ICS At a Glance

Institute of Cognitive Science (ICS) at a glance

FOUNDED: 1968 as the Institute for the Study of Intellectual Behavior. Current name adopted in 1980.

MISSION: To conduct and facilitate highly collaborative, interdisciplinary research programs on cognition, including topics in human-computer interaction, neuroscience, education, decision making, architecture and design, and speech/language processing. The Institute is known for theory development and the application of those theories not only to other disciplines but also to real world problems. Undergraduate and graduate training in this interdisciplinary area is provided, including a joint Ph.D. program with participating academic units.

MEMBERS: Faculty: In total there are 38 faculty members, who are rostered in a variety of academic units on the Boulder campus, providing a broad base for our interdisciplinary research and education programs. These academic units and the number of faculty from each include: Psychology (10 +2 emeritus), Linguistics (4 +1 emeritus), Education (3), Philosophy (2), Computer Science (7), Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences (5) and Architecture Planning and Design (2). There are currently 5 tenured or tenure-track faculty based in ICS with tenure appointments in one of the academic departments. (4 with academic appointments in Computer Science and one in Linguistics). This year that number is likely to be expanded to a 6th faculty member, whose academic appointment will be in Psychology. These faculty have a particular focus to teach and mentor students in cross-disciplinary activities.
Graduate Students: 45 graduate students from the above departments, mentored by ICS faculty members, participate in the ICS training programs; although we do off a joint degree program, all graduate students are affiliated with academic units on the Boulder campus.
Other: Approximately 20 post doctoral and research associates, 10 professional research assistants, 4 administrative staff members, 20 graduate student assistants, and 8 undergraduate student employees.

RESEARCH FUNDING: ICS administers about $35 million in total grant dollars; approximately $8 million per fiscal year. About 60% comes from the National Science Foundation, 20% from the military, 10% from the National Institutes of Health, with the remainder from corporate sponsors, foundations, and gifts. We have approximately 109 projects that are funded through ICS faculty fellows.

RESEARCH: With a diverse, interdisciplinary faculty, our research runs from the theoretical to the applied. Theoretical research examines a wide range of cognitive abilities, from memory to attention to language, explored from frameworks as diverse as cognitive neuroscience to computational modeling. This research includes examinations of disorders and disruptions of cognition as well as developmental trends. The applied research examines advanced technology-driven educational and training software targeted for children and adults, as well as assistive technology for cognitive disabilities. The issue of the scaling-up and dissemination of such applied work to the broader marketplace occurs through technology transfer from the Institute to start-up for-profit businesses.

Our faculty direct three research centers that are housed within the Institute:

• Center for Lifelong Learning and Design (L3D)
• Center for Spoken Language Research (CSLR)
• Center for Research on Training (CRT)

Prepared 09-14-2004