Research Centers and Units

Agricultural Experiment Station

Clarence Watson, associate vice president
AFLS 214
479-575-8703

Agricultural Experiment Station website

The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, a statewide unit of the UA Division of Agriculture, conducts scientific research on the dynamic biological, environmental, economic, and social systems involved in the production, processing, marketing, and utilization of food and fiber, community development, and family studies.

The experiment station, with a faculty of approximately 200 doctoral-level scientists, is an essential part of the research and technology infrastructure that supports Arkansas agriculture and the food and fiber sector.

Experiment station research is conducted in agricultural and environmental sciences, marketing and economics, social issues affecting families and rural communities, nutrition, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, and other dynamic scientific disciplines.

Many faculty in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences conduct research in the experimental station. The result is a wealth of opportunity for students to study and work with some of the nation’s most respected scientists. Graduate students work on master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation research projects as part of a team of experiment station scientists in modern laboratories, greenhouses, and field research facilities.

The mission of the Division of Agriculture, through the combined efforts of the Experiment Station and Extension Service, is to provide new knowledge to strengthen the state’s food and fiber sector; assure a safe food supply; conserve natural resources and protect the environment; and assist in the economic and social development of communities, families, and individuals, particularly in the rural areas of the state.

Arkansas Archeological Survey

George Sabo, director
ARAS 147
479-575-6375
arkarch@uark.edu

Arkansas Archeological Survey website

The Arkansas Archeological Survey is a research and public service organization charged by the legislature with statewide responsibility for conserving and investigating the state’s archeological heritage and with making information on this rich heritage available to all.

To this end it has an extensive publication and public relations program. With a staff of 40 (approximately half of whom are professional archeologists), it is recognized as one of the most effective state-supported archeological research organizations in the country. The survey’s coordinating office on the Fayetteville campus consists of the director, the state archeologist, computer services, editorial, graphics, and other support staff. There are also several research archeologists who carry out archeological investigations under contracts as required by law to protect the state’s archeological resources.

There are station archeologists at all 10 research stations around the state, including the Fayetteville campus, who are available for graduate guidance. The survey works closely with the university’s Department of Anthropology in training students, cooperates with the state historic preservation officer and other state and federal agencies, and trains and assists citizen groups interested in archeological conservation.

Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences

William Oliver, director
MUSE 202
479-575-7625
csaps@uark.edu

Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences website

The Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences is a research institute of the University of Arkansas, created by faculty from six departments, including Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Electrical Engineering, Geosciences, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics. Those departments, representing the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering, work closely with the Graduate School and the Honors College.

The center operates world-class research facilities and cutting-edge research projects. It houses the only university-based, large-scale planetary simulation chamber in the country along with major facilities for the analysis of extraterrestrial samples. Major research interests include the analysis of returned samples from space, the nature of Mars, and instrumentation for use in space. The center also operates a number of programs of interest to the university community, grade school teachers and students, and the public.

The space center administers master’s and doctoral degree programs in space and planetary science. These provide a unique integrative interdisciplinary education and research training based on a suite of core courses spread across the departments and specialist courses appropriate to the student’s specific interests. Professional development in communications, ethics and space policy is also included. Such training gives graduates a competitive edge in today’s space and planetary job market.

Additionally, the Departments of Biological Sciences, Geosciences and Physics offer space and planetary science as an option in their own graduate programs. Admission procedures are outlined on the space center Web site along with detailed information about the programs, the research areas, and current research projects.

Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

David Krementz, unit leader
SCEN 632
479-575-6709
coopunit@uark.edu

Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit website

The Coop Unit is a cooperative venture among the U.S. Geological Survey, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the University of Arkansas Department of Biological Sciences, and the Wildlife Management Institute. The Arkansas Coop Unit was established in 1988 and is part of a network of cooperative fish and wildlife research units that exist in 43 state and land-grant colleges across the United States. The purpose of the Coop Unit program is to conduct applied and basic wildlife and fish research, to train graduate students in research and management methods, and to participate in graduate education and technical assistance. The three unit personnel are federal employees stationed on the University of Arkansas campus.

Arkansas High Performance Computing Center

Jeff Pummill, Director Strategic Initiatives and User Services
479-575-4590

David Chaffin, Director Computing Systems
479-575-7769

Arkansas High Performance Computing Center website

The Arkansas High Performance Computing Center is a campus wide provider of supercomputing resources for teaching and research by students and faculty. For nearly a decade, the university has strongly supported high-performance computing as a tool for enabling scientific discovery and making researchers more productive. With support from the university, the National Science Foundation and the state of Arkansas, the center has fielded two Top500 supercomputers and currently offers ~13,000 compute cores  making it among the largest and most capable academic systems in the world. As Computational Science is often regarded as the Third Leg of Science along with Experimental and Theoretical Science, the role AHPCC plays in enabling research on our campus is paramount to enabling this effort. Staff members of the Arkansas High Performance Computing Center support a broad range of research programs in computational condensed matter physics, computational chemistry, nanotechnology and materials science, bioinformatics, astrophysics, and geospatial image analysis. The center also provides education and training in computational science, parallel programming and high-performance computer operations to provide both tools and skills needed in computationally intensive research.

Arkansas Water Resources Center

Brian E. Haggard, director
479-575-4403
awrc@uark.edu

Arkansas Water Resources Center website

The Arkansas Water Resources Center, a unit of the Division of Agriculture, was established by Public Law in 1964. The Center utilizes scientific personnel and facilities of all campuses of the University of Arkansas System (and other Arkansas colleges and universities) in maintaining a water resources research program. The center supports specific research projects throughout Arkansas, which often provide research training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and it disseminates information on water resources via publications and conferences. The center works closely with federal, state, municipal, educational, and other public groups concerned with water resources in development of its research, training, and dissemination programs.

Bessie Boehm Moore Center for Economic Education

Rita Littrell, director
WJWH 540
479-575-2855

Bessie Boehm Moore Center for Economic Education website

The Bessie Boehm Moore Center for Economic Education, established in 1978 and located in the Walton College of Business, promotes an understanding of the American economy among the people of Arkansas. Its major efforts are directed to elementary and secondary school children. The center’s faculty and staff hold workshops and seminars for public school teachers, conduct research in economic education, develop instructional materials, maintain a lending library, and sponsor adult economic educational programs for business, labor, industry, and the general community. In recent years, center personnel have been involved in educating teachers in transitional or developing economies about market economics. The center is officially certified by the Arkansas Council on Economic Education and the National Council on Economic Education.

Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies

Jackson Cothren, director
J.B. Hunt Center for Academic Excellence, Room 304
479-575-6159
cast@uark.edu

Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies website

The Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) focuses on application of geospatial technologies in research, teaching, and service. These technologies include geomatics, GIS, GPS, remote sensing, photogrammetry, geospatial software and systems design, interoperability, and large (multi-terabyte) geospatial databases.

Established in 1991, CAST is a unit of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. CAST has a campus-wide focus, working with the departments of anthropology; architecture; crop, soil, and environmental science; biology; bioengineering; civil and industrial engineering; geosciences; entomology; and landscape architecture. Other related partners include the Environmental Dynamics Program, the Arkansas Water Resources Center, Mullins Library, and the Arkansas Archeological Survey.

CAST has been selected as a Center of Excellence by many corporations, including the Intergraph Corporation, Trimble Navigation Inc., the Oracle Corporation, Definiens Imaging, Sun Microsystems, Spatial Acquis, and PCI Geomatics. These and other corporate sponsors have provided more than $22 million of in-kind support of the research teaching facilities of the center. The center has extensive hardware and software capabilities, including more than 100 high-performance workstations, multiple Linux, Windows XP and Solaris servers (combined seven terabyte of on-line disk), large-format plotters, mapping and survey-grade GPS, MSS instruments, spectroradiometers, terrestrial laser scanners, and an extensive inventory of software.

University of Arkansas undergraduate and graduate students have a wide range of geomatics courses available to them that utilize CAST faculties and laboratories. These courses, taken along with related courses in cartography, remote sensing, image interpretation, photogrammetry, surveying, and spatial statistics, provide the student with a range of career options. In addition to classroom instruction, CAST facilities are used by students in both undergraduate and graduate research projects. The internship program in Applied Spatial Information Technologies offers students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in geospatial technologies.

CAST staff are engaged in research projects in a wide range of areas. A few recent research projects focused on areas such as the creation of a seamless, on-line spatial data warehouse; K-12 GIS education; soil survey by remote sensing; land-use/land-cover identification; remote sensing for historic resources; natural resources wetlands analyses; multi-sensor remote sensing for historic resources; and predicting red oak borer populations.

Center for Arkansas and Regional Studies

Robert Cochran, director
MAIN 506
479-575-7708

rcochran@uark.edu

Center for Arkansas and Regional Studies website

A multidisciplinary agency within the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Arkansas and Regional Studies encourages research, publication, and dissemination of knowledge about life and culture in Arkansas and the surrounding region. The center administers the interdisciplinary major in American Studies and sponsors lectures, seminars, conferences, radio programs, and international student exchanges. The center also produces workshops and audio and video documentary recordings, and works with Mullins Library to locate and collect Arkansiana and other regional materials.

Center for Business and Economic Research

Kathy Deck, director
WJWH 545
479-575-4151
cber@uark.edu 

Center for Business and Economic Research website

The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) is a public service/outreach center and a student-faculty research center. An integral part of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, CBER conducts externally sponsored research for local and state government, as well as the state business community. The staff responds daily to requests for state and local economic and demographic data.

In addition to conducting externally funded research, CBER maintains several electronic database libraries of economic and financial information to serve the needs of students and faculty. Examples of organizations with which CBER has been involved include the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Beverly Enterprises Inc., Mercury Energy, and the Arkansas Research and Technology Park planning group.

CBER publishes the Arkansas Business and Economic Review, a quarterly business and economics journal, which is dedicated to providing information about Arkansas’ business and economic environment. The review covers state, regional, and national business and economic issues. It includes state and regional economic indices relating to personal income, industrial output, employment, population, and other factors. 

Center for Communication and Media Research

Robert H. Wicks, director
KIMP 417
479-575-3046
rwicks@uark.edu

Center for Communication and Media Research website

The Center for Communication and Media Research (CCMR) advances knowledge and supports scholarly and applied inquiry into the study of interpersonal, group, organizational, and media communication. The center sponsors outreach programs designed to help under-served populations, educational institutions, media companies, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

Multidisciplinary in nature, the center facilitates scholarship among allied disciplines such as journalism, law, business, political science, psychology, sociology, and computer science. Research topics include communication and advertising, dispute resolution, education, environmental concerns, family, health, information technology, legal concerns, life stages, media audiences, organizational concerns, politics, and religion.

Center for Children and Youth

Chris Goering, director
PEAH 305
479-575-4209
cgoering@uark.edu

Center for Children and Youth website

The Center for Children and Youth is designed to address issues of intellectual growth, social development, literacy, the arts, and techniques for addressing generational or regional poverty issues. This will be accomplished through teacher professional development, pre-service education, research, as well as curriculum development and dissemination. The center was established by a generous gift of the Windgate Family Foundation in 2006 to the College of Education and Health Professions.

In 2010, the Center for Children and Youth hosted a national conference in Springdale, Ark., focused on the confluence of literacy and the arts. The conference featured speakers from the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Temple University, the National Council of Teachers of English, and local experts on arts integration approaches to teaching. Later in 2010, Dr. Chris Goering in the Curriculum and Instruction Department was appointed as the center’s first director. E-mail Dr. Goering or call him at 479-575-4209.

Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution

Manuel D. Rossetti, CELDi Director
BELL 4164
479-575-6756

Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution website

The Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution (CELDi) is a multi-university, multidisciplinary, National Science Foundation sponsored Industry/University Cooperative Research Center located in the Department of Industrial Engineering. CELDi emerged in 2001 from The Logistics Institute (1994) to provide integrated solutions to logistics problems, through research related to modeling, analysis, and intelligent-systems technologies. Research endeavors are driven and sponsored by representatives from a broad range of member organizations, including manufacturing, maintenance, distribution, transportation, information technology, and consulting. Partner universities include the University of Missouri, Clemson University, Virginia Tech and UC Berkeley. This partnership among academic institutions and industry represents the effective integration of private and public sectors to enhance a U.S. competitive edge in the global market place.

CELDi helps industry partners excel by leveraging their supply chain to achieve a distinguishable, sustainable difference. Member companies realize a measurable return on their investment by creating competitive value chains in terms of cost and service quality. Through basic research, collaborative applied research with industry, technology transfer, and education, CELDi is a catalyst for developing the engineering logistics methodology necessary for logistics value chain optimization.

Center for Executive Education

Bill Murphey
Associate Director of Executive Education
WJWH 310

479-575-3331

cmed@walton.uark.edu

Center for Executive Education website

The Center for Executive Education in the Sam M. Walton College of Business provides executive and middle management training opportunities designed to enhance quality in leadership, management decision making, and human resource skills and abilities for corporate and public clients. Programs provide training for implementation of current acceptable practices and approaches to problem solving that support progressive management achievements. Programs are custom designed for individual clients, or they are designed in modular fashion from several pre-prepared programs to meet the general leadership needs of organizations and include such topics as customer service, leadership, team development, total quality and continuous improvement, and personal skills development. The center serves local, national, and multinational businesses. The center operates on a fee-for-service basis, and its activities are supported from fee based revenues. It also provides directive support for Arkansas manufacturers who seek to produce and market products for the mass market and for its retailers through the Support Arkansas Made program. Support Arkansas Made assists manufacturers in the evaluation of new products and product ideas based upon marketable criteria.

Center for Information Security and Reliability

Brajendra Panda, director
JBHT 504
479-575-2067
bpanda@uark.edu

Center for Information Security and Reliability website

The center was established to promote education and research in the field of computer security and information assurance at University of Arkansas. The activities of this center includes, but not limited to the following: fostering multidisciplinary research, securing large-scale funding from federal, state, and other funding agencies, providing education and training to future work-force, increasing awareness in the field of information security and reliability by offering appropriate seminars and workshops.

Center for Mathematics and Science Education

Lynne Hehr, director
346 N. West Avenue, No. 102
479-575-3875

Center for Mathematics and Science Education website

The Center for Mathematics and Science Education (CMASE) – a University of Arkansas K-16 education outreach facility within the College of Education and Health Professions – works in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Higher Education as part of a network of twelve mathematics and science centers on university and college campuses around Arkansas. The main objectives of the center are to:

1. Provide science, mathematics and technology professional development for K-16 pre-service and in-service teachers;
2. Assist in statewide K-16 education initiatives;
3. Coordinate regionally beneficial grant-funded programs among universities and colleges for K-16 education;
4. Provide science, mathematics and technology educational materials, resources, and information to the K-16 community; and
5. Link common K-16 education allies throughout the state.

University Day, Science/Engineering Fairs, Springfest, and various K-16 teacher and student programs are conducted through CMASE. Day-to-day educational outreach information is sent to local, regional, and statewide constituencies through the Center’s Web site and various e-mail listservs. CMASE is a host site for the federally sponsored Eisenhower National Clearinghouse and the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory Consortium. CMASE also serves as the Arkansas National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Educator Resource Center, responsible for warehousing and disseminating NASA materials and providing regular updates on NASA programs and materials to the state.

Web pages specifically designed to provide a wealth of material resources and information available for public, private and home-school educators across the state can be accessed at the Web site.

Center for Protein Structure and Function

Frank Millett, director
CHEM 119
479-575-4999

millett@uark.edu

Center for Protein Structure and Function website

The Center for Protein Structure and Function is an interdisciplinary unit for research and teaching within the departments of chemistry/biochemistry and biological sciences in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. The center raises funds from federal, state, and private sources and sponsors faculty- and student-initiated basic research on the folded structures of protein molecules, their dynamic properties, and their diverse functions in biological systems. The center has been awarded funding from the National Science Foundation, the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, and the National Institutes of Health.

Center for Retailing Excellence

Claudia B. Mobley, director
WJWH 538
479-575-2643

Center for Retailing Excellence website

The Center for Retailing Excellence in the Sam M. Walton College of Business promotes superior performance in retail practice through both research and education programs. Through its efforts, the center promotes student interest in and preparation for careers in retailing and closely related businesses. The center works to develop strategic alliances between business academics and industry by focusing on interdisciplinary issues and concerns of retailers and vendors in both its activities and research programs. By means of its initiatives and support, the center stimulates research that advances knowledge of retailing and addresses problems faced by retailing organizations and vendor firms. The Center for Retailing Excellence provides a range of benefits for constituent groups comprised of students, retail organizations and their suppliers, and faculty researchers.

Center for Social Research

Casey Harris 
Co-Director
Address: MAIN 220
Phone: 479-575-3206
Email: caseyh@uark.edu

Patricia Herzog
Co-Director
Address: MAIN 218
Phone: 479-575-3779
Email: herzog@uark.edu

Since 1982 the Center for Social Research has provided research services to government agencies, communities and businesses. Located in the Department of Sociology, the center can conduct survey and public opinion research, impact assessment, evaluation and policy assessment. The center’s staff can provide assistance with research methodology and design, sampling, data collection and analysis.

The center’s professional staff has vast experience in virtually every aspect of social research. In addition, the center’s resources include computer-assisted telephone interviewing facilities; extensive archival data holdings, including online access to the archival holdings of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research at the University of Michigan; and, in-house statistical analysis.

For more information, contact Director William Schwab at 479-575-3206.

Center for Statistical Research and Consulting

Joon Jin Song, director
SCEN 309B
479-575-6319
csrc@uark.edu

The Center for Statistical Research and Consulting will be a service and research unit of UA, administratively housed in Department of Mathematical Sciences, providing faculty and graduate students in the university with an environment for collaboration in research and instruction emphasizing statistical / quantitative approaches. It offers statistical consulting and statistical software support to faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students conducting research at UA. The center will extend this statistical support to the State of Arkansas, directly providing some consulting services but primarily acting as a conduit for industry, government, and non-profit organizations to engage campus faculty and graduate students in consulting opportunities. The community support activities from the center will stimulate and enhance campus research and instructional efforts as well as provide important services to organizations throughout the region.

The mission of the Center for Statistical Research and Consulting is to participate in research to provide high quality statistical input to high quality research projects, train statisticians to interact effectively with investigators from other disciplines, and encourage collaborative research between statisticians and investigators from other disciplines.

The center is a fee-for-service unit. The initial consulting meeting with a client is provided at no cost. All subsequent and follow-up visits will require financial support.

Center for the Utilization of Rehabilitation Resources 

for Education, Networking, Training and Services

Robin Freeman, director
121 Cedar St.
Hot Springs, AR 71901
501-623-7700

CURRENTS website

Established in 1974, this center provides human resource and organization development services for a broad audience in the rehabilitation and disability communities. Projects managed by CURRENTS vary in scope from state and local to regional and national levels. The center is housed on the campus of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Center of Excellence for Poultry Science

Michael Kidd, director
POSC 114
479-575-3699

Center of Excellence for Poultry Science website

With designation by the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees to make poultry science a center of excellence in the state’s university system, the department of poultry science became a reality in 1992.

The Center of Excellence for Poultry Science (CEPS) is comprised of full-time poultry science faculty members, full-time USDA/ARS Poultry Research Group faculty members, graduate assistants, adjunct faculty, and poultry science departmental staff. CEPS receives multidisciplinary contributions from several university departments including animal science; biological and agricultural engineering; biological sciences; crop, soil, and environmental sciences; entomology; food science; industrial engineering; the School of Human and Environmental Sciences; and the UALR College of Pharmacy.

The Department of Poultry Science and the research group are housed in the John W. Tyson Building, which is a 112,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art laboratory and office complex that was completed the fall of 1995 on the UA campus. In addition to the John W. Tyson Building on the main campus, CEPS comprises the following facilities:

• FDA-licensed feed mill;
• 10,000-square-foot processing plant used for teaching processing techniques and for ongoing food safety research projects;
• 12,000-square-foot John Kirkpatrick Skeeles Poultry Health Laboratory, which holds the highest bio-safety rating (P3) available in the country;
• A poultry research farm facility including hatchery, genetics unit, pullet-rearing facility, battery brooder, caged layer house, broiler breeder houses and turkey houses;
• Four full-sized broiler houses equipped with computerized environmental control and data collection systems capable of commercial-type production research; and
• A broiler breeder research facility that includes two full-size broiler breeder houses, a pullet-rearing facility, and quality assurance building with offices, classroom, and egg holding capacity.

Chemical Hazards Research Center

Jerry Havens, director
BELL 3157
479-575-3857
jhavens@uark.edu

Chemical Hazards Research Center website

The Chemical Hazards Research Center determines the consequences of atmospheric release of potentially hazardous materials with a present emphasis on liquefied natural gas in transportation and storage operations. Computational models are used in conjunction with the wind tunnel at the center, which is presently the largest low-speed wind tunnel suited for such studies.

The Community and Family Institute

Kevin Fitzpatrick, director
MAIN 211
479-575-3777
kfitzpa@uark.edu

Community and Family Institute website

The Community and Family Institute is a joint effort of the University of Arkansas and the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families in Springdale, Arkansas. The institute is a multidisciplinary research center in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences that conducts basic and applied research, as well as policy-related studies on the critical issues facing families and communities in the region and the nation. The institute raises funds from federal, state, and private sources and sponsors applied research by faculty and students on the family and the community.

David and Barbara Pryor Center for

Arkansas Oral and Visual History

Kris Katrosh, director
MULN 403
479-575-6829

Pryor Center website

The mission of the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History is to document Arkansas’ rich history by collecting the “living memories” of those who have been witness to various aspects of the state’s past. Using traditional oral history methodology, the center interviews individuals, transcribes those interviews, and deposits them with the Special Collection’s Division of the University of Arkansas Mullins Library. The center is responsible for preserving these memories and making them available to scholars and researchers interested in the culture and heritage of Arkansas. The center is located in Mullins Library, Room 403, 365 N. McIlroy Ave., University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701; to contact the center, call 479-575-6829, or visit the website.

Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society

Angie Maxwell, director
Address: MAIN 428
Phone: 479-575-3356

amax@uark.edu

Blair Center website

The Blair Center, located in the Department of Political Science, is dedicated to fostering political scholarship, public service, civic consciousness, and the study of Southern politics, history and culture. The center supports graduate students studying topics relevant to the South and hosts conferences and periodic speakers discussing issues relevant to Southern politics and society.

Garrison Financial Institute

Wayne Lee, executive director
Business Building 302
479-575-4399

Garrison Financial Institute website

The Garrison Financial Institute is an institute organized within the Sam M. Walton College of Business to advance financial education and knowledge through practice. Its mission is to enhance student learning through experience, foster research that extends and perfects best practices, and contribute to the economic development of the State of Arkansas and the welfare of its citizens. The center was founded in 2005.

Garvan Woodland Gardens

Bob Byers, garden director
550 Arkridge Road, PO Box 22240
Hot Springs National Park, AR 71913
1-800-366-4664
gardeninfo@garvangardens.org

Garvan Woodland Gardens website

Garvan Woodland Gardens is the botanical garden of the University of Arkansas, established in 1993 by an endowment from Mrs. Verna C. Garvan. Her vision is the foundation of the Garden’s mission to serve the public and provide teaching and research opportunities for the Department of Landscape Architecture and the Fay Jones School of Architecture.

As early as 1985, the Department of Landscape Architecture was utilizing portions of the 210 acres on Lake Hamilton, in Hot Springs, AR, as a resource to teach local ecology and design principles. Teaching opportunities continue in these areas and currently feature urban forestry, wetland ecology, construction methods and materials, design implementation, and horticulture. Numerous designed features offer case studies for landscape architecture and architecture students as well as professionals, including the Asiatic Garden by David Slawson, a nationally recognized Japanese garden designer, and the Verna C. Garvan Pavilion, by internationally recognized architects Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings.

Research opportunities lie in wetland ecology and constructed wetland design, sustainable design, and therapeutic gardens. Ongoing public programs feature workshops on gardening techniques, bonsai collections, and perennials.

An annual symposium focuses on timely issues affecting the quality of life of people in Arkansas and the nation. Past topics include historic landscape preservation practice in Arkansas and sustainable golf course design.

Garvan Woodland Gardens is a member of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.

High Density Electronics Center

David Huitink, director
HiDEC/ENRC 700
479-575-6263

HiDEC website

The High Density Electronics Center (HiDEC) was established in 1991 as an interdisciplinary research program in advanced electronic packaging technologies, particularly the rapidly developing technology of multichip modules (MCMs), which allow electronic systems to be small, fast, and cheap.

With generous support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a large clean room was constructed, and an MCM fabrication facility, unique among universities, was installed. Current research programs focus on 3-D electronic packaging, high density laminate substrates, co-fired ceramic substrates for wireless applications, high temperature superconducting (HTSC) tunable filters, micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), and integrated passives development. The program is located in the Department of Electrical Engineering but involves faculty from six departments and more than 25 graduate students. Continuing funding comes from DARPA and several industrial sponsors. Significant national recognition has resulted from work performed at HiDEC.

HiDEC also houses the Center of Excellence for Nano-, micro-, and Neuro-Electronics, Sensors and Systems (CENNESS).

Human Performance Laboratory

Matt Ganio, director
HPER 321
479-575-2956

Human Performance Laboratory website

The Human Performance Laboratory in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation and Dance has a dual-purpose mission: educational outreach and research programs for targeted populations. The program is committed to the pursuit of knowledge about the health and well-being of people through research, research dissemination, outreach, and service. Known for an emphasis on fitness, the program provides an opportunity for faculty and students to conduct ongoing research and service programs.

Information Technology Research Institute

Eric Bradford, managing director
JBHT 409
479-575-4261

Information Technology Research Institute website

The Information Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is an interdisciplinary unit for research within the Sam M. Walton College of Business. The mission of the ITRI is to advance the state of research and practice in the development and use of information technology for enhancing the performance of individuals and organizations; provide a forum for multi-disciplinary work on issues related to information technology; promote student interest in the study of information technology; and facilitate the exchange of information between the academic and business communities. The ITRI was established by a grant from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering

Gregory Salamo, director
NANO 104
479-575-4187

Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering website

The Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering is based in the Nanoscale Material Science and Engineering Building, opened in 2011 with the state-of-the-art equipment and clean rooms necessary for building materials one atom at a time. The institute provides an interdisciplinary team of researchers in the fields of physics, engineering, chemistry and biology whose mission, in part, is to develop businesses in Arkansas based on nanoscience and engineering.

Institute of Food Science and Engineering

Jean-Francois Meullenet, director
Food Science Building
2650 N. Young Ave.
Fayetteville, AR 72704
479-575-4040

Institute of Food Science and Engineering website

The Institute of Food Science and Engineering and its three technology centers grew from the commitment of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture to finding creative ways to bring its expertise and resources to bear on specific problems and issues that affect productivity and growth in the food processing industry, with the mission of strengthening that critical component of the agricultural sector and the entire economy.

The institute assists industry by fostering cooperative, multidisciplinary efforts that provide research to solve problems, technology transfer to put new information to work, and education in skills needed by specific industries. Alliances between the institute and private industry devise solutions to identified problems. This demand-driven approach assures a direct, positive impact on the value-added processing of food products.

The Center for Food Processing and Engineering’s primary objective is to facilitate research leading to value-added products and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the processing of agricultural products. Activities of the Center for Food Safety and Quality seek to maintain or improve the safety of foods through production, harvest, processing, distribution, and storage. The main thrust of the Center for Human Nutrition is to develop new value-added functional foods with elevated levels of health-promoting compounds and ways to motivate people to include generous amounts of these foods in their daily diets. These efforts will assure food safety and improve the sensory and nutritional quality of food to meet the nutritional requirements and food preferences of a changing society.

The offices of the Institute of Food Science and Engineering are located in the Food Science Building at the Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

International Studies

Laurence Hare, director
MAIN 416
479-575-5890

International Studies website

An interdisciplinary unit within the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the International Studies encourages student and faculty research and scholarly analysis of foreign policy and international affairs. The program sponsors instructional activities, conferences, seminars, public events, and publications, including a major spring symposium on a significant topic in international affairs.

International Center for the Study of

Early Asian and Middle Eastern Musics

Rembrandt Wolpert, director
MUSC 201
479-575-5897
ceam@uark.edu

The International Center for the Study of Early Asian and Middle Eastern Musics, established in 2000, is a research center located in the Department of Music in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

The center coordinates the international Tang Music Project and is linked with the Ancient Asian Music Preservation Project of the Library of Congress, a partnership that includes internships at the Library as well as an acquisitions program. The center also functions as the base for graduate training in historical ethnomusicology and related fields, specifically tailored toward early documented repertories of ritual- and art-music and present day performance practices in historically significant musical traditions of Asia and the Middle East. The recovery of early Asian musics and the design of music-centered algorithms and their implementation in computer programs are central aspects of the center’s research and teaching activities. The center works closely with both the Department of Music and the King Fahd Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies in sponsoring lectures, seminars, concerts, and workshops, and it collaborates in developing international ties to other institutions and in promoting student and performing-artist exchanges. For more information, contact Elizabeth Markham or Rembrandt Wolpert at 479-575-4702.

King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies

MAIN 202
479-575-2175

King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies website

The King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies is an academic and research unit in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. It is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental area studies center that offers diverse cultural, intellectual, and educational opportunities for the University of Arkansas community. Its functions include the promotion of research and teaching in interdisciplinary Middle East studies and global Islamic studies.

Through the King Fahd Middle East Studies Program (MEST), the center offers an undergraduate major in Middle East Studies and supports graduate studies in Middle East-related departments and programs. Middle East studies majors of superior ability may apply for MEST scholarships to help fund their studies. The center also supports summer language study and research assistantships for graduate students and teaching and research by visiting scholars from affiliated universities and programs.

Through its core faculty, the center coordinates with university departments to offer a full range of Middle East courses, supports faculty research in Middle East and Islamic studies, engages in outreach activities, and supports an ambitious program of visiting speakers and workshops. The King Fahd Center currently maintains relationships with universities in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Russia. The center also cooperates with the Aga Khan Humanities Program in Central Asia, the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Elijah Center for the Study of Wisdom in World Religions in Jerusalem.

Mack-Blackwell National Transportation Study Center

Heather Nachtmann, director
BELL 4184
479-575-3484

Mack-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Study Center website

The University of Arkansas is home to the Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center.  This center was originally established by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide educational opportunities and conduct research in the area of rural transportation. Additional support has been received from the Arkansas Department of Transportation Department.

The broad objective of the center is to improve the quality of life through transportation. Mack-Blackwell was also a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Transportation Center of Excellence consortium and conducts research in infrastructure resiliency.  Particular focus was paid to inland waterway security challenges that focused on protection against adversarial attacks on commodity flows and the impacts of hardening strategic infrastructure assets. Operations research techniques, identical to those applicable cyber operation and infrastructure protection, have been used in the form of mathematical models, simulation tools and economic analysis.

The educational objective of the center is to provide graduates qualified to enter the transportation-related professions with the diversity of backgrounds needed to lead transportation development in the 21stcentury. While housed in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas, numerous disciplines related to or impacted by transportation participate in the center’s research and educational activities, such as cybersecurity in transportation.

The center is currently home to a U.S. Department of Transportation Tier 1 University Transportation Center, MarTREC.   Under MAP-21, MarTREC supported economic competitiveness through efficient, resilient, and sustainable maritime and multimodal transportation systems. MarTREC, through $4.2M in continued funding under the FAST Act, is working to preserve the Nation’s transportation system through efficient, resilient, and sustainable maritime and multimodal logistics and infrastructure.

National Agricultural Law Center

Harrison Pittman, director
FDSC B1
479-575-7646
nataglaw@uark.edu

National Agricultural Law Center website

The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information and is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.  Created in 1987, the center fulfills its mission by conducting and sponsoring objective and authoritative agricultural and food law research and by providing bibliographic and other resources on agricultural and food law.

The center works closely with a diverse range of public and private sector stakeholders throughout Arkansas and the nation. The center is the only institution of its kind in the United States and has received national recognition. Publications and research assistance are available in print and through the website.

National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission

Alan Mantooth, executive director
2055 South Innovation Way
479-575-4838

National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission website

The National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) in the College of Engineering is located in a new building at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park. The Center seeks to research and develop prototypes of advanced power electronics systems for applications in the power grid, including both protection and storage devices.

The Center also serves as a test facility for advanced power electronic circuit and package designs for distribution-level voltages and high currents. The Center is a unique educational resource for students interested in working in the power utility and power electronics sectors.

National Office of Research,

Measurement, and Evaluation Systems

Sean Mulvenon, director
WAAX 302
479-575-5593
orme@cavern.uark.edu

National Office of Research, Measurement, and Evaluation Systems website

The Office of Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, organized in 1998, is a research and service unit in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Its mission includes the analysis and dissemination of data to facilitate school improvement and reform in Arkansas. The faculty and staff of the office offer expertise in the areas of educational statistics, test and measurement theory, research design, standardized assessment, program evaluation, and policy analysis. The mission of the office is to conduct targeted educational research, drawing on the talents of faculty from several disciplines. The research conducted through the office addresses significant issues affecting the educators and students of the public schools of the state.

Office for Studies on Aging

Michelle Gray and Barbara Shadden, co-directors
HPER 321X
479-575-5262
aging@uark.edu

Office for Studies on Aging website

The Office for Studies on Aging in the College of Education and Health Professions was established in August 1999 to coordinate the resources of the university in addressing the needs of the aging population in Arkansas and beyond. The office was developed to be the center for research and study of the physical, social, and psychological aspects of the aging process drawing on a host of disciplines across campus. The office conducts research, provides services, and acts as an interface between the university and the variety of service modalities for the aging population. Initial efforts of the office are directed toward a variety of issues facing older Americans to provide meaningful solutions so that the process of aging is a positive experience, both emotionally and physically.

Small Business and Technology Development Center

Larry Brian, director
RCED 205
479-575-5148

Small Business and Technology Development Center website

The Walton College Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) is part of a national network of more than 1,000 small business development centers (SBDC) that provide small business training seminars, as well as free market research and consulting services from three full-time business consultants to startup and existing small businesses. The Arkansas system also provides the services of a free innovation and technology consultant for the state. The Walton College ASBTDC operates as a regional office of the ASBTDC half funded by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Walton College located in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development. The state ASBTDC system serves all of Arkansas through UALR's Little Rock-based lead center and six regional offices located on college campuses throughout the state of Arkansas. Any for-profit small business intending to locate or currently located within the Walton College ASBTDC service area may receive free assistance. This center serves the following counties: Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Newton, Searcy, and Washington.

Speech and Hearing Clinic

606 N Razorback Road
479-575-4509

Speech and Hearing Clinic website

The Speech and Hearing Clinic in the College of Education and Health Professions in the Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders provides evaluation, treatment, on-site consultation in schools and homes, and small group therapy services. The clinic offers evaluation and treatment for children and adults in the areas of hearing loss, central auditory processing, articulation, fluency, voice, language, augmentative and alternative communication, swallowing, and spoken English for foreign speakers. These services are provided by graduate students in the program under the direct supervision of audiologists and speech-language pathologists on the program faculty. It continues to expand its reputation as a regional center for services in augmentative communications and assistive technology.

Statewide Mass Spectrometry Facility

Jackson O. Lay, Jr., director
Address: CHEM
Phone: 479-575-5840
Email: jlay@uark.edu

Statewide Mass Spectrometry Facility website

The University of Arkansas Statewide Mass Spectrometry Facility is a state-of-the-art mass spectrometry resource established in 1999 through a combination of National Science Foundation and state funding. Its charge is to provide sophisticated mass spectrometry support for academic, government, and industrial researchers within Arkansas and nationally.

Supply Chain Management Research Center

WJWH 538

(479)-575-6026

 

Supply Chain Management Research Center website

The Supply Chain Management Research Center (SCMRC) at the Sam M. Walton College of Business sponsors and promotes supply chain, logistics, and transportation research and education. Center faculty view the supply chain as the channel that integrates business processes from suppliers through end users, providing value-added products, services, and information. Supply chain management incorporates both inter- and intra-company logistics, transportation, and management systems.

The center undertakes research and training in all aspects of the supply chain. It has sponsored research on VMI, trained salespersons and developed MRP systems, and simulated supply chains for logistics executives. The SCMRC has a broad range of interests and capabilities and has close ties to and cooperative programs within the Walton College (e.g., Center for Retail Excellence, Information Technology Research Center) and with other centers at the university (e.g., The Logistics Institute in the College of Engineering). The SCMRC is unique in that its capabilities span the technical and managerial arenas of supply chain management.

The SCMRC’s Board of Directors includes representatives of firms such as ABF Freight Systems, American Freightways, Colgate-Palmolive, Federal Express, J.B. Hunt Transport, Pillsbury, Sunbeam, Tyson Foods, Unilever HPC, and Wal-Mart. The Board of Directors, along with notable supply chain professionals from business and academia, meet annually to discuss the state of the art in supply chain management and to provide advice and direction for the center.

For additional information about the Supply Chain Management Research Center at the Sam M. Walton College of Business contact the center at 479-575-6026.

Terrorism Research Center

Brent L. Smith, director
MAIN 228
479-575-3401
bls@uark.edu

Terrorism Research Center website

The Terrorism Research Center in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences houses the American Terrorism Study, the nation’s only comprehensive longitudinal database on American terrorism. Conducted in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and sponsored by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, the American Terrorism Study provides a record of federal terrorism cases resulting from indictment under an FBI “terrorism enterprise” investigation from 1980 to the present. The center is also engaged in several projects examining the spatial and temporal dimensions of terrorism, precursor and preparatory terrorist crimes, and prosecutorial and defense strategies in terrorism trials. The center’s research is funded by the Department of Homeland Security through the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and the Department of Justice through the National Institute of Justice.

Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace

WJWH 518
479-575-3721
DHarris@walton.uark.edu

Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace website

The center’s vision is to be recognized as an international center networked with other international centers, where students, academics, practitioners, business leaders and faith leaders come together to understand the effects of faith and spirituality in the workplace and develop methodologies to help transform organizations in a way that has a positive impact on the world. The center teaches courses on faith and spirituality in the workplace, provides resources to businesses and community, and maintains a database of relevant research, including conducting its own case studies.

The Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace was established by a grant from Tyson Foods Inc. and the Tyson Family Foundation in 2009.

University of Arkansas Community Design Center

Stephen Luoni, director
104 N. East Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72701
uacdc@uark.edu

U of A Community Design Center website

The mission of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center is to advance creative development in Arkansas through education, research, and design solutions that enhance the physical environment. As an outreach center of the Fay Jones School of Architecture, UACDC is developing a repertoire of new design methodologies applicable to community development issues in Arkansas, with currency at the national level. UACDC design solutions introduce a multiple bottom line, integrating social and environmental measures into economic development. Integrative design solutions add long-term value and offer collateral benefits related to sustained economic capacity, enhanced ecologies, and improved public health. The design center also offers hands-on civic design experience to students who work under the direction of design professionals. UACDC was founded in 1995 and has provided design and planning services to more than 30 communities across Arkansas. UACDC planning has helped Arkansas communities and organizations to secure nearly $62 million in grant funding to enact suggested improvements.