RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS/43 A goal of the Center is to develop and maintain data bases and models which can be utilized to assist in the analysis of existing and proposed policy alternatives under a variety of potential future scenarios. Research and analyses are guided by the principle that better health care legislation and more effective and efficient health services delivery will result by anticipating the legal, administra- tive, economic, social, and ethical consequences of health policy changes. For information, write to Director, Center for Health Policy Research, Box J-177, J. Hillis Miller Health Science Center. INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION The Institute of Higher Education is an agency within the College of Education, responsible at the same time to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and is defined as a research and service agency of the University focused upon higher education. Operating under the Institute are several organizational structures:The Florida Community College Interinstitutional Research Council, a consortium of community colleges in Florida with focus upon institu- tional and system-wide research; the Community College Leadership Progam with a focus on developing and im- proving administrative leadership in community colleges; the State Leadership Program in Higher Education, a partnership program with Florida State University, for preparing and improving state agency staff personnel; and special projects of both research and service orientation which are assigned from time to time, often on a contract basis. Many advanced graduate students find research proj- ects of their own interests among the many activities of the IHE. For information, write the Director, Instituteof Higher Education, Norman Hall. CENTER FOR INFORMATION RESEARCH The Center (CIR) is responsible for directing, coordinat- ing, and conducting advanced studies and research ac- tivities in computer and information system sciences as they apply to multiple disciplines. The Center is staffed by scholars and scientists drawn from many academic disci- plines represented at the University. The interdisciplinary nature of the CIR creates a stimulating environment for basic and applied research to seek new insights into and optimal solutions to engineering, physical, biological, medical, management, environmental, and social prob- lems. The Center staff is concerned with solving timely and relevant problems by using modern computer tech- nology and the latest developments in information sci- ence. The Center's recent emphasis has been on com- puter-based advanced automation, knowledge engineer- ing, and machine intelligence. The primary functions of CIR are (1) to conduct research in developing the theory and techniques for the design of computer systems and software to solve contemporary problems created by knowledge explosion; (2) to develop advanced technology for the design of computer-based automation for factory and office operations; (3) to assist industry, as well as state and federal governments, in augmenting productivity via innovative applications of computer technology and intelligent machines; (4) to initiate and coordinate interdisciplinary attacks on com- plex technological, socioeconomic, and health prob- lems; and (5) to provide internship opportunities for graduate students in information science, computer tech- nology, production automation, knowledge engineering, and related areas. The research laboratories are equipped with a PDP 11/ 40 computer system, a VAX 11/750 computer system, an Optronics P-1000 precision microdensitometer, a video camera, a DeAnza IP 5000 image array processor and high resolution color display, the Graphic I interactive graphics system, a pictorial data acquisition computer (PIDAC), a CDC mass storage system, and a Trilog Color Printer/Plotter. In addition, the Center maintains a large software library representing many years of research and applications in the areas of pattern recognition, image processing, database management, knowledge transfer, robotics, and CAD/CAM. Center-development knowledge-based systems include the intelligent information retrieval system, Telebrows- ing, the Medical Knowledge System (MEDIKS), the Uni- versal Image Processing System (UNIPS), the Agricultural Productivity Improvement Knowledge System (APRIKS), the Computer-Aided Document Examiner (CADE), the CIR Knowledge Utilization System (CIRKUS), the Auto- mated Reading of Drawings System (AUTORED), and the Visual Recognition System (VIREC). The significant soft- ware resources of the Center allow researchers to develop new applications with the minimum software develop- ment effort. The Center sponsors the International Symposia on Computer and Information Science (COINS Symposia); cooperates with other University units in organizing and conducting conferences, seminars, short courses, and developmental programs in information science, ma- chine intelligence, advanced automation; and supports publication of scholarly books, monograph series, and an international journal on computer and information sci- ence. Graduate student support is provided through research assistantships at all levels of graduate study. Inquiries about the various programs and activities of the CIR should be addressed tothe Director, Dr. JuliusTou, Cenrter for Information Research, 339 Larsen Hall. CENTER FOR MACROMOLECULAR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING The Center is developing unified research and teaching programs, drawing its members from the Departments of Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, and Physics. Current research includes synthetic polymer chemistry, mechanism of po- lymerization studies, solution and solid state properties of polymers, biological applications of polymers, and lim- ited studies on industrial applications of polymers. For in- formation, write the Director, Center for Macromolecular Science and Engineering, 404 Space Sciences Research Building. MANAGEMENT CENTER Established in 1977, The Management Center provides advanced and continuing management education. Semi- nars and programs sponsored by The Management Center are geared toward a range of institutions including pri- vate, public, and nonprofit organizations in the United States. In addition toofferinggeneral management courses that are attended by participants from a variety of busi- nesses and corporations, The Management Center also works directly with private firms and state agencies pro- viding training tlhat is specifically designed to meet the needs of the contracting organization.