99-02-19: RAPID CHANGE CREATES NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY Note: This is the last in a series examining the Virginia 2020 planning commissions as they begin their work. In previous issues, we profiled the commissions on the Fine and Performing Arts and International Activities (Jan. 22), and on Public Service and Outreach (Feb. 12). This week: the Science and Technology Commission. By Dan Heuchert Top U.Va. science and technology achievements in 2020 may come in a field that does not even exist in 1999. Scientific and technological fields are changing rapidly, and change brings opportunity, said Anita Jones, who chairs both the Engineering School's Computer Science Department and the new Science and Technology Commission. "We have to grapple with what makes sense for the University to take advantage of that change," she said. "We need to look at new opportunities, and also to look at continuing activities of excellence." That means making tough choices, Jones acknowledged. "It is tough, in that we are going to have to stake out some areas and recommend some investments, and we can't invest in everything." One important consideration, she said, is identifying fields in which research can enhance the instruction of both graduate and undergraduate students. "We have to use education and research in a leveraged way, in which research informs education, and the educational experience is made richer by the proximity and involvement of students in research," she said. Many of the newest opportunities lie in multidisciplinary fields, and that can create its own difficulties, she said. The structure of U.Va., like most universities, is built upon discipline-based departments, which can make cross-disciplinary work an administrative challenge. One of the commission's tasks will be to examine other institutions that either are currently making strides in technology and the sciences or are attempting to do so, in an effort to see how they are addressing these and other issues, she said. Resources are a vital consideration. While excellence in a given field generally draws research grants, there is a need for up-front investment in facilities to expand the University's capacity to accommodate new projects. "We have more ideas than we have space," Jones said. "There is a need for lab expansion in a lot of areas." Funding the research is another matter. The University received $168 million in external funds last year for research, with $111 million from federal sources. Determining which research areas will draw future investment is crucial, she said. Partnerships with private industry were the next-largest source of external funding, and represent another area of growth opportunity. The involvement of for-profit entities in University research "is still an ongoing debate" between academia's desires to develop knowledge and industryıs profit motive, Jones acknowledged. The commission is meeting every other Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., with plans to seek input from faculty, students, alumni and central administration, she said. By the end of the semester, they hope to have a document that sets the foundational principles upon which their strategy is ultimately built. Jones hopes to have that strategy completed in 18 months to two years, she said. Science and Technology Planning Commission Members Chair: Anita Jones, University Professor of Computer Science, Department of Computer Science, Engineering School David Allis, Byrd Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Janis Antonovics, Professor, Department of Biology John Bean, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering Donald Brown, Chair of Systems Engineering, Department of Engineering Suzanne Farnsworth, Undergraduate, Engineering School Ariel Gomez, Professor, Department of Pediatrics Ian Harrison, Professor, Department of Chemistry ohn Herr, Director of Contraceptive Vaccine Center, School of Medicine George Hornberger, Ernest H. Ern Professor, Department of Environmental Science Jack Hudson, Wills Johnson Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering Stephanie Johnson, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Environmental Science Robert Jones, Associate Professor, Department of Physics Richard Merrill, Daniel Caplin Professor of Law, School of Law Karen Parshall, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and History Sally Parsons, Professor, Department of Microbiology Dennis Proffitt, Professor, Department of Psychology Thomas Skalak, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering Kevin Sullivan, Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering and Computer Science Ex Officio Members Gene Block, Vice President for Research and Public Service Erik Hewlett, Associate Dean for Research, School of Medicine, Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, Dean's Office, School of Medicine Richard Sundberg, Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Professor, Department of Chemistry Haydn Wadley, Professor of Materials Science, Dean's Office, School of Engineering and Applied Science President's Office Staff Liaison: Amy Cronin, Assistant to the President Note: The Public Service Commission, whose roster was published last week,will also include as-yet-unnamed undergraduate and graduate student representatives.