Nearly 800 hundred researchers from several dozen campus departments work within the
massive beckman institute.
They focus on a wide range of fields including computer science, chemistry, psychology, electrical
engineering, and physics.
Beckman's three interrelated main research themes are biological intelligence,
human-computer intelligent interaction,
and molecular and electronic nanostructures.
The Beckman Institute should be a world-class leading edge interdisciplinary
research institute.
Above all, that means that the scientific research should be first rate
but beyond that and wanting to to to serve as a model
for universities and their departments
to grow beyond their traditional discipline based structure.
Researchers in the biological intelligence area trying to understand the many ways in
which neurally based systems become capable only intelligent behavior.
Biological intelligence co-chair Bill Greenough has been at the Beckman since its inception.
He studies neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory.
His research is partly focused on the fragile x syndrome, the largest genetically
inherited cause of human mental retardation.
He collaborates with other researchers to investigate therapeutic intervention and recovery
from alcohol related brain damage, the largest cause of mental retardation in the U.S.
Our work is very much impinging upon
what underlies that syndrome and potentially what kinds of groups go in to find
a cure.
Jonathan Sweedler came to Illinois specifically to do his research at the Beckman Institute.
He studies how neurons in the brain chemically react with one another,
a place between chemistry and neuroscience.
He's convinced Beckman's interdisciplinary approach
produces results. No other university I've looked at actually has
something like the Beckman, where this type of really
cross department interdisciplinary research, where we have graduate student from many disciplines
working together is-- it's easier at the Beckman Institute.
Researchers in Beckman's Human-Computer Intelligent Interaction Theme
examine the interplay between machines and humans.
Researcher Charissa Lansing is part of the Beckman team studying language production.
In addition to her work on the intelligence during a project,
she's trying to help the hearing impaired by looking at the visual cues.
Where do good communicators look when someone else's talking?
She says Beckman's interdisciplinary approach to research is vital.
When you cross disciplines,
you're put in a very
exciting situation because
one, you need to communicate
ideas from of one perspective and you learn about other perspectives.
Imagine a computer knowing your emotions and acting for you.
In co-chair Tom Huang's laboratories, it is becoming reality.
Huang is part of a team of engineers, computer scientists, and psychologists
building a computer which tracks the users face
and determines emotion.
It might then suggest programming options.
Yet another project involves creation of a database of digital multimedia images.
The idea is
the computer should
not be just
passively carrying out commands but help the user
to accomplish his or her task
by taking intiatives.
Research in the molecular and electronic nano= structures theme is focused on new materials
fabrication methods
and a theoretical understanding on the smallest scale.
In Nancy Sottos's lab, that means studying the mechanics of materials.
In this case, development of a plastic that can heal itself after it cracks.
Sottos is collaborating with chemists, material scientists, and engineers.
She believes the applications in aerospace, medicine, and microelectronics are enormous.
Basically, if there are cracks or the
material is damaged under normal
use conditions.
Actually,
it generates new materialand
heals the crack
autonomically
without any human...
any intervention of any kind much like your autonomic nervous system.
Molecular and electronic nano-structures co-chair, Jeff Moore, is also working with small-scale
chemistry that could bring big research results.
In collaboration with other beckman institute researchers, Moore wants to develop autonomous
biological substances that know how to respond to change.
He knows Beckman's interdisciplinary approach is the key. It is both stimulating
to be learning from your collaborators and also to try to stimulate them by
providing
an accelerated pace of research; I think that's really what it is
about.
Beckman's research resources are outstanding; in Beckman's visualization media and imaging lab,
research teams can work on their own or with guidance,
with the full range of the imaging services to produce video, slide, digital, transparency,
and journal presentations.
The other half of the imaging technology group
is the microscopy suite;
it features a wide variety of the very best microscopes: optical,
electronic, and scanning probe.
The integrated systems laboratory at the Beckman Institute
is a facility where researchers from the human computer intelligent interaction main research
theme
performed the integration of advanced technology
and conduct experiments in human perception and cognition.
The newest addition,
this six-sighted virtual reality cube
named Alice,
the adaptive laboratory for immersive cognitive experiments.
There is no doubt the Beckman Institute for advanced science and technology is breaking
scientific barriers.
The best facilities and support staff,
combined with ongoing rejuvenation of projects,
and constantly stimulating scientific minds
have the institute at the front of the research curve.
This institute is the vision of the illinois native Arnold Beckman.
This giant and scientific instrumentation always wanted to see the best researchers
challenging each other, pushing science to once unreachable levels.
That dream has become reality in an institute that bears his name.