ICS At a Glance

Institute of Cognitive Science (ICS) at a glance

FOUNDED: 1968 as Institute for the Study of Intellectual Behavior, and adopted its current name in 1980

MISSION: To conduct and facilitate highly collaborative, interdisciplinary research programs involving cognition, to include topics in neuroscience, human-computer interaction, education, decision making, architecture and design, and speech/language understanding. The Institute is known for theory development and the application of those theories to other disciplines and to real world problems. The institutes also provides for undergraduate and graduate training in this interdisciplinary area, including a joint Ph.D. program with participating academic units, the first of it’s kind in Colorado.

FACULTY: There are currently 7 tenured or tenure-track faculty rostered in the Graduate School and based at ICS. This year we have been approved to hire an 8th faculty member, who will be a psychologist, jointly rostered in psychology and neuroscience/A&S and ICS/grad school. In total there are 46 faculty fellows, most of whom hold joint appointments in a variety of academic units both on the Boulder campus. Our faculty come from a broader range of backgrounds. These include: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience(13 +3 emeritus), Department of Linguistics (4 +1 emeritus), Education (3) Department of Philosophy (2), Computer Science (9), Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences (4) Graduate School (6), Architecture Planning and Design (1). In addition to our research mission, the faculty here on the Boulder campus participate in both undergraduate and graduate teaching.

GRADUATE STUDENTS: 41 graduate students mentored by ICS faculty fellows, are employed by and participate in interdisciplinary research at the institute.

POSTDOCTORAL: Approximately 12 post doctoral fellows, research associates and senior research associates.

RESEARCH PERSONNEL: Approximately 22 PRAs, 4.5 administrative staff members, and 28 undergraduate student employees.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS: ICS offers a combined Ph.D. program with participating departments/units on both the Boulder and Denver campuses. Students receive a Ph.D. in cognitive science or cognitive neuroscience, combined with a Ph.D. from their home department. In addition, ICS offers 2 graduate certificate programs and one undergraduate certificate program. All graduate students have an academic home in one of our participating departments/units. Fifty-seven (57) graduate students and 30 undergraduate students participate in these programs in a given year. This year (2009-2010) we will confer 4 combined Ph.Ds.

RESEARCH FUNDING: ICS administers about $30 million in total grant dollars; approximately $5.4 million per fiscal year. About 90% comes from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, The Department of Educations (IES), and the Department of Defense.; the remainder comes from corporate sponsors, foundations, and gifts. We have approximately 60 projects that are funded through ICS faculty fellows; ICR is shared with participating academic units based on where the PI(s) is rostered (25%), which unit administers the grant (25%) and where the work is housed (%50).

RESEARCH: With a diverse, interdisciplinary faculty, our research runs from theoretical to applied, including technology transfer to for-profit businesses. The areas of research range from studies of cognitive abilities and disabilities, including appropriate assistive technology, to advanced technology-driven educational software targeted for children and adult education and training applications, as well as neurological processes that underlie human learning and memory. Our faculty direct four research centers that are housed at CINC, Muenzinger, and the Discovery Center in the Engineering building.

Prepared by Donna Caccamise (Associate Director) and Marie Banich (Director), 01-2010