Argonne forges closer ties with state universities

released April 19, 2005

The University of Chicago has established a new Science Policy Council in collaboration with Northwestern University and the University of Illinois that will oversee the scientific mission of Argonne National Laboratory. The Council is expected to enhance Argonne's scientific capabilities, strengthen the state's technological base and workforce preparation, and improve Illinois' ability to receive federal research funding.

The University of Chicago will continue as the sole manager of the laboratory for the Department of Energy, but the presidents and a senior administrator from both Northwestern and Illinois will join Argonne's Board of Governors. The presidents of Northwestern, Illinois, and the University of Chicago will serve as members of the executive and nominating committees of the Argonne Board, helping recruit prominent new members to the board from industry, academia, and the national laboratory system.

According to vice-chancellor for research Charles Zukoski, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will use its council participation to build on its existing ties to Argonne in such areas as transportation research, biology, and high-energy physics, and its use of the Advanced Photon Source, which is the Western Hemisphere's most powerful source of X-rays.

Rosenbaum explained that establishing the council is a response to the evolving climate for scientific funding, in which greater emphasis is being placed on research that is supported by researchers at more than one institution.

The new Science Policy Council's responsibilities will focus on guiding the interactions and scientific directions of Argonne and its Illinois academic partners. It will address such issues as joint appointments, student and faculty access, and the development of new scientific directions for Argonne. Membership of the new Science Policy Council will consist of the vice presidents for research from the University of Chicago and Northwestern, the vice chancellors for research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the director of Argonne National Laboratory. The Science Policy Council has been approved by the Argonne Board of Governors and the University of Chicago Board of Trustees.

 

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