Academic Planning Report of the
Engineering and Natural Sciences Subcommittee
Scope of this Report
Academic planning questionnaire responses were received from all academic
departments in the College of Engineering and Applied Science and from the five basic
science departments of the College of Letters and Science. In addition, responses were
received from all research centers with strong affiliations from these departments. Table
1 lists the departments covered by this report. Furthermore, additional materials were
submitted by the Deans of the two colleges.
TABLE 1 Departments and Centers Covered by the Subcommittee
School or College
Department or Center
College of Engineering and Applied
Civil Engineering and Mechanics
Science
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Materials
Mechanical Engineering
Center for Alternative Fuels
Center for Byproducts Utilization
Center for Decision Systems and Artificial
Intelligence
Center for Urban Transportation Studies
Multimedia Software Laboratory
College Letters and Science
Biological Sciences
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Geosciences
Mathematical Sciences
Physics
School of Freshwater Science
Freshwater Science
Inter-College
Laboratory for Surface Studies
WATER Institute
Computer Science is treated separately from Electrical Engineering, even though they are
housed within the same department, because they administer a distinct set of degree
programs. Other departments with multiple degree tracks include Mathematical Sciences
(which houses Atmospheric Science and Actuarial Science), Chemistry and
Biochemistry, and Biological Sciences (which houses Microbiology). In addition,
Biological Sciences administers the interdisciplinary major in Conservation and
Environmental Science.
Major Findings
Research
Growth in research in the engineering and the basics sciences will occur largely in
interdisciplinary areas. Analysis of the responses from departments indicates that there
are projected to be no less than 23 distinct interdisciplinary areas. The formation of
interdisciplinary areas is a highly dynamic process. These themes are listed in Appendix
I, which indicates some broad groupings for related thematic areas.
The emphasis on interdisciplinary research means that we anticipate intense
collaborations between faculty members in different departments. Most interdisciplinary
themes involve only faculty from engineering, basic sciences and health sciences.
Projected interactions are sporadic with other departments in the arts, social sciences,
humanities and the other professions. There are a just few key recurring external
research partners, most notably the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Degree Programs
The approval process for new degree programs will require some time, but numerous
graduate and undergraduate degree programs are under consideration. It is likely that
many of these proposals will see implementation within the next 10 years.
Proposals are being developed for 26 new graduate programs or new areas of
concentration within existing graduate programs. Many of these proposals reflect
emerging interdisciplinary themes and involve faculty that cross departmental
boundaries. Proposals for new graduate degrees or areas of concentration are coming
largely from the sciences. These graduate program proposals are listed in Appendix I,
section VII.
Proposals for new undergraduate programs are, for the most part, a broadening of what
departments are already doing. In many cases, these programs combine parts of two or
more well-established disciplines. Again, proposals for new undergraduate degrees are
coming largely from the sciences. These undergraduate program proposals are listed in
Appendix I, section VII. Overall, departments do not expect undergraduate programs to
grow as much as their graduate programs.
Students take service courses to meet their degree and general education requirements
from departments outside their major. These courses are concentrated in the L&S science
departments and CEAS’ Computer Science program. Within the engineering and science
programs, students take considerable courses from the other departments within this
group.
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Infrastructure, Space and Facilities
Space for science and engineering on the Kenwood Campus is essentially at capacity
with many residual needs. Only Biological Sciences and Geosciences have acquired
recently updated facilities. All other departments are occupying buildings that are
essentially unchanged since the 1970’s or earlier. Any amount of growth, even in the
short term, will require additional space. Effective growth will require space that meets
contemporary standards and is adaptable.
The need for improvements to the research infrastructure will be driven by the anticipated
increase in the number of the faculty in engineering and science disciplines, and the
development of interdisciplinary research. Recent plans for cluster hires suggest that
approximately 80 new faculty positions will be added to engineering and the basic
sciences over the next 10 years. These faculty members should be about evenly divided
between CEAS and L&S. In addition, normal attrition and retirement will bring new
faculty members with new research needs. There will be a clear and pressing need for
improving the research space and facilities across the entire engineering and science
spectrum, particularly in the new interdisciplinary research areas. Also, all departments
report future needs for additional technical and administrative support.
The growth of faculty and degree programs will put pressure on educational resources.
The anticipated growth of undergraduate and graduate students will require additional
general purpose classrooms, computer-mediated classrooms and space for informal
interaction, amenities, and conferencing.
Recommendations
UWM should include in its physical planning space for 80 new faculty members in the
basic sciences and engineering. Additional space is needed for their research teams and
20 new support personnel. In addition, research space for existing faculty (and their
replacements) will also need updating and expansion.
Research space should be designed for flexibility over the long term. Ideally, all new
laboratories should have minimum specifications for most scientific applications,
including adequate electrical power, water, ventilation, sound and vibration isolation,
dust control, security, safe storage areas, IT support, etc. Some specialized laboratories
will be necessary. Shared laboratories should be encouraged; however, designs should
recognize that some research activities are fundamentally incompatible with most other
research or that some research activities need to be isolated for environmental, safety or
security reasons.
Space is needed for additional general-purpose classrooms of various sizes, seminar
rooms, instructional laboratories, conference rooms and gathering areas. All new
classrooms and seminar rooms should be equipped with state-of-the-art information
technology, including the capability for originating and receiving distance learning. All
seminar rooms should have full multimedia capability as well as video conferencing.
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Existing classrooms, seminar rooms and laboratories on the Kenwood campus need
similar upgrading.
Cooperation is necessary between the three colleges with a science focus (Letters and
Sciences, Health Sciences, Engineering and Applied Science) to assure that space readily
flows to the research areas that need it the most and that interdisciplinary areas receive
equitable treatment in the allocation of space.
Given the anticipated growth of interdisciplinary programs, administrative structures
need to be created or old structures adapted to facilitate these programs. These structures
should involve mentoring of younger faculty, effective joint appointments, and adequate
rewards. Cross-college cooperation is essential. Furthermore, efforts must be made to
develop a culture that accepts and encourages interdisciplinary research.
The basic sciences and engineering departments are now all within a few hundred feet of
each other, which fosters collaboration. The health sciences are somewhat farther away.
Possible plans for separating engineering from the basics sciences, physically, need to
address how collaboration can still be maintained and encouraged. Plans to move some
health sciences from the Kenwood campus must also deal with the possible impacts on
interdisciplinary collaboration with engineering and the basic sciences.
Any plans for moving engineering from the Kenwood campus must deal with how
engineering students can conveniently obtain service courses and how the general student
population can obtain computer science instruction.
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Appendix I
Engineering and Basic Sciences
Interdisciplinary Themes and
Major Disciplinary Initiatives
I. Biomedical
1. Medical Informatics
A. Business Administration (I)
B. Center for Urban Population Health
C. Communication Sciences and Disorders (I)
D. Computer Science (I)
E. Health Sciences (I)
F. Information Studies (I)
G. Mathematical Sciences (I)
H. Medical College of Wisconsin (E)
I. Nursing (I)
J. Occupational Therapy (I)
K. Public Health (I)
2. Biomechanics
A. Civil Engineering and Mechanics (I)
B. Clinical Laboratory Sciences (I)
C. Communication Sciences and Disorders (I)
D. Educational Psychology (I)
E. Human Movement Sciences (I)
F. Medical College of Wisconsin (E)
G. Occupational Therapy/R2D2 (I)
H. Psychology (I)
3. Biomaterials/Eco-materials
A. Chemistry (I)
B. Civil Engineering and Mechanics (I)
C. Materials (I)
D. Medical College of Wisconsin (E)
E. Biological Sciences (I)
4. Drug Development
A. Biological Sciences (I)
B. Chemistry (I)
C. Electrical Engineering (I)
D. Health Sciences (I)
E. Medical College of Wisconsin (E)
F. Pharmacy/Pharmacology (proposal) (I)
G. Psychology (I)
H. School of Social Welfare (I)
I. WATER Institute/School of Freshwater Sciences (I)
5. Biotechnology and Microbiology
A. Biological Sciences (I)
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B. Chemistry (I)
C. Civil Engineering and Mechanics (I)
D. Physics
6. Ergonomics
A. Froedert Memorial Hospital (E)
B. GE Healthcare (E)
C. Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (I)
D. Mechanical Engineering (I)
E. Medical College of Wisconsin (E)
F. Nursing (I)
G. Occupation Therapy (I)
H. Physics (I)
I. Public Health (I)
J. Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental
Health (E)
7. Imaging
A. Biological Sciences (I)
B. Clinical Transitional Science Initiative/Medical College of
Wisconsin (E)
C. Computer Science (I)
D. Decision Systems and AI Laboratory (I)
E. Electrical Engineering (I)
F. GE Healthcare (E)
G. Mathematical Sciences (I)
H. Medical College of Wisconsin (E)
I. Physics (I)
J. University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (E)
K. Zablocki VA Medical Center (E)
II. Environmental
1. Freshwater/Ecology/Natural Systems
A. Architecture (I)
B. Biological Sciences (I)
C. Center for Urban Initiatives and Research (I)
D. Civil Engineering and Mechanics (I)
E. Freshwater Science/WATER Institute (I)
F. Geography (I)
G. Geosciences (I)
H. NIEHS MFBS Center (I)
I. Mathematical Sciences (I)
J. Social Science Departments (I)
K. Physics (I)
L. US Geological Survey (E)
2. Climate Change
A. Architecture (I)
B. Atmospheric Sciences (I)
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C. Center for Bi-products Utilization (I)
D. Civil Engineering (I)
E. Geography (I)
F. Geosciences (I)
G. Urban Planning (I)
H. US Geological Survey (E)
I. WATER/School of Freshwater Sciences (I)
3. Energy and Power Generation
A. Electrical Engineering (I)
B. Mechanical Engineering (I)
III. Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Science
1. Software Design/Engineering
A. Business Administration (I)
B. Computer Science (I)
C. Decision Systems and AI Laboratory (I)
D. English (I)
E. Information Studies (I)
2. Devices/Sensors/Automation/Robotics
A. Computer Science (I)
B. Electrical Engineering (I)
C. Mechanical Engineering (I)
3. Nanotech/Surface Studies
A. Chemistry (I)
B. Electrical Engineering
C. Laboratory for Surface Science (I)
D. Materials Engineering (I)
E. Mechanical Engineering (I)
F. Physics (I)
4. Green Manufacturing/Construction
A. Business Administration (I)
B. Civil Engineering (I)
C. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (I)
D. Industrial and Manufacturing (I)
E. Materials Engineering (I)
F. Mechanical Engineering (I)
5. Fabrication
A. Architecture (I)
B. Electrical Engineering (I)
C. Industrial and Manufacturing (I)
D. Materials Engineering (I)
E. Mechanical Engineering (I)
6. Advanced Materials/Polymers
A. Chemistry (I)
B. Civil Engineering and Mechanics (I)
C. Electrical Engineering (I)
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D. Materials Engineering (I)
E. Mechanical Engineering (I)
IV. Other Inter-departmental
1. Biophysics
A. Biological Sciences (I)
B. Physics (I)
2. Neuroscience
A. Biological Sciences (I)
B. Clinical Transitional Science Initiative/Medical College of
Wisconsin (E)
C. Human Movement Science (I)
D. Psychology (I)
E. (Also see Imaging)
3. Computer Graphics
A. Arts (I)
B. Computer Science (I)
C. Multimedia Software Laboratory (I)
4. Transportation/Logistics
A. Business Administration (I)
B. Center for Urban Transportation Studies (I)
C. Civil Engineering (I)
D. Industrial Engineering (I)
E. Urban Planning (I)
5. Actuarial Science
A. Business Administration (I)
B. Mathematical Sciences (I)
6. Security
A. Computer Science (I)
B. Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (I)
7. Science Education
A. All Sciences (I)
B. Education (I)
V. Major Disciplinary Initiatives
1. Information Technology in the Developing World (Information Studies)
2. Integrative Systems Biology (Biological Sciences)
3. Undergraduate Research Program (Most CEAS, science depts)
4. Center for Advanced Molecular Sciences (Physics)
5. Astronomy/Astroparticle Physics
6. More Areas of Concentration for Materials
VI. Existing Degree Programs Ramping Up
1. Health Informatics PhD
VII. New Degree Programs
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1. Graduate (new programs or new areas of concentration with existing
programs or interdisciplinary)
A. Aquatic Biology MS
B. Aquatic Resources and Coastal Zone Management PhD
C. Astronomy/Astroparticle Physics MS
D. Atmospheric Sciences PhD and MS
E. Biochemistry PhD
F. Biomedical Engineering (Area of concentration) MS and PhD
G. Biotechnology MS
H. Chemical Education MS
I. Computational Biology Area for Medical Informatics PhD
J. Computer Forensics MS (10 years hence)
K. Conservation Biology MS
L. Conservation Biology MS
M. Dual BS/MS Computer Science Degree
N. Dual MS/BS Programs in Engineering and Computer Science
(CEAS)
O. Energy Engineering (area of concentration, MS)
P. Evolutionary Biology PhD
Q. Math Education MS
R. Medical Physics MS
S. Medical Physics MS
T. Microbial Biotechnology PhD
U. Nanotechnology, MS and PhD
V. Neuroscience PhD
W. Polymer Science, MS and PhD
X. Quantitative Biology MS
Y. Quantitative Risk Management MS (Mathematics)
Z. Renewable Energy, Green Manufacturing, and Advanced
Sensors (10 years hence)
AA. Statistics PhD and MS
2. Undergraduate
A. Applied Math
B. Software Engineering
C. Quantitative Biology
D. Conservation/Environmental/Ecology (now an interdisciplinary
program)
E. Certified Biochemistry
F. Environmental Chemistry
G. Industrial Chemistry
H. Materials Chemistry
I. Chemical Physics
J. Applied Math and Computer Science
K. Biological Mathematics
L. Astronomy/Astroparticle Physics
M. Basic Energy Sciences
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N. Quantum Computing
O. Biophysics
3. Certificate
A. Computer Networks
B. Computer Security and Forensics
C. Electronics Intrumentation
4. Minor
A. Actuarial
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