PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION CLEARING SERVICE The Clearing Service is a research and service ad- junct of the Department of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It carries on a continuous program of research in public adminis- tration, political behavior, and public policy in Flor- ida; publishes research studies and surveys of admin- istrative and political problems in both scientific and popular monograph form; and publishes annually a Civic Information Series for assistance to citizen groups in their study of current issues in the state. For information, write the Dire4tor, Public Administration Clearing Service 3326 General Purpose Building A. PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH CENTER The Public Policy Research Center (PPRC) at the University of Florida was established in 1975 to sup- port scholarly research on government involvement in the private sector of the market. PPRC has focused on alternative ways policymakers might approach looming economic problems and on a search for solu- tions that recognize the fundamentals of decision- making with respect to economic structure at both micro and macro levels. PPRC is an interdisciplinary research center in the College of Business Administration at the University of Florida. PUBLIC UTILITY RESEARCH CENTER Florida's Public Utility Research Center (PURC) was organized in the Spring of 1972. Its sponsors include public utility company executives, university pro- fessors and administrators, and the Florida Public Service Commission. PURC's primary goals and objec- tives are 1. to increase student and faculty awareness of the utility industry and its problems, 2. to undertake research designed to help solve prob- lems faced by the energy and communication in- dustries, and 3. to train students for employment by utility com- panies and regulatory authorities. PURC seeks to accomplish these goals by providing student fellowships and assistantships, by supporting faculty research, by holding conferences and semi- nars to discuss both major policy issues and current faculty research, and by serving as a contact point be- tween business, government, and the academic com- munity. The research conducted is disseminated in working papers, journals, and books, as well as in professional meetings and governmental hearings. Major areas of interest include measurement of the cost of capital, fi- nancing utility construction programs, the restructur- ing of the telecommunications industry, telephone measured service pricing, optimal electric rate struc- tures, and other timely issues which are important to utility companies, consumers, and regulators. Contact the Executive Director, Public Utility Re- search Center, 102 Bryan Hall, for information. REAL ESTATE RESEARCH CENTER The Real Estate Research Center was established in 1973 to facilitate the study of business and economic problems related to real estate. Faculty members in INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CENTERS / 41 the field of real estate serve as the core staff members of the Center, with research assistance provided by several graduate students. Faculty members in other departments and colleges participate in projects re- quiring multi-disciplinary inputs. Graduate students also conduct their own research for theses and dis- sertations in the Center. The Center also sponsors or cosponsors a number of continuing education programs in real estate each year. Courses and seminars typically are presented in the areas of mortgage banking, financial institutions, real estate appraisal, and real estate investment analy- sis. Most of these courses and seminars are open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students in real estate at the University of Florida. Many types of research projects are conducted in the Center. They range from economic and social is- sues in land use planning to analysis of the manage- rial process and rates of return in various types of real estate businesses and properties. The Center has de- veloped textual materials for organizations such as the Florida Real Estate Commission and the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers. Contract research projects in the Center have been sponsored and funded by such organizations as vari- ous agencies of the Florida state government, city governments, the Florida Real Estate Commission, and the Society of Real Estate Appraisers Foundation. CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN MINING AND MINERAL RESOURCES To rheet the future demand for mineral resources which is critically dependent on the availability of low grade complex ores, both the federal and the state governments have committed themselves to de- veloping the necessary technology for processing of such ores. As a result, an interdisciplinary Center for Research in Mining and Mineral Resources was estab- lished-in the College of Engineering under the juris- diction of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Recently, the research activities of the Center have been augmented with an educational program in mineral processing. The major objective of these twin activities is to investigate specific problems through application of basic scientific principles and to provide the skilled personnel needed by the min- eral industries. The current emphasis in research is on processing of low grade phosphate ores, waste dis- posal problems in the phosphate industry, processing of energy minerals such as coal and oil shale, fine par- ticle processing, applied surface and colloid chemistry and hydrometallurgy. These programs are truly in- terdisciplinary and involve scientists and engineers from such additional departments as Chemical Engi- neering, Environmental Engineering Sciences, Soil Sci- ence, Geology, and Chemistry. For further informa- tion contact Dr. Brij M. Moudgil, Director, Center for Research in Mining and Mineral Resources, 161 Rhines Hall. CENTER FOR SENSORY STUDIES Sensory studies deal with those systems which pro- vide an organism with information about its environ- ment. Traditionally, these topics range from vision and hearing to biological clocks and homing activity. Sensory studies at the University of Florida provide a special opportunity to the talented student because