Currently under development at Northwestern
University, IVI (International Virtual Institute) is a cyber-infrastructure
designed to enhance global collaborations in research and education. The
conceptual design is based on the layout of a university campus, complete
with campus buildings in cyberspace that can be accessed virtually from
anywhere in the world. On this virtual campus, each building has a special
topical area, e.g., Nanotechnology,
Energy, and the Environment. Likewise, each floor has a focused function,
e.g., Global
Research Gallery, Information Resource Library, Conferencing Facilities,
and Personal Offices (Calendar, Conferencing and File Sharing facilities
with user ID and login passwords).
In offering these tools, the IVI will meet the need to
harness the energy and participation of other institutions in the materials
science community. To this end, it will partner with the International
Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS), a worldwide consortium
of materials research societies and technical groups that regularly holds
meetings and symposia around the world to fulfill its mission of promoting
worldwide interdisciplinary materials science research. |
