Issues for Science and Engineering Researchers in the Digital Age by National Research Council

Author:National Research Council
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science : Past and Future
Publisher: NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Published: 2001-04-19T16:00:00+00:00

LOCAL (INSTITUTIONAL) INFRASTRUCTURE

Research institutions (colleges and universities, departments, and research laboratories) are responsible for local infrastructure (such as campus networks and libraries, personal computing resources for students, faculty, and staff, and access to specialized resources such as supercomputers or virtual reality environments). Academic departments generally provide instruments and facilities for research, and control their use. Overall, information technology to support faculty, students, and staff often involves 10 percent of the annual operating budget of a university.

But beyond the financial challenge is the challenge of providing the sophisticated computing environments that many young researchers demand. Information technology has become a strategic investment for universities, critical to the vitality of their academic missions and administrative services. The great diversity of researchers’ needs will require an equally diverse network infrastructure. Some humanists will need access to digital libraries and graphics processing. Some scientists and engineers will need massively parallel processing. Social scientists will need the capacity to manage massive databases, e.g., data warehouses and data mining technology. Artists, architects, and musicians will require multimedia technology. Business and financial operations will need fast data processing, robust communications, and high security. Emerging areas of research will place their own demands on the university infrastructure.

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