management Research Center, an outreach service of the Walton College, serves the direct link between the private sector and the university supply chain resources. The center works collaboratively inside and outside the University of Arkansas with many organizations include, Cambell’s, Colgate-Palmolive, Entergy, FedEx Corporation, General Mills, J.B. Hunt Transport, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Tyson Foods, Inc., and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
The goal of Supply Chain Management Research Center is to further supply chain education through activities such as conferences, custom tailored programs, and specific seminars and courses in conjunction with the Center for Management and Executive Development.