The Office of Research

The Office of Research is the research arm of UCSB and facilitates more than 1,081 contract and grant awards totaling $130.4 million.

The Office of Research is headed by the Vice Chancellor for Research, who is the principal campus officer in matters of research policy and administration, and is an advocate for research and its value in an educational setting. Under the leadership of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the Office of Research:

• fosters active relationships between the University, government, industry, and the private sector, and provides guidance and leadership for interdisciplinary research initiatives and technology transfer;

• establishes leadership in setting research policy, and developing and implementing a strategic plan for research;

• enhances ways in which the educational and research missions of the University mutually reinforce each other;

• interacts with the Office of the President and other UC campuses regarding research policies, funding, administration, and intercampus research opportunities;

• administers and enables a wide array of campus multidisciplinary research units;

• disseminates information to campus researchers on extramural funding opportunities;

• consults with faculty on locating and soliciting extramural research support;

• solicits, facilitates and accepts grants and contracts for the support of research, training, and public service;

• ensures the administration of awards is in agreement with university and sponsor policies;

• compiles and reports statistical information relating to extramural funding;

• provides matching funds for research and other assistance to individuals and units;

• coordinates and supports mandated regulatory committees, including the Human Subjects Committee, the Conflict of Interest Committee, and the Animal Care Council;

• directs the management of the Sponsored Projects Office, including providing assistance to the Patent Coordinator in matters related to intellectual property, and providing guidance to the Conflict of Interest Coordinator;

• supervises the seven Natural Reserve System elements associated with UCSB.

For more information on the Office of Research, please visit our website at research.ucsb.edu.

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UC Santa Barbara is home to a number of national research centers. All centers offer specialized research opportunities and a multidisciplinary environment for study at the under- graduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels.

Institute for Theoretical Physics

The National Science Foundation's Institute for Theoretical Physics, initiated in 1979 on the UCSB campus, brings together physicists from all over the world to collaborate on cross-disciplinary problems. Areas of study include elementary particles and nuclei, condensed-matter physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. Approximately 50 researchers are in residence at the institute at any given time. One of the major centers of theoretical physics in the world, the institute is housed in its own unique building near the east entrance to the campus. Telephone: (805) 893-4111. Website: www.itp.ucsb.edu

Materials Research Laboratory (MRL)

The Materials Research Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was established in September 1992 and currently involves 31 faculty from eight departments plus approximately 60 research students and postdocs. Its primary role is to support interdisciplinary research, training and education through the study of materials with chemical and structural complexity in which self-assembly and multiple length-scales play an important role. A new 14,000 square foot MRL building, which was opened in March 1997, houses the central facilities, seminar rooms, research offices, and the MRL administration. The scientific and engineering activities of the UCSB-MRL focus on four major interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs), as outlined below, together with seed projects, central facilities, an educational outreach program, and a technology outreach program. Website: www.mrl.ucsb.edu

Biomaterial Microstructures (IRG1), Group Leader: Philip Pincus. The objective of IRG1 is to carry out the enabling science for the development of biomaterial micro-structures and solution aggregates that will (i) perform biological or biomimetic functions and act as building blocks for the processing of hierarchical self-assembling structures, and (ii) serve as model systems for hybrid devices. This covers a broad range from drug delivery to artificial tissues to patterned structures for micromachine development. The emphasis in IRG 1 is the investigation of the fundamental science of these assemblies in the context of the biotechnologies. The goals are addressed by collaborative research teams dealing with bulk and interfacial self-assembly.

Solution Synthesis of Inorganics at Molecular and Atomic Interfaces (IRG2), Group Leader: Fred Lange. The focus of IRG2 is to understand the roles of structure directing molecules and surfaces in the hierarchical organization of inorganics synthesized from solution at low temperatures. The aim is to understand the mechanisms involved in the synthesis and processing of biominerals (How does Nature do it?), porous materials (used industrially for catalysis and separations), and epitaxial, single crystal films (for patterned, electro-optic circuits). Our program, which builds on recent discoveries in the IRG, is organized under three areas:

• Biomimetic routes to new materials
• Synthesis of inorganic nanoporous and mesoporous materials
• Solution routes to patterned, epitaxial materials

Mesoscopic Macromolecular Assemblies (IRG3), Group Leader: Edward Kramer. IRG3 seeks to develop the principles for synthesis and processing of novel macromolecular structures that are heterogeneous on a mesoscopic scale (10 - 50 nm) and to exploit these structures to control properties for electronic, optical and biotechnological applications. The IRG builds upon three recent breakthroughs at UCSB:

• The discovery of new organometallic living polymerization catalysts that now allow "multicolor" block copolypeptides to be synthesized.
• The development of block copolymer-templated syntheses of mesoscopically ordered inorganic oxides (e.g. SiO2, TiO2).
• The invention of new theoretical and computer simulation methods for modeling both classes of complex materials.

Strongly Nonequilibrium Phenomena in Complex Materials (IRG4), Group Leader: Glenn Fredrickson. The primary purpose of IRG4 is to bring modern research tools - especially atomic-scale microscopies and advanced scientific computing - to bear on a set of diverse but closely related problems concerning deformation, failure, and structural reorganization of complex materials. This group of scientists and engineers has achieved notable research successes in topics ranging from polymer processing to earthquake dynamics. Current focus areas are the following:

• Deformation and fracture of amorphous and semicrystalline solids
• Fundamentals of friction and lubrication
• Complex morphologies generated by reactive processing

National Center for Middle East Studies

The Department of Education designated UCSB's Center for Middle East Studies as a National Resource Center in the year 2000. The Center, which is UCSB's first National Research Center in the social sciences and humanities, is one of 12 federally funded graduate-level Middle East Studies centers in the nation. Its activities include strengthening teaching and research about the Middle East at UCSB and providingpublic-school teachers in central California with curriculum materials, guest speakers and performers, and assistance in introducing cultural or contemporary political issues in the classroom.

National Nanofabrication Users Network (Nanotech at UCSB)

Nanotech is the UCSB branch of the National Science Foundation's National Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN). The goal of the NNUN is to provide a geographically and technologically extensive capability to facilitate research breakthroughs across a broad spectrum of fields, including physics, electronics, optoelectronics, biology, and mechanics. Nanotech, with the resources of a 3500 square-foot clean room, including a Class 100 optical lithography capability, electron beam lithography, and a full range of fabrication processes, can leverage the fabrication expertise developed through work at UCSB and make it available to a broader community, receiving in turn, a large diversity of fabrication challenges and applications. Website: www.nanotech.ucsb.edu.

National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)

The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) was established by the National Science Foundation with additional support from the University of California and UCSB. The Center sponsors working groups, sabbatical fellows, and postdoctoral associates focusing on the integration of existing ecological information or new analytical techniques. NCEAS also is involved in the development of informatics activities that serve the ecological community.

The Center provides facilities, services, and high performance computing capabilities for visiting scientists. Recent research topics have included analysis of large scale processes, complex population dynamics, interactions within and between ecological communities, analysis of broad biogeographical patterns, development of new analytical and statistical methods, projects related to resource management and conservation, and ecological informatics. In addition, several projects have revolved around areas outside the core of ecology such as evolution and ecological economics.

The Center maintains contacts with a variety of campus entities through collaborative efforts and the involvement of faculty from several departments. Graduate and undergraduate interns are also supported.

In addition to ecological research, the Center supports outreach activities, and has developed programs for K-12 education activities. Information about the Center is available online at www.nceas.ucsb.edu.

Optoelectronics Technology Center (OTC)

The Optoelectronics Technology Center (OTC) at Santa Barbara is the lead member of a multi-campus university research consortium-The Heterogeneous Optoelectronics Technology Center (HOTC)-which was established in 1997 after a national competition by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). HOTC is composed of investigators from UCSB, Cornell, UCSD, UCLA, USC, and UT-Austin who are teamed to provide advanced capabilities for real-time information access systems. A main aspect of the Center's charter is to encourage collaboration between academia and U.S. industry in order to accelerate the realization of practical, manufacturable technologies in the area of optical interconnects and memory.

As a part of this consortium, OTC at Santa Barbara concentrates on the formation of advanced vertical-cavity laser and photodetector arrays as well as their combination with integrated circuits using new heterogeneous integration technologies. This technology should provide new device and materials capabilities for the next generation of parallel computer interconnects and data communications. Website: www.ece.ucsb.edu/OTC.

Southern California Earthquake Center

The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center established in 1991. It is a cooperative effort among fourteen core institutions, including UCSB, the University of Southern California, Caltech, MIT, UCLA, Stanford, Harvard, and the US Geological Survey. USC is the coordinating institution, and Professor Tom Jordan of USC is the Center Director. The mission of the SCEC is to integrate research results into a comprehensive and predictive understanding of earthquake phenomena in Southern California and to transfer this technology to other seismically active areas. The primary objectives of the Center are to estimate earthquake potential, to quantify the likely ground shaking from future earthquakes, and to communicate knowledge of earthquake science to decision-makers and the public. Website: www.scec.org.

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Organized research units (ORUs) provide unusual opportunities for students and faculty to do basic and applied research in a variety of disciplines. The following ORUs operate outside of the established academic teaching departments at UCSB.

Note: Neither courses of instruction nor degree programs are offered through the organized research units. Additional information about the units is available from the Office of Research, Cheadle Hall 3227. Telephone: (805) 893-4188.

Center for Chicano Studies

The Center for Chicano Studies supports and conducts interdisciplinary basic and applied research on the history, culture, and socioeconomic status of Chicanos/Latinos in the United States. Researchers from the social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and education engage a wide range of contemporary and historical social issues including identifying key barriers to employment, recovering systems of cultural production, examining community empowerment, analyzing immigration and settlement, oral traditions and legal disclosure. Each year the Center sponsors faculty work groups, collaborative research projects, lectures, symposia, and publications that reflect this set of concerns.

Developing research initiatives that strengthen the recruitment and retention of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates involved in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies are priorities. The Center, along with the Department of Chicano Studies, supports the unique and prestigious Luis Leal Endowed Chair in Chicano Studies. In addition, each year the Center recruits and supports a Visiting Research Scholar involved in cutting-edge research in Chicana/o Studies. Moreover, the Undergraduate Student Internship Program enhances the research skills of undergraduates interested in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies by providing stipends to work on faculty projects.

As the only organized research unit devoted to the study of Chicana/o and Latina/o populations, the Center is a resource to local community agencies, community leaders, state and national entities as well as to the local campus community. Thus, public service forms an integral part of the Center's educational mission. Website: research.ucsb.edu/ccs

Institute for Computational Earth Systems Science (ICESS)

The Institute for Computational Earth System Science (ICESS) provides an environment in which Earth system scientists can closely collaborate and perform computations not possible in many other research facilities. The focus is on research and research education in Earth system science, with an emphasis on processes governing the interactions of radiation and Earth.

Advances in computer and satellite technology, and the ability to model complex systems, have opened unprecedented opportunities to increase understanding of the Earth as an integrated system. ICESS is on the leading edge of Earth system science research and related computer and data processing technology. It is uniquely positioned to utilize extensive satellite capabilities from a variety of agencies and organizations.

The ICESS field of research spans the globe and provides unique research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students. The resources consist of state-of-the-art computing, an optical calibration laboratory, an electronics laboratory, a SeaSpace TeraScan satellite data receiver and image processing system, a mesoscale model forecasting winds and precipitation in real-time, comprehensive climate radiation data, and a variety of unique field equipment. The satellite receiver is used for the real-time acquisition of satellite data. This capability, in concert with the advanced networking facilities, makes current and historical satellite imagery electronically accessible at UCSB for both research and instruction.

Additional information can be found at: www.icess.ucsb.edu.

Institute for Crustal Studies

The Institute for Crustal Studies (ICS) fosters interdisciplinary research on the earth's crust and lithosphere, including both continental and marine realms. Because UCSB resides on a very active plate-tectonic margin, ICS is ideally situated to address problems related to deformation of the earth's surface, seismic and volcanic phenomena, the complex physics of the active solid-earth system, the stratigraphic record of sedimentologic responses to active tectonism, and the interactions among climate, surface processes, and tectonics that shape the skin of the earth. Located in the middle of a major fold-and-thrust belt and within the North American transform boundary, ICS offers an uncommon opportunity to observe, quantify, and model crustal and lithospheric processes. The remarkable diversity of geologic environments and the breadth of geologic history encompassed within Southern California provide a stimulating backdrop for innovative studies of earthquakes and seismology, tectonics and crustal structure, hazardous waste disposal, and tectonic geomorphology. New technical approaches to crustal studies are being explored through collaborative research projects between the university, government, and industry. ICS is enriched through interdisciplinary research activities involving faculty and students from the departments of biological sciences, engineering, geography, geological sciences, mathematics, and physics, and from the environmental studies program.

Information about the Institute is available online at www.crustal.ucsb.edu

Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (ISBER)

The Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (ISBER) conducts interdisciplinary basic and policy research, and offers research development support, on a wide spectrum of problems. ISBER provides an active program of research development in the social sciences and related areas. Investigators are from the social and behavioral sciences, the humanities and those sciences involved with environmental issues. Areas investigated range from the globalization of industry, archaeology in the Americas, how health care data are acquired and used in research, the economics of criminal justice and the linguistics of almost extinct modern languages, to the sociology of religion. A number of centers have been established to focus on specific areas of interest. These include the Center for Global Studies, East Asia Center, Center for Communication and Social Policy, Health Data Research Facility, Center for Advanced Study of Individual Differences, Center for Evolutionary Psychology, Benton Survey Research Laboratory, Center for Middle East Studies, Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science, Center for Information Technology and Society, Center for the Study of Religion, Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military, Center on Police Practices and Community, and the MesoAmerican Research Center. One of ISBER's principle objectives is to promote research which is focused on global issues. Website: www.isber.ucsb.edu.

Marine Science Institute (MSI)

The Marine Science Institute (MSI) ranks internationally as a leader in ocean research. MSI supports research projects involving faculty, students, and researchers spanning 14 academic disciplines. Much of MSI's impact arises from the unusual interdisciplinary research that the Institute fosters. Ecology mingles with geography, physics with geology, and chemistry with oceanography to expand our understanding of the ocean world. In addition, MSI takes a broad view of ocean science, looking at interconnections between ocean, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. MSI's faculty and professional researchers stand at the forefront of their fields, regularly redefining our current knowledge of marine science and policy.

The UCSB campus is situated on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean, one of only a handful of universities worldwide located directly on the coast. Surrounded by a rich diversity of coastal habitats, MSI serves as the focal point for ocean-related programs on this unique campus and offers unparalleled opportunities for undergraduate and graduate education. MSI consists of four centers of research activity: the Coastal Research Center, the Marine Biotechnology Center, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, the Ocean and Coastal Policy Center. In addition, MSI hosts two Long Term Ecological Research programs, one in Antarctica and the other examining linkages between coastal watersheds and kelp forests in the Santa Barbara Channel. MSI is also the regional headquarters for the management of seven University of California Reserve System reserve sites, which serve as natural laboratories for field research and teaching.

Information about the Institute is available online at www.msi.ucsb.edu.

Neuroscience Research Institute (NRI)

The Neuroscience Research Institute (NRI) is concerned with understanding the cellular and molecular principles underlying function of the nervous system. Its primary purpose is to further basic research of an interdisciplinary nature in cellular and molecular neuroscience. Areas of emphasis include research on vision, neurotrophic molecules and their receptors, the physiology and molecular organization of ion channels, neural development, the response of the central nervous system to injury, neurodegeneration and associated disorders, regenerative capacity of the nervous system, synaptic transmission, and neuropharmacology. The academic disciplines involved include cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, genetics, developmental biology, biopsychology, biophysics, and bioengineering. Two centers have been established within the NRI to focus specific areas: the Center for the Study of Macular Degeneration, and the Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders. Information about NRI and its centers, is available at nri.ucsb.edu.

Institute for Quantum Engineering, Science and Technology (iQUEST)

The Institute is an interdisciplinary research unit that brings together researchers covering the broad spectrum of work in quantum-level electronic, photonic and magnetic structures. iQUEST hosts the Center of Spintronics and Quantum Computation (CSQC), as well as the Center for Terahertz Science and Technology (CTST). Part of the work of iQUEST and CTST utilizes the unique capabilities of UCSB's Free Electron Laser. In addition to catalyzing research opportunities, and offering a rich environment for graduate students, iQUEST provides a number of educational opportunities for undergraduates and high school students.

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Digital Cultures Project

The Digital Cultures Project brings together faculty and graduate students from across the UC system who are actively engaged with the history and theory of new digital technologies and the ways in which they impact humanistic studies and the arts. The Multicampus Research Group sponsors five interrelated activities.

1. Each year there will be a public conference on a central topic in digital cultures, as well as a week-log summer institute consisting of a program of seminars and workshops followed by a public conference on a key topic.

2. Throughout the year a Web-based network serves as a discussion forum and resource library for participants.

3. The MRG provides a visiting research stipend to a faculty member or post-doctoral fellow enabling them to come to UCSB in order to do research in the area of digital cultures.

4. Each fall there is a separate conference organized and run by graduate students.

5. The proceedings of the institutes, conferences, and Web-based collaborations result in periodic casebook publications on the use of information technology in humanities research and teaching.

UC Digital Media Innovation Program

The DiMI Program is a matching grant program that partners California companies and UC researchers in research and education to advance digital media technologies. The DiMI Program also supports research that will accelerate the application of new digital media technologies to California needs. The DiMI Program produces new knowledge, technology innovations, and highly skilled people to sustain California's leadership. It is part of President Atkinson's Industry-University Cooperative Research Program, which accelerates UC contributions to the California economy. The DiMI Program has $3.5 million in annual funding, which will be matched at least dollar per dollar by private sponsors.

UC Linguistic Minority Research Institute (LMRI)

The UC Linguistic Minority Research Institute (UC LMRI) is a Multicampus Research Unit of the University of California headquartered at UC Santa Barbara. The Institute involves faculty and projects at all nine UC campuses. The LMRI was established to conduct research on the education of language minority students in the K-12 education sector with the long-range goal of improving these students' access to college. An emphasis is placed on collaborative research with schools and school systems. The major activities of the LMRI include sponsoring research projects; collaborating with schools and educational agencies; conducting annual meetings, research conferences, institutes, and lectures; disseminating information on language minorities in various ways including a quarterly newsletter, book publications, and an on-line information server with web services; and sponsoring professional development activities, which include coordinating a pre-doctoral fellowship program at UC campuses and hosting visiting scholars from all campuses in the UC system. The Institute is housed in South Hall, Room 4722. Telephone: (805) 893-2250. Facsimile: (805) 893-8673. E-mail: lmri@lmrinet.ucsb.edu. Website: lmrinet.ucsb.edu.

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Center for Black Studies

The Center for Black Studies conducts research on the social, historical, political, economic, and cultural meanings that have affected peoples of African heritage throughout the world. The center sponsors a visiting scholars and faculty development program; supports and disseminates faculty research; organizes and presents seminars, lectures, and symposia; and serves as a liaison between the campus and the Santa Barbara community. Website: omni.ucsb.edu/cbs.

Engineering Research Centers

Interdisciplinary Humanities Center

The Interdisciplinary Humanities Center was established in 1987 as part of the University of California's initiative to encourage humanities education and research in the university curriculum. The center promotes innovative forms of collaborative research and teaching, including projects that overlap traditional disciplines. Participants at the center include UCSB faculty and students, as well as distinguished visiting scholars from around the world. The Center invites members of the Santa Barbara community to participate in its conferences and lectures. It also hosts a monthly symposium in which members of the UCSB public engage in discussion with distinguished members of the UCSB faculty. The Center is housed on the sixth floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building. Telephone: (805) 893-3907. Facsimile: (805) 893-4336. Website: www.ihc.ucsb.edu.

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The University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS) was founded in 1965 to establish and maintain significant examples of California's diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems for university-level teaching, research, and public service. In addition, many of these sites act as bases for research in nearby natural areas and provide database, housing, and experimental facilities. The thirty-four reserves in the system are open to all qualified individuals and institutions for scholarly work in disciplines ranging from geology and environmental sciences to anthropology and art.

For more information on the NRS, contact the NRS campus office at 805-893-4127, or email donnam@msi.ucsb.edu, or visit the website at nrs.ucop.edu.

The Santa Barbara campus administers seven reserves: Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve, Coal Oil Point Reserve, K.S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve, Santa Cruz Island Reserve, Sedgwick Reserve, Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL) and Valentine Camp.

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Faculty in all colleges at UC Santa Barbara encourage students to work with them on research projects in their area of interest. A variety of scholarships and fellowships assist students in carrying out their research. For detailed information, see the appropriate college office.

Materials Research Laboratory Educational Outreach Program

• Lab internship opportunities for community college and UCSB undergraduates
• Collaborative K-12 initiatives with local teachers and administrators

City College Interns in Materials Research (CCIMR)
Approximately 10 students and 2 faculty from Santa Barbara City College participate in MRL research projects for 8 weeks each summer.

Research Interns in Science and Engineering (RISE)
Approximately 20 students from UCSB and other institutions work on research projects with MRL faculty and other UCSB researchers in summer and academic year internships.

Research Experience for Teachers
Coordinator: Dr. Fiona Goodchild

Research Experience for Teachers (RET)
MRL sponsors research experience for science teachers who spend six weeks during the summer working in research groups led by MRL researchers. The teachers also meet throughout the academic year to design ways of translating this research experience into classroom science curriculum.

Beyond the Classroom
Coordinator: Dr. Lynne Cavazos

The National Science Foundation funds a professional development project for science teachers, titled Beyond the Classroom. Science teachers from the tri-county area collaborate with scientists at MRL to create curricular materials that promote science instruction which integrates new technology and language skills. Beyond the Classroom sponsors a two-week summer institute as well as quarterly workshops where teachers report on classroom progress.

UCSB ScienceLine
Coordinator: Dr. Martina Michenfelder

UCSB ScienceLine is an "Ask a Scientist" website (www.scienceline.ucsb.edu) that links K-12 schools from Santa Barbara County to UCSB researchers. Students and teachers send science questions to ScienceLine and receive answers from UCSB professors and graduate students. The program is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Materials Research Laboratory.

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