General Principles

• This policy is meant to fairly and evenly provide faculty, students, and staff access and support for the facility with a primary emphasis on research but leaving adequate time for teaching and engagement activities.
• The policy encourages use of the facility through funded projects that include support for the facility and staff which will support the sustainability for the Envision Center.
• Encourages novel applications and uses of the facility to advance the knowledge base and applications of perceptualization.
• The policy supports Purdue’s strategic plan and strategic initiatives to advance the university in its goals, mission, and vision.

Allocation Mechanism

• All requests for center usage will be via a short one page proposal form found on the right side of this page.
• All center usage will have a "cost" calculated although some usage will be in the form of a grant to the proposal writer.
• Requests will be reviewed by the center staff with guidance from the Envision Center's Steering Committee and considered in the light of the missions of the Envision Center and the University and the scheduling priority allocation shown below.
• External entities using the center will be charged for the cost of using the facility where they are not part of a research project or grant with a Purdue faculty member. Charge amounts are located here.
• Extraordinary requests for usage or staffing (i.e. demos outside of normal working hours) may be charged to the party requesting the service at a higher rate.

Scheduling Priority

• 55% of the available facility usage is dedicated to research projects and site visits. Usage will be allocated on a priority basis as follows:

  1. Highest priority will be given to funded research projects that have allocated money in their budget to support the Center and are in support of the strategic mission of the university (i.e. nano-science, life science, e-enterprises, entrepreneurship, and learning).
  2. Second priority will be given to funded research projects that have allocated money in their budget to support the Center and that support the mission of the center (i.e. computer graphics, virtual reality, advanced visualization, augmented reality, haptics, human perception and learning).
  3. Third priority will be given to unfunded research projects that support the mission of the center and strategic initiatives of the university (i.e. computer graphics, virtual reality, advanced visualization, augmented reality, haptics, human perception and learning, nanotechnology, life sciences).
  4. Fourth priority will be given to unfunded research projects that will actively seek funding including support for the Center as a result of using the Center facilities.
  5. Lowest priority will be given to unfunded research projects that do not advance the mission of the center or university.

  Staff support of these events will vary widely. It is expected that most research events will be self-supported through trained faculty and graduate students capable of using the facilities with little or no Envision staff support. Research users will be asked to participate in a brief training seminar to assure they can effectively use the facility.

  • Training will include hands-on tutorials on specialized equipment and software unique to the center such as display systems, trackers, haptic devices and virtual reality software.
  • Research users who have attended training will be able to schedule time to use the center’s systems.
  • Additional opportunities will be made available to support in-depth training needs including short courses, undergraduate and graduate level classes on specific visualization topics and staff consultation.

• 25% of the available facility usage is allocated for engagement and outreach for demonstrations, tours, and seminars . Usage will be allocated on a priority basis as follows:

  1. Highest priority will be given to requests from Purdue faculty and staff that advance the strategic mission and priorities of the university, such as faculty recruiting, development efforts, and special events.
  2. Second priority will be given to activities that assist the Envision Center in achieving its goal of becoming a leader in scientific visualization. This includes seminars on visualization topics offered to the community.
  3. Third priority will be given to requests from outside the university, such as K-12 classes, community events, and industry request.
  The 3rd Friday of every month will be reserved for scheduled demonstrations open to the community by reservation. Many events in this category will require allocation of staff to support the events. Some events in this category will occur on a regular schedule to facilitate marketing efforts. Some events in this category will occur outside of normal work hours to coincide with other University events such as Development Office events, Spring Fest, Home Coming, etc.
• 10% of the available facility usage is allocated to teaching . Usage will be allocated on a priority basis as follows:
  1. Highest priority will be given to requests from faculty actively engaged in the Envision Center through projects or as a member of the Envision Center’s Special Interest Group (E-SIG).
  2. Second priority will be given to requests from faculty teaching courses related to the strategic mission and priorities of the university.
  3. Third priority will be given to requests from faculty proposing novel uses for the Envision Center to improve and enhance instruction.
  4. Lowest priority will be given to requests from faculty proposing use of the facility that are outside the strategic mission and priorities of the university.
  Teaching will be limited to specific events, such as laboratory sessions, seminars or colloquia. Entire courses will not be hosted in the Envision Center. Some events in this category will require allocation of staff to support the events. Training may also be required of the faculty and/or TA if the request is for more than a single session.

• 10% of the available facility usage is allocated to “seed” new or novel perceptualization efforts. Usage will be allocated on a priority basis as follows:

  1. Highest priority will be given to projects that are a novel use of the facility.
  2. Second priority will be given to projects that advance the knowledge base and applications of perceptualization.
  This time will be used for more involved demonstrations and prototype explorations of the use of visualization in new disciplines. It will be available to aid researchers in evaluating visualization tools and techniques to be applied in future funded research efforts. Some events in this category will require allocation of staff to support the events.

Requests from outside entities , such as business and industries, will require charging for the activity. The money generated for this will be used to:

• Achieve sustainability¹

  • Create on-going financial viability
  • Generate funds for expansion
  • Generate funds to take on advanced projects that we are unlikely to find funding for elsewhere. These projects would push the boundaries in new technology, new applications of technology or development of new techniques

• Build relationships

  • Develop new contacts
  • Obtain repeat business
    • Regular updates on staffing, facility status, hardware and software acquisitions and updates
    • One-on-one or small group demos
    • Web-based facility reservations
• Costs for rental of the Envision Center to outside entities will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis through a formal contract between the University and the business or industry. Rental of the facility will have the lowest priority and will only be considered if it does not interfere with research and instructional projects in the Center.

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¹ ideas in this section and the following section taken from presentation, "Business Planning for Success" by Dr. Jay Akridge & Betty Ottinger, Center for Food and Agricultural Business, Purdue University.