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UD Research Centers




Thriving research centers and institutes, which now number more than 50 at the University of Delaware, reflect the diversity and rigor of UD's research interests and activity and our commitment to improving the quality of life in Delaware and beyond.

To an extent matched by few peer institutions, the University of Delaware fulfills the Kellogg Commission’s model of an “engaged university” — an institution that makes a comprehensive and sustained contribution to the improvement of the communities it serves. UD's research centers increasingly are becoming important state, national, and international assets. Our faculty attract significant research sponsorship for projects and programs of student and public benefit, including support for federally funded national centers of excellence.

 

Research Center Profiles Click on the orange button to learn more about each center. To visit the center, click on its name.


  • Agricultural Experimental Station

    • Robin Morgan, Director, and Dean of Agriculture
      and Natural Resources
    • Over a century ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture established agricultural experiment stations in connection with land-grant universities to provide farmers with practical, science-based information. In 1907, UD procured a 212-acre farm in Newark for the Delaware Agricultural Experiment Station. Current research focuses on soybeans, corn, sorghum, lima beans, and watermelon; weed management studies; and nutrient management studies.
  • Applied Science & Engineering Laboratories

  • Art Conservation Laboratories at Winterthur

    • Debra Hess Norris, Chairperson, Art Conservation
    • UD's Art Conservation Department administers both an undergraduate and graduate program, the latter in collaboration with Winterthur Museum and Country Estate. Faculty and students use 26 well-equipped conservation studios, laboratories, examination rooms, and workshops in the Louis du Pont Crownishield Research Building at Winterthur. This building houses one of the country’s largest and best-equipped museum analytical laboratories and conservation studios. UD students have regular access to Winterthur’s internationally recognized collections — nearly 100,000 American decorative art objects are housed in 180 period-room settings and an associated exhibition building.
  • Avian Biosciences Center

    • Jack Gelb, Jr., Director
    • Meeting the growing, worldwide demand for safe and affordable poultry products produced in an environmentally sound manner will require a holistic approach that links research, management, and education. The Avian Biosciences Center at the University of Delaware is established to be a center of excellence for research, education, and outreach programs that will provide solutions to contemporary problems in the avian biosciences. The center is leading and coordinating a wide range of multi-disciplinary efforts relating to poultry health, avian genomics, environmental compatibility, and food safety and quality.
  • Bartol Research Institute

    • Stuart Pittel, Director
    • The Bartol Research Institute is a research center in UD's Department of Physics and Astronomy. The institute's primary function is to carry out forefront scientific research, with a primary focus in physics, astronomy, and space sciences. Housed in the H. Rodney Sharp Laboratory on the UD campus, the institute is named after the late Henry W. Bartol, a prominent Philadelphia industrialist and member of the Franklin Institute.
  • Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research
    & Education Center

    • Robin Morgan, Director, and Dean of Agriculture
      and Natural Resources
    • This 24,000-square-foot facility, dedicated in May 2006 in honor of the former governor and his wife and their legacy of giving to the community, serves as the central office building and meeting facility for UD's Georgetown campus, and also is used by Sussex County Cooperative Extension, 4-H, state Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners, and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. Researchers at the center and the adjacent Lasher Lab develop, evaluate, and refine the latest technologies and methodologies in poultry and vegetable crop production, agronomy, water quality, and pest, nutrient, and irrigation management.
  • Center for Applied Coastal Research

    • Nobuhisa Kobayashi, Director
    • This interdisciplinary center provides a focal point for research in coastal processes and coastal engineering. Members of the center are coastal engineers, coastal geologists, and oceanographers, primarily from the University of Delaware and the Middle Atlantic region. Through the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, graduate students working in the center can earn a masters or Ph.D. degree in coastal engineering.
  • Center for Applied Demography & Survey Research

    • Edward C. Ratledge, Director
    • This center is a unit of UD's College of Human Services, Education, and Public Policy. Its primary mission is to ensure that the best possible data and information on important public issues are developed and made available to the college, its clients, and Delaware policymakers. The center acts as a clearinghouse for large data sets supplied by local, state, regional, and federal agencies; maintains an active survey research capability; develops and designs custom databases of text and graphical information (including both raster and vector data) drawn from client files; and uses an array of information system technologies.
  • Center for Archaeological Research

    • Jay Custer, Director
    • Located in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, this center focuses on the prehistoric and historic archaeology of the Middle Atlantic states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, providing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in archaeological fieldwork and laboratory analysis through field schools and sponsored research programs. The center's research has been sponsored by a number of state and federal agencies. Current sites under study range from a 10,000-year-old Paleo-Indian hunting camp in southern Delaware to mid-19th-century tenant farms in northern Delaware. Opportunities for multidisciplinary research are available and include applications of remote sensing in archaeology and paleoenvironmental studies.
  • Center for Biomedical Engineering Research

    • Kurt Manal, Director
    • The mission of this interdisciplinary center is to provide engineering science and clinical technology to reduce the impact of disease on the everyday lives of individuals. It was created to provide an appropriate forum and infrastructure to promote the interaction of biomedical researchers from the University and the medical community. As such, it serves as a research umbrella under which investigators from a variety of fields may interact.
  • Center for Catalytic Science & Technology

    • Jingguang G. Chen, Director
    • Founded at UD in 1978, this center has pioneered multidisciplinary research in the scientific and engineering principles of catalysis — the process by which the rate and products of chemical reactions are altered by a substance unchanged by reaction. Catalysis is at the core of the chemical and petroleum industries. The hallmark of the center's research continues to be its strong connection to industrial practice through the Industrial Sponsors Program, industrially supported research, collaborative projects, and sabbaticals and exchange programs involving research personnel. The center's labs and wide range of research instrumentation represent one of the foremost facilities for catalysis research in academia.
  • Center for Climatic Research

    • David R. Legates, Director
    • Established in 1978, this interdisciplinary center is dedicated to bringing together scientists from the University, national, and international communities with interests in both basic and applied climatology for collaborative research. The center serves to emphasize UD's commitment to develop research in all facets of climatology.
  • Center for Community Research & Service

    • Steven W. Peuquet, Director
    • This center provides usable knowledge, education, training, and services that enhance the ability of organizations and communities to promote social and economic justice. Its outreach office is the Nonprofit Community Resource Center in Wilmington, Del.
  • Center for Composite Materials

    • John W. Gillespie, Jr., Director
    • Founded in 1974 within UD's College of Engineering, this interdisciplinary center is internationally recognized for excellence in composites research and education. CCM's 34,000-square-foot Composites Manufacturing Science Laboratory houses some $8 million worth of composites manufacturing, characterization, testing, and computational equipment used by students, faculty, staff, visiting scholars, and industrial and Army interns from both the United States and abroad. More than 35 faculty members, 17 graduate students, and 25 undergraduates are currently affiliated with the center.
  • Center for Critical Zone Research

    • Donald Sparks, Director
    • This center brings together scientists, engineers, and policy specialists across UD to focus on basic research of the Earth’s "critical zone" — the life-sustaining, near -surface environment. Research foci include areas of interfacial chemistry, bionanotechnology, and environmental genomics. Major research thrusts include the following: How do important hydrobiogeochemical processes, occurring at critical zone interfaces and over a range of spatial and temporal scales, govern long-term sustainability and ecosystem health of land and water resources? What technology is needed to better sense environmental events and processes in the critical zone? How does the sensing understanding of these environmental events and processes affect human health? The center is developing strong partnerships with government agencies (local, state, and federal), industry, and the public. A key goal is to integrate science, ethics, and public policy.
  • Center for Disabilities Studies

    • Michael Gamel-McCormick, Director
    • This center, one of over 60 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in the country, is active in five kinds of activities designed to expand and improve services available to Delawareans with disabilities and their families, including University education, community education, technical assistance and program evaluation, research and demonstration, and dissemination. The center's mission is to enhance the lives of individuals and families in Delaware through education, prevention, service, and research related to disabilities. It promotes independence and productivity so individuals and families can fully participate in the life of the community.
  • Center for Drug & Alcohol Studies

    • James A. Inciardi, Director
    • This center was established in 1991 to facilitate collaborative research and publishing by UD social and behavioral science faculty, staff, and students on the topic of substance abuse. Administratively housed in UD's Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, the center is funded entirely through sponsored research contracts and grants. The center's principal mission is to produce, disseminate, and utilize scientific knowledge in two broad areas: the etiology, patterns and consequences, and prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol abuse; and the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and the prevention of HIV disease among high-risk populations.
  • Center for Economic Education & Entrepreneurship

    • James O'Neill, Director
    • The ultimate goal of this center, which is based in UD's Lerner College of Business and Economics, is to provide educators with high-quality programs and workshops that increase the knowledge and understanding of economics and entrepreneurship in all K–12 curricula. Nationally known for its hands-on teaching programs, the center sponsors seminars and workshops and provides materials for teachers of all grade levels. The center is based on UD's main campus in Newark but also offers a satellite center at Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown.
  • Center for Energy & Environmental Policy

    • John Byrne, Director
    • Established at UD in 1980, this center is a leading institution for interdisciplinary graduate education, research, and advocacy in energy and environmental policy. Its internationally diverse faculty and research staff have backgrounds in a variety of disciplines including economics, sociology, geography, political science, philosophy, engineering, urban planning, and environmental studies. The center offers four graduate programs in the areas of energy and environmental policy, and urban affairs and public policy. Graduate students have the opportunity to address a wide spectrum of issues, from climate change to energy transformation, environmental justice, indigenous rights, sustainable development, and water equity.
  • Center for Historic Architecture & Design

    • David L. Ames, Director
    • Established in 1984, this interdisciplinary center addresses issues related to historic preservation through an integrated program of teaching, research, and public service. It provides graduate education in historic preservation and planning in which students learn both in the classroom and by participating in research projects. The center's research and public service focuses on the evolution of historic architecture and landscapes; design issues of the built environment and material culture; historic preservation planning and policy at the national, state, and local level; documentation of historic properties and computer applications to documentation; the physical properties of cultural and historical materials; and advocacy for the preservation of historic resources.
  • Center for Innovative Bridge Engineering

    • Dennis Mertz, Director
    • Housed within UD's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, this center serves as a resource for highway and railroad bridge owners in the United States and around the world, providing knowledge and people to address problems in the design, construction, evaluation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of bridges and related structures. A multidsiciplinary enterprise drawing on faculty from several academic units at UD, the center adds to the knowledge base needed to maintain and renew bridge infrastructure through academic and applied multidisciplinary research conducted by affiliated faculty and sponsored by government and industrial partners. Research findings are disseminated through programs, publications, seminars, annual workshops, and conferences.
  • Center for Marine Environmental Genomics

    • S. Craig Cary, Director
    • This center, based in the UD College of Marine and Earth Studies, involves faculty and students at UD and around the world in molecular research to better understand the capabilities of marine organisms within the complex ecosystems in which they live. There are roughly a million unidentified microorganisms in a single milliliter of seawater, and less than 1% of the millions of microscopic organisms that live in the ocean have been cultured.
  • Center for Material Culture Studies

    • Deborah Andrews, Director
    • The Center for Material Culture Studies, based in the UD College of Arts and Sciences, is a consortium of people and programs dedicated to integrating Delaware's
      unique resources for the creation, study, and conservation
      of material culture. Members include the Center for Historic Architecture and Design, The Winterthur Program for Early American Culture, the Hagley Program in the History of Technology and Industrialization, Preservation Studies, and the Raven Press. Current initiatives range from promoting the Material Culture minor for undergraduates to sponsoring seminars and conferences.
  • Center for Molecular & Engineering Thermodynamics

    • Eric Furst, Director
    • Established in the spring of 1992 as a research unit within UD's Department of Chemical Engineering, this center serves as a focal point for stimulating collaborative experimental and theoretical research and encouraging the development of new educational materials in all areas of thermodynamics.
  • Center for Neutron Science

    • Norman Wagner, Director
    • Established through a cooperative agreement between UD and the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), this center is exploring and developing new areas of neutron-scattering science, with emphasis on strengths in complex fluids, macromolecular science, and condensed matter physics. This partnership is designed to enhance the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) capabilities of the United States and thereby make them available to a large scientific user community. It also will help train the next generation of neutron scientists and engineers for careers in support of the national nanotechnology initiative. SANS is a powerful probe of molecular and nanoscale structure, supramolecular order, and dynamics, and can be used to monitor chemical and field-induced transformations. The effort builds on the world-recognized expertise in SANS in the Departments of Chemical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering at UD and their long-standing scientific collaborations with the premier neutron scattering facility in the U.S. at NIST-NCNR.
  • Center for Remote Sensing

    • Vic Klemas and Xiao-Hai Yan, Co-Directors
    • Recognized as a NASA Center of Excellence in 1997, this center serves as a focal point for basic and applied research on remote sensing of the physical, geological, and biological properties of the oceans and the coastal zone. It is based in UD's College of Marine and Earth Studies. Research topics include satellite oceanography, global climate change, sea-level rise, optical physics of coastal waters, wetland health, pollutant drift and dispersion, coastal environmental indicators, and applications of remote sensing and GIS to coastal management. The center's research is supported by federal and state agencies, commercial firms, and private foundations.
  • Center for Research Development

    • James G. Richards, Chair
    • The center's mission is to facilitate the scholarly activity of faculty and academic professionals in the UD College of Health Sciences through the coordination of resources and activities that support scholarship. Typical examples include encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration, acquiring financial resources, providing assistance with financial reporting requirements (internal and external), grant writing support, and research assistants. A primary business goal is to demonstrate an increase in external funding awarded to faculty and academic professionals in the college.
  • Center for Spintronics and Biodetection

    • John Xiao, Director
    • Established at UD in 2007 through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, this center is advancing the emerging science of spintronics, which is harnessing the “spin,” or magnetic properties of electrons, to encode and process data. The high-tech field is expected to significantly broaden the electronics industry by fostering the development of much smaller, faster, energy-saving devices, from medical diagnostic equipment to environmental sensors that can detect nano-sized particles much tinier than human cells. A major collaborator is Argonne National Laboratory, one of DOE's largest research centers, located near Chicago.
  • Center for the Study of Metals
    in the Environment

    • Herbert E. Allen, Director
    • This center is a multi-institutional consortium of scientists and engineers working to further the understanding of processes affecting the fate and effects of metals in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Significant gaps in predictive capabilities in these areas continue to hamper risk assessments and cost-effective risk management. The focus of the center is on developing appropriate information so that regulatory decisions will be based on sound scientific principles.
  • Center for Managed Ecosystems

    • Jake Bowman, Director
    • In cooperation with state, federal, and private partners, UD's Center for Suburban Biodiversity conducts research on issues of immediate concern to the conservation of our nation's biodiversity. The center focuses on ecosystem services and the interactions between people and urban and suburban habitats. Current research explores animal ecology in suburban landscapes, biological control of invasive plants and animals, animal/human interactions, and landscaping practices that threaten biodiversity in managed ecosystems.
  • Center for Translational Cancer Research

    • Mary C. Farach-Carson, Director
    • Cancer is a major health problem affecting thousands of Delawareans. This center "without walls" unites local cancer researchers with clinicians with a common focus on developing new cancer treatments or identifying new cancer biomarkers for population screening, prevention, and risk management. It supports clinical and basic scientific efforts in translational cancer research within the State of Delaware.The center is a formal alliance of the University of Delaware, Christiana Care Health System's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, the A. I. duPont Hospital for Children/Nemours, and UD's Delaware Biotechnology Institute. Its mission is to establish a pipeline of translational cancer researchers and clinicians by developing a program that starts at the undergraduate level and continues to provide training throughout the graduate and post-graduate levels. The center also seeks to build research partnerships constituting teams of clinicians, biologists, and engineers, chemists, and computer scientists to attack cancer-related problems.
  • Computer Architecture & Parallel Systems Lab

    • Guang R. Gao, Director
    • This lab's primary research interests include high-performance parallel computing architecture, system software, parallel programming, and tools for both traditional supercomputers, as well as high-performance embedded systems. The center's faculty and students also are specialized in mapping applications to a number of areas including bioinformatics. The lab's research has been sponsored by both the federal and state government and private industry.
  • Delaware Asteroseismic Research Center

    • Judi Provencal, Director
    • Asteroseismology offers the best method to indirectly peer below stellar surfaces, using pulsations to determine internal structure.This center's mission is to promote and facilitate the study of stellar seismology and support and develop international collaboration in observational and theoretical stellar seismology. The center is sponsored by Mt. Cuba Observatory in Greenville, Del., in collaboration with the UD Department of Physics and Astronomy. The center encourages the development of instrumentation and software, observing techniques, and science goals. Proposed targets for the Whole Earth Telescope (WET) may be submitted at any time.

    Delaware Biotechnology Institute

    • David S. Weir, Director
    • The institute is a partnership among government, academia, and industry to help establish the First State as a center of excellence in biotechnology and the life sciences. Its mission is to facilitate a biotechnology network of people and facilities to enhance existing academic and private-sector research, catalyze unique cross-disciplinary research and education initiatives, and foster the entrepreneurship that creates high-quality jobs. The institute's core research comprises plant molecular biology, avian genetics, pharmacogenomics, computational biology/computer science, proteomics/structural biology, and biomolecular materials. Potential areas of commercial interest include agriculture (improved agronomics, such as crop yield, stress resistance and insect resistance), food and animal feed (improved nutritional content, neutraceuticals, poultry disease/growth), human health (models for testing, design and delivery of therapeutics), and poultry disease and growth.The institute also manages major statewide research programs such as the IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), supported by the National Institutes of Health, and the Delaware Experimental Program to Stimulate Compettive Research (EPSCoR), funded by the National Science Foundation and the State of Delaware.
  • Delaware Center for Transportation

    • Ardeshir Faghiri, Director
    • This center's primary goal is to serve as the research and educational arm of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). The center promotes, organizes, coordinates, and supports research, development, and educational activities to address transportation needs, challenges, and opportunities at the state level, as well as the regional, national, and international levels. Initiatives include multidisciplinary research, semester-long courses, short courses, workshops, seminars, and conferences
  • Delaware Education Research &
    Development Center

    • Audrey J. Noble, Director
    • This center provides the state with a development and inquiry capacity in support of efforts to reform educational policy and practice. Research funding is derived primarily from grant awards and special projects. Current partnerships include the Delaware Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education, and National Science Foundation, as well as several private and philanthropic organizations. The center addresses its mission through development work; data-based decision-making; studies, analyses, and publications; systemic reform evaluation; ad hoc evaluation support; and University support and service.
  • Delaware Geological Survey

    • John H. Talley, Director
    • The Delaware Geological Survey's mission is, by statute, geologic and hydrologic research and exploration, and dissemination of information through publication and public service. Established at UD by the Delaware General Assembly in 1951, it conducts systematic investigations of the geology and physiographic features of Delaware; exploration and research pertaining to the water, mineral, and other Earth resources that are or may become of economic importance to the state; prepares reports and maps of its findings; and provides factual geologic information and advice to state officials and citizens to assure optimum and equitable use of geologic resources. It also represents Delaware to several counterpart federal agencies, including the Minerals Management Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Delaware River Master.
  • Delaware Sea Grant College Program

    • Nancy M. Targett, Director, and Dean of Marine and Earth Studies
    • Since UD's designation as the nation's ninth Sea Grant College in 1976, the goal of this statewide program has been to promote the wise use, conservation, and management of marine and coastal resources through high-quality research, education, and public outreach activities. Delaware Sea Grant is part of a national network of 30 Sea Grant programs, based in coastal states and Puerto Rico. Programs work individually and in partnership across state boundaries to address marine challenges. Currently, Delaware Sea Grant is conducting research in the priority areas of ecosystems, environmental technologies and engineering, biotechnology, and marine commerce and transportation. Funding is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the state; and UD. A statewide council helps guide the program.
  • Delaware Water Resources Center

    • J. Thomas Sims, Director
    • This center is a member of the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) — a national network of 54 state water resources research institutes affiliated with and sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Delaware Water Resources Center has been a part of UD since 1965 and is located today in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The center receives funding from USGS through Section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984. These funds support efforts to work actively with other universities, agencies, and organizations in Delaware to develop a statewide program for resolving state and regional water-related problems.
  • Disaster Research Center

    • Havidán Rodriguez, Director
    • The Disaster Research Center, the first social science research center in the world devoted to the study of disasters, was established at Ohio State University in 1963 and moved to UD in 1985. The center conducts field and survey research on group, organizational, and community preparation for, response to, and recovery from natural and technological disasters and other community-wide crises. The center has carried out systematic studies on a broad range of disasters, including hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, hazardous chemical incidents, and plane crashes, as well as civil disturbances and riots. Staff have conducted nearly 600 field studies since the center’s inception, traveling to communities in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Italy, and Turkey. Faculty from UD's Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice direct the center's projects.
  • Early Learning Center

    • Karen Rucker, Director
    • This center provides full-day early care and education to children ages six weeks to twelve years and their families in a state-of-the-art facility conveniently located near UD's main campus. The building includes observation decks, cameras, and recording devices to enhance the center's mission of integrated service, education through clinical experiences, and research. Housed within the center is the Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic, which provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy to children attending the center, as well as the general community. The center's target population is 40% children living in poverty, 20% children with a diagnosed disability, and 10% children who currently live, or have lived, in foster care. The center aims to provide best practices to the community; train new professionals to serve children and their families; and develop — through research and program evaluation — new knowledge that can be used to better serve multiple fields of study.
  • Halophyte Biotechnology Center

    • John L. Gallagher and Denise Seliskar, Co-Directors
    • The mission of this center, which is based in the UD College of Marine and Earth Studies, is to improve salt-tolerant crops for use in salt-afflicted agroecosystems using biotechnology; to develop varieties of plants for saline wetlands restoration that will drive high-productivity ecosystems without continual human input; to disseminate knowledge about using salt-tolerant plant varieties to develop sustainable agriculture in areas of the world where soils are salinized or only saline water is available for irrigation and to solve wetland restoration problems; and to exchange information on the performance of varieties of salt-tolerant plants under various types of agroecosystems (rainfed, irrigated, tidal) and wetland restoration sites. The center works with research partners in Delaware and around the world.
  • Ice Skating Science Development Center

    • Ron Ludington, Director
    • This year-round training facility is designed to meet the needs of first-time competitors and Olympic champions alike. Its primary goal is to assist athletes and coaches in reaching their maximum potential. The center, housed in state-of-the-art facilities, provides the most complete training environment in the country. Training facilities include two ice surfaces, strength and aerobic training rooms, and a dance studio. Coaching is available from the most recognized national and international coaches in the sport of figure skating. Their concentrations include Figures, Freestyle, Pairs, Dance, and Stroking. University faculty specializing in sports medicine, exercise physiology, biomechanics, and sports physiology work closely with world and Olympic coaches to advance the body of knowledge in figure skating and provide the most up-to-date training available.
  • Institute of Energy Conversion

    • Robert W. Birkmire, Director
    • Designated a University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education by the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 1992, this institute is devoted to research and development of thin-film photovoltaic solar cells and other photonic devices. The broad scope of its research and development effort offers opportunity for study in physics, chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering, as well as collaboration with industrial groups seeking to manufacture and commercialize photovoltaics. The institute is staffed by approximately 20 professional and support personnel, as well as faculty, visiting scholars, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students. Students conducting research at the institute have the opportunity for internships at other labs such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Denver and at industrial facilities.
  • Institute for Public Administration

    • Jerome R. Lewis, Director
    • This public service, education, and research center links the resource capacities of UD with the complex public policy and management needs of governments and related nonprofit and private organizations. The institute provides direct staff assistance, research, policy analysis, training, and forums while contributing to the scholarly body of knowledge. Program areas include civic education, comprehensive planning, conflict resolution, education leadership, health care policy, state and local management, water resources, and women’s leadership. Ample educational opportunities are available to students through the effective integration of applied research, professional development opportunities, and internships.
  • Institute of Soil and Environmental Quality

    • J. Thomas Sims, Director, and Associate Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources
    • The breadth and complexity of environmental problems we face today calls for well-focused, interdisciplinary efforts. The Institute of Soil and Environmental Quality is a center of excellence for research, outreach, and education programs that provide science-based solutions to the many environmental problems involving our soil resources. The center's mission is to conduct basic and applied research on soil and environmental quality issues; to serve as an unbiased scientific advisory body for state, regional, and national advisory and regulatory agencies, policy-makers, and governmental leaders on issues related to soil and environmental quality; and to conduct public education and outreach programs designed to further public understanding of soil and environmental quality issues and thus foster effective citizen involvement in environmental policy-making.

    Laboratory Preschool

    • Peg Bradley, Director
    • This nationally accredited program functions as a part of the Individual and Family Studies Department of UD's College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy. Its primary purposes are to provide appropriate developmental programs for normal and mainstreamed exceptional children; teach UD students to work with young children through classroom practicum experiences; provide opportunities for students, faculty, and professionals to observe exemplary preschool programs and teacher role models; enable students to observe children ages two through six so the students can better understand developmental progression; and provide a research site for students and faculty.
  • Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy

    • Biliana Cicin-Sain, Director
    • This center, the first of its kind established at an American university, emphasizes the application of policy analysis to ocean and coastal management. Named after its founding director and benefactor, its activities focus on integrated coastal management around the world; U.S. national ocean and coastal policy; implementation of international ocean agreements; marine aquaculture and biotechnology policy; ecosystem management; and GIS/remote sensing applications. The center organizes conferences and publications including the international journal Ocean and Coastal Management; hosts visiting scholars; administers educational exchange programs; provides research opportunities for graduate students; provides policy advice to a wide range of governmental and non-governmental entities; and serves as the Secretariat for the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands. Its activities are carried out by UD faculty, international associates, practitioners in the field, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate research assistants.
  • Nursing Center

    • Lisa Ann Plowfield, Director
    • The UD Nursing Center provides a wide variety of health promotion, education, and disease management services. Students and faculty with a special interest in providing care for underserved populations, especially frail elderly and their families, work together to provide health services and community resource support. Care is coordinated by advanced practice nurses (APNs) working in collaboration with geriatric and family physicians from Westside Health in Wilmington, Del. The center's faculty pursue research related to frail elders, access to care, and tobacco cessation. The center's overall mission is to promote health care for vulnerable populations through nursing education, outreach services, theoretical development, and research inquiry.
  • OCEANIC — The Ocean Information Center

    • Doug White, Director
    • The Ocean Information Center has been in operation at the UD College of Marine and Earth Studies at the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes since early 1986. The center has been working on numerous issues dealing with the management of oceanographic data and is working on a variety of information systems and oceanographic projects as part of that research. The Ocean Information Center is involved in developing and operating Data Information Units for these International Research Programs: the Global Observing Systems Information Center (GOSIC) and the Research Ship Schedules and Information database.
  • Small Business Development Center

    • Clinton Tymes, Director
    • This center exists to strengthen Delaware's economic base by providing quality services, such as management assistance, education programs, and resources to Delaware's business community and potential entrepreneurs. In operation since 1983, the center has over 20 business professionals at four locations which house training facilities, libraries, and a variety of resources to help businesses grow. The center operates in partnership with UD, Delaware State University, and Delaware Technical and Community College. It is accredited by the Association of Small Business Development Centers.
  • Water Resources Agency

    • Gerald J. Kauffman, Director
    • This agency is a unit of the Institute for Public Administration within the UD College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy. Its mission is to provide technical assistance for water resources and watershed policy and to governments in Delaware and the Delaware Valley through the University's public service, education, and research role. The program is funded by four governments — the State of Delaware, New Castle County, City of Newark, and City of Wilmington, along with grants from public and private sources.
  • John L. Weinberg Center for
    Corporate Governance

    • Charles M. Elson, Director
    • Established in 2000 in UD's Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, this center seeks to propose progressive changes in corporate structure and management through education and interaction. It is named for the late John L. Weinberg, former senior partner and chairman of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., and an important UD benefactor. The center provides a forum for business leaders, members of corporate boards, the legal community, academics, practitioners, graduate and undergraduate students, and others interested in corporate governance issues to meet, interact, learn, and teach. The center's goal is to develop programs that will generate local, national, and international interest.