What is IVI?
Currently under development at Northwestern University, IVI is a cyber-infrastructure designed to enhance global collaborations in research and education. The conceptual design is based on the layout of a university campus, complete with campus buildings in cyberspace that can be accessed virtually from anywhere in the world. On this virtual campus, each building has a special topical area, e.g., Nanotechnology, Energy, and the Environment. Likewise, each floor has a focused function, e.g., Global Research Gallery, Information Resource Center, International Conferencing Center, and Personal Offices. In offering these tools, the IVI will meet the need to harness the energy and participation of other institutions in the materials science community. To this end, it will partner with the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS), a worldwide consortium of materials research societies and technical groups that regularly holds meetings and symposia around the world to fulfi
