May 07, 2010 –
Burke, center, and graduate researchers
From the onset, those who called CALIT2 home knew that when their project’s funding ended, so too did their residency. Space in the building is assigned by project, not by department, and groups aligned with CALIT2’s research interests are given top consideration. After opening the doors five years ago, it was time to bid adieu to some and welcome in others.
On the first floor, the computational biology research group moved out of the wet lab and was replaced by a team of nanoengineering researchers led by professor Peter Burke. The group is developing a next-generation lab-on-a-chip device to study cellular metabolism and programmed cell death, two important fundamental processes linked to many conditions and diseases including aging, diabetes and cancer. The research bridges nanotechnology and cell biology at the molecular level. They are teaming with professor Doug Wallace, who directs the UCI Center for Molecular and Mitochondrial Medicine and Genetics. If the project is successful, the nanochip will enable researchers to probe the fundamental connection between electricity and bio-chemistry in individual sub-cellular organelles.
To accomplish their goals, the research team needed a complete suite of molecular biology tools together with advanced, state-of-the art nanofabrication facilities and expertise.
“Thanks to CALIT2, we now have in one common setting access to state-of-the art lab space to work on wet-lab projects such as cell culturing and DNA sequencing, as well as nanoprobes to interrogate the electrical properties of these membranes,” said Tae-Sun Lim, the lead graduate student researcher working with Burke.
The group started moving equipment into the lab earlier this year and began their collaboration in March when the project received funding from the National Institute of Health.
Space, and a lot of it, drew a project from UCI’s Center for Computer Games & Virtual Worlds into the second-floor, 4,000-square-foot Wireless Sensor Lab. The OutRun project is a mixed-reality game platform that blends the physical world with a virtual environment by combining a classic arcade driving game with a real-world vehicle. Postdoctoral researcher Garnet Hertz is developing the cabinet-car with support from Walt Scacchi, director of research for the game center.
“It’s an example of a concept car of the future that draws on technologies from a diverse collection of organizations and designers,” Scacchi explained.
The TEC Center staff occupies a suite on the third floor.
CRITO resides on the fourth floor.
As the user drives the OutRun vehicle, the screen in front of him displays a version of the actual physical environment around him but rendered in the style of an early-80s, 8-bit video game. The car, which is expected to be completed by early next fall, allows the user to “play” an augmented reality game while traveling in the real world.
Added Hertz, “The OutRun project is envisioned as one of several large format mixed-reality systems we develop in our new CALIT2 lab space.”
Last October, the Technology, Engineering and Computing (TEC) Business Center set up shop in a third-floor suite. The center represents a new administrative partnership between CALIT2 and the schools of engineering, and information and computer sciences. The center provides pre- and post-award contract and grant financial services support for researchers. Four financial analysts from each school comprise the center’s staff which is managed by engineering school finance director Katherine Gallardo. In the TEC Business Center service model, every principal investigator is assigned an analyst to handle all of his/her needs.
“The sheer volume of information that we need to have access to and the differences in procedures from one unit to the next can make it challenging at times for the TEC staff. However, those dynamics are transparent to the faculty and researchers and often makes it easier for them because they have a single analyst to work with on all of their awards,” Gallardo explained.
The center was formed in the midst of campus-wide budgetary reductions and consolidation efforts. In an announcement released by Rafael Bras, dean of engineering, the administrative reorganization was necessary “to establish a more efficient and cost-effective means to conduct business.”
Added Gallardo: “We are thrilled that CALIT2 was able to provide space for this groundbreaking endeavor. The administrative partnership between the two schools and CALIT2 is truly unique, and we hope that all units will benefit from the collaboration, providing a solid foundation of support for research activities.”
Hertz and the OutRun project
When funding came to a close for Project ResCUE last fall, the building’s top floor became home to UCI’s Center for Research on Information Technology & Organizations (CRITO). The organized research unit is one of the world’s leading think tanks on the impact of information technology on organizations and society.
Researchers focus on the management of information systems, the IT-enabled enterprise, community-based technologies and IT industry studies.
CRITO has been conducting academic and applied research for more than two decades. The center’s investigators come from various disciplines on campus and work closely with CALIT2.
“We are delighted to be located in the CALIT2 building,” said Vijay Gurbaxani, CRITO director. “Our vision is to conduct multi-disciplinary research on important issues at the intersection of IT and business and society. While IT does allow researchers to collaborate across boundaries and geographies, our presence (in the building) enables us to learn firsthand about the exciting technology research under way at CALIT2 and to develop new partnerships with world-class academics.”
Twice a month in CALIT2’s seminar room 3008, the center holds a popular lunchtime speaker series, “CRITO Hour.” The free, informative program includes lunch and starts with a brief presentation followed by questions and discussion. Check the events calendar at www.CALIT2.uci.edu to learn about future talks.
— Shellie Nazarenus
