Bridging Divides offers a first-hand account of the origins of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology; an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign devoted to leading-edge research in the physical sciences; computation; engineering; biology; behavior; cognition; and neuroscience. The book follows the progress of the Beckman Institutes creation; from the initial conceptualization of a large; multi-disciplinary institute; through proposal formulation; to the architectural design and actual construction of its state-of-the-art building; made possible by the largest gift made to any public university at the time: a $40 million contribution from Illinois alumnus and founder of Beckman Instruments; Inc.; Arnold O. Beckman and his wife Mabel M. Beckman. Theodore L. Brown; the founding director of the Beckman Institute; brings an insiders personal perspective on its conception and its early operations. The evolution of a physical facility that matched a developing sense of what multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research might be was a vital ingredient in the Institutes development. In addition; because the Institute represented a dramatic departure from traditional university organization; many challenges involving its administration and faculty had to be overcome. A celebration of the Beckman Institutes first twenty years of operation since the buildings completion in 1989; Bridging Divides provides an informative look back at the history of this groundbreaking interdisciplinary research center. The book also includes forewords by Stanley O. Ikenberry; former president of the University of Illinois; and Richard H. Herman; chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
2015-05-04 2015-05-04File Name: B01KYSA9TY
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