Interdisciplinary Computational Graduate Purdue: A Proposal for Growth Ananth Grama Computational Science and Engg. An initial version of this presentation was made to the CSE/CLS Graduate Committee. Feedback was sought and incorporated into the presentation. This presentation is strongly endorsed by the CSE/CLS Graduate Committee.

Background Interdisciplinary Computational Programs include – Computational Science and Engineering – Computational Life Sciences Computational Science and Engineering is one of the most highly ranked academic programs at Purdue (top 5 by the most recent Chronicle ranking). Computational Life Sciences is more recent, in comparison, and targets a rapidly growing area.

Background There are other graduate programs that have potential overlap with computational programs, for e.g., PULSE. As the computational landscape evolves, other programs are being proposed. It is important to have a coherent strategy for dealing with these, or risk diluting existing programs and minimizing impact of new programs.

Background There is strong interest on campus to initiate a graduate program, along the lines of CSE, in Data Science. Discussions and curriculum plans on Data Science are at an advanced stage. There is interest within the PULSE community to initiate a training group in Computational Biology. There are preliminary discussions on initiation of other programs, including System Science and Computational Social Science.

Questions. How do we coordinate all of these important activities across campus to: – Best leverage limited resources – Ensure success for each of the programs, as opposed to competing against each other – Provide a mechanism by which new programs can be initiated/ seeded for success – Represent the needs of these programs effectively to the administration – Coordinate with other campus initiatives such as hiring and large interdisciplinary research projects (Big Data, Systems Biology, Genomics, System Science, and others). – Provide best student experiences

Interdisciplinary Computational Programs: Essentials for Programs Resources for Graduate Programs – Resources for curriculum development Commitment from faculty and departments (release time, teaching assignments) – Graduate fellowships – Support for seminars – Support for student activities – Administrative support – Researchers in residence

Interdisciplinary Computational Programs: A Proposal Develop an administrative structure for various programs, allowing for flexibility both in terms of new programs, as well as within existing programs. Develop policies for proposing new programs, standard set of guidelines, and processes for approval. Develop a uniform curricular framework for all Interdisciplinary Computational Programs. Allocate adequate resources for all programs in terms of Graduate Fellowships, Seminar Series, and Visitor Programs. Provide a single unified administrative support structure that would avoid duplication of services across the programs.

Proposed Administrative Structure Director of Interdisciplinary Computational Programs Interdisciplinary computational programs graduate committee (comprised of coordinators of all specializations) Coordinator for each specialization Graduate committees for each specialization

Proposed Administrative Structure Interdisciplinary Computational Programs (ICP) Graduate Committee – Responsibilities of this committee include: Creation of new programs, assisting existing programs Allocating resources across programs (graduate fellowships, seminars) Ensuring consistency of curricular requirements Leveraging resources across programs (including administrative and secretarial support) Liaison with distance education programs and various departments Organizing various interdisciplinary events (including recruitment, outreach) Executing interdisciplinary educational projects (GAANNs, IGERTS)

Proposed Administrative Structure Graduate Committees for Various Specializations – Each specialization will have its own graduate committee. These committees with be charged with the overall success of the associated programs. Specifically, responsibilities of these committees include: Curriculum development, maintenance Administering allocated resources (fellowships and seminars) Ensuring that core and elective courses are offered in a timely manner Maintaining an active seminar/ speaker series Ensuring timely progress of students towards their specializations Arbitrating student exceptions, appeals Working with graduate school to enhance student experiences, from application to graduation

Resources and Commitments We propose a number of steps for establishing the program: Once the two existing computational programs (CSE and CLS) and the newly proposed program (Data Sciences) agree with the basic framework, the graduate school should establish the ICP Graduate Committee and appoint a Director. The University/ Graduate School must commit adequate resources to various specializations. These must ensure viability of programs and must balance resources with respect to other existing programs with the graduate school. To this end, we propose five fellowships for each of the specializations (a total of fifteen fellowships for the three programs, combined).

Resources and Commitments The University/ Graduate School much commit adequate administrative support for the program. The current work of Ms. Anita Park is much appreciated. We request that the graduate school provide Ms. Park with full time secretarial support. The University/ Graduate School must provide adequate support for a minimal set of seminars for each of the specializations. We believe this number should be six seminars/year for each specialization. The total of 18 seminars (across all specializations) would require a budget of roughly $18K (assuming a conservative allocation of $1K/seminar). The Graduate School should negotiate release time for the Director with her/his home department. This is a significant commitment on the part of the individual, and it must be recognized by the Department.

Resources and Commitments In an ideal world: – The program would have the ability to support creation of new programs. This typically requires creation of one to two bridge courses. Faculty time for designing these courses would be very helpful. – The program would have a physical presence. This would include offices for the Managing Director (Ms. Park), a secretary, the Director, and offices for medium term academic visitors (this may be asking too much?)

Resources and Commitments In an ideal world: – There is considerable desire to extend the curriculum to the undergraduate level. Interdisciplinary Computational Programs should consider expanding their offerings to undergraduate students.

Resources and Commitments In an ideal world: – Graduate education and multi-disciplinary research should be much better integrated.

State of the Program: Computational Science and Purdue

Current State of Program One of the premier programs in the country (ranked #5 by the Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007; most recent ranking available) One of the largest programs world-wide with over 100 affiliated faculty and 140 graduate students CSE faculty contribute in leadership roles to some of the largest research efforts on campus (NEES, DoE PRISM, CSoI NSF STC), along with many other interdisciplinary efforts CSE faculty have been supported by two US Department of Education GAANN grants over the past eight years. CSE students provide critical expertise to a broad set of projects

Current State of Program Since the inception of the program (in mid 90s), the program has not changed structurally. This is in spite of significant changes in the computational and applications landscape. The program is largely viewed as an education program (as distinct from research Centers, for e.g., the Computational Research Institute) The primary role of the Program is to coordinate a set of courses across disciplines and to recruit students through a small set of fellowships (three).

CSE Related Peer Programs views programs at University of Texas (ICES), Stanford (CAAM), University of Illinois (CS&E), University of Maryland (UMIACS), and Georgia Tech as its peers. Each of these institutions has broader agendas, significantly larger pool of resources (dedicated faculty lines, research support, atleast 4x to 10x the budget), or fully dedicated Departments (GaTech). In view of this, it is unlikely that will maintain its premier position, unless critical steps are taken.

CSE – Strategic Opportunities Research is an integral component of graduate education. Is it beneficial to isolate education (CSE’s perceived mission) and research? All peer institutions have physical and academic presence for their programs. These are used to house researchers, development teams, visitors, etc., in addition to full-time academic personnel.

CSE – Broadening Horizons The application scope of CSE has broadened considerably since its inception. Among major new applications are life sciences (bioinformatics and computational biology), social sciences (social media and networking), economics and game theory, and cyber-physical systems. These applications are served by a fragmented set of stake-holders on campus. There is a critical need for strategic thinking and making more effective use of limited resources.

CSE Path Forward Purdue cannot compete within the current three fellowship + administrative support model. The charter and goals of CSE programs nationwide are much broader and deeper. CSE must have a coherent strategy for broadly recruiting the best graduate students and researchers, providing a home for visitors and support staff, and must compete for and support large interdisciplinary computational efforts. Can CSE adopt a PULSE-like model?

CSE Path Forward The resources for necessary strategic retooling of currently exist within Purdue, but are dispersed in ways that are not efficient. CSE faculty have excelled in their mission thus far, have a demonstrated track record of success, and are able and willing to provide critically needed leadership. CSE is a source of considerable pride for Purdue, and must be fostered.