Editor’s note: This story is the fourth in a series examining the new initiatives Iowa State has begun to enhance the quality of research in the university. Today’s story focuses on the Information Infrastructure Initiative.

Computer applications permeate almost every facet of Americans’ lives, and the Information Infrastructure Initiative wants to ensure its efficiency.

The initiative weaves together information technology research from academic departments across the ISU campus in an effort to work on common problems.

“It brings together people who need the technology and those with the applications,” said Doug Jacobson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The initiative is part of a larger ISU organization called “icube,” which stands for Information Infrastructure Institute. There is ” vast untapped potential at ISU for creating multidisciplinary research teams,” according to the icube Web site.

The site lists information technology applications such as agricultural engineering, bioinformatics, air traffic control and earthquake engineering simulations.

Vasant Honavar, professor of computer science, said he sees the initiative as a chance for scientists and technology researchers to come together.

“Scientists in specific domains, like biological sciences, do not want to worry about where information is stored or how to access it,” he said. “They just want to see the results of analysis and this calls for sophisticated software for computer-assisted scientific discovery.”

Information technology plays an important, yet occasionally invisible, role in people’s lives.

“Optimal operations of complex physical systems, such as electric power systems and communication networks, requires information infrastructure that facilitates integration and analysis of data from multiple sources.” Honavar said.

Information technology gathers information from multiple locations, feeding it to a network of electrical energy systems.

National security also utilizes sophisticated information technology, combining and culling information gathered by different federal agencies, Honavar said.

Jacobson said at least one new faculty position will be funded by the initiative, although the function of the new position is still unsure.

Departments participating in the initiative are as follows: electrical and computer engineering, computer science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, agricultural and biosystems engineering, civil and construction engineering, economics, geological and atmospheric sciences, logistics, operations and management information systems.