Table of Contents
Director’s Message											

1Cultural and Historical DNA of the Coordinated Science Laboratory				2

The Organizational Structure of CSL									

3Looking at the Future: Engineered Human-Cyber-Physical Systems				4

Operational Challenges										

5Major Strategic Plan Focal Points									

6Research												

6Avenues of Future Research and Breakthrough Udeas (Moonshots)				

7

Adding Skilled Personnel to Grow the Research Enterprise and its Impact			

9

Improving Facilities											

10Plans for Moving Forward										

11Education												

12Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)									

15Appendix A: Details on Research Plans								

17Adding Skilled Personnel										

17Improving Facilities											

18Plans for Moving Forward										

20Appendix B: Existing and Planned Educational Programs within CSL				

22

HCESC and Jump Simulation Center Educational Activities					

22National Center for Principled Leadership and Research Ethics (NCPRE) Education Programs 23
Information Trust Institute (ITI)/Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI)
Workforce Development and Educational Activities						

24Center for Autonomy 										

24Appendix C: Details on Education Implementation Plans						

25Appendix D: Details on DEI Implementation Plans							27iDirector’s Message
This strategic plan will guide the Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) inthe coming years. CSL is and will continue to be, in the domain of humancyber-physical systems, the destination for those who want the freedom
to discover, create, and innovate in inclusive, collaborative teams at theintersection and cutting edge of computing, communications, control
and circuits. CSL seeks to bring the very best talent to Illinois and foster
an environment that allows those individuals to reach their full potential.
Our mission remains the same: to foster disciplinary excellence incomputing, control, communications and information science and build
interdisciplinary excellence and leadership with societal and economic
impact.
CSL has transformed the world since its inception and early work on radar technology, electrostatic vacuum
gyroscopes, and ILLIAC. CSL is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Its research endeavors have evolved
and grown in step with the growth of the computer stack, and, subsequently, with the emergence and growing
sophistication of networks, and on to today’s advanced distributed human-cyber-physical systems. Our faculty,
staff, and students address current societal problems such as healthcare, AI for social justice, smart manufacturing,security and privacy for cyber-physical systems, automation, human-robot interactions, and other domains inwhich human-cyber-physical systems (HCPS) play important roles. The rich set of moonshot ideas proposed by
our faculty (provided herein) speak to the breadth of the challenges that remain to be addressed, the creativityof CSL’s members, and their determination to be at the forefront of providing solutions to pressing technologicaland societal challenges.
The strategic plan broadly lays out our vision, objectives, and actions to be undertaken over the coming years
to strengthen and grow our research enterprise, to augment our interdisciplinary and professional development
offerings that complement departmental offerings, and to become a model for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
New resources will be required to implement our plan, and we look forward to working with the College, thecampus, our alumni and other key stakeholders to secure needed investments in our facilities, staff, processes,
and research activities.
CSL has a distinct and important role to play in the Grainger College of Engineering. It brings the very best facultyfrom across the College and beyond to work together on interdisciplinary research that has, as a core component,a need for advances in computing and information sciences and engineering. The areas impacted that depend on
CSL expertise and resources are only growing more complex and more pervasive and far-reaching as the world
becomes more digitalized and data-driven. It is imperative for CSL to continue to provide the resources needed
for these individuals to work together at the leading edge of their fields. CSL has made and will continue to makesignificant investments in shared facilities. CSL also has dedicated staff who have the skills, knowledge, anddetermination to enable faculty to do what has never been done before. Examples of major initiatives fostered by
CSL abound, such as the Information Trust Institute, the Advanced Digital Sciences Center, the Center for Networked
Intelligent Components and Environments, and the IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute. Few units canclaim to have the expertise and knowledge to pursue the diversity of funding mechanisms that CSL’s faculty andstaff choose to pursue. CSL must remain a place where such bold pursuits are possible.
I sincerely thank everyone have contributed to the plan’s development. Three workgroups composed of faculty,
staff, and students met repeatedly to discuss the research, education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion
dimensions of the plan. CSL’s research groups all contributed to developing research opportunities andidentifying potential collaborators. Many took advantage of the opportunity to provide feedback on initial draftsof the document. The strategic plan is the better for it.

1

Cultural and Historical DNA of theCoordinated Science Laboratory
The key strengths of the Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) are its
people, facilities, and a collaborative culture, which together enable
excellent innovative interdisciplinary research. CSL’s organizational
structure of research groups, centers, and institutes enables faculty andgraduate students to conduct foundational and transformative researchwithin their own disciplines as well as across disciplines. Shared services,
including business office, HR, facilities, communications, and researchdevelopment support, have enabled and empowered researchers, staff,
students, and postdoctoral fellows to go after various and complex
funding opportunities. Such opportunities bring together researchers
from across many domains of engineering and science to developtransformative solutions to complex challenges enabled by foundational
technological advances at the intersection of computing, communication,
control, and circuits. Our faculty address current societal problems inareas such as healthcare, AI for social justice, smart manufacturing,security and privacy for cyber-physical systems, automation, humanrobot interactions, and other domains in which human-cyber-physicalsystems (HCPS) play important roles.
CSL’s research endeavors have evolved and grown in step with the growth of the computer stack, and, subsequently,
with the emergence and growing sophistication of networks, and on to today’s advanced distributed humancyber-physical systems. Senior executives of major software corporations marvel at the deep expertise and theinterdisciplinary, cross-layer, multifaceted knowledge and outlook of our students. The development of thatknowledge and outlook occurs naturally in CSL. CSL members win major research grants, and receive best paper
awards and other recognition, on a regular basis.
CSL also distinguishes itself for its willingness to innovate to deliver transformational systems and take on thedevelopment of new major avenues for research leadership. CSL’s recent major achievements are quite remarkable
and include big firsts, such as:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)

The launch of the Information Trust Institute (ITI) from a small seed investment to become an entitythat has gained national visibility and leadership;
The creation of the Advanced Digital Sciences Center (ADSC) in Singapore, Illinois’ first research center
located overseas; andThe development and fostering of major corporate partnerships, including the ITI-Boeing MRA, the
FIT-Illinois Center for Networked Intelligent Components and Environments (C-NICE), the OSF-Illinois
Jump ARCHES partnership, and the IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute (IIDAI).

All such initiatives require an openness to change, the vibrant exchanges of ideas, a willingness to pursue theunknown, bold and risk-taking faculty leadership, administrative creativity and determination, and ongoingproblem-solving. All of those things are in CSL’s cultural and historical DNA. To our knowledge, not many units on
campus, and indeed across the nation and the world, can attest to a similar record.

2

The Organizational Structure of CSL
CSL relies on strong core technical research areas to produce the fundamental research results needed totransform application domains through the incorporation of foundational and systems-level innovation. Overtime, CSL has developed an organizational structure that is aligned with those mission priorities. Technical themes
anchor the intellectual life of CSL members and drive their interactions. Faculty are organized into research groups
based on these technical themes. Many faculty are members of more than one group, creating linkages acrossthemes. The themes underlying these groups typically evolve slowly over time to meet research imperatives whilestaying true to their fundamental nature. After two years of internal discussions facilitated by the CSL director,
eight themes and corresponding groups are in place at the end of 2021: (i) Circuits; (ii) Computational and PhysicalElectronics; (iii) Computer Systems and Architecture; (iv) Decision and Control; (v) Intelligent Sensing, Networking,and Cyberphysical Systems; (vi) Security & Privacy; (vii) Signals, Inference, and Networks; and (vii) Technology andSocietal Impacts. A representative from each of seven of these research groups and four at-large faculty members
are elected for two-year terms to serve on CSL’s Policy and Planning Committee1. Members of this committee
advise the Director and serve as liaisons back to their respective groups and other members of the CSL community.
The Director oversees the operations of CSL and reports to the Dean. The Director also interfaces regularly withfellow IRU directors and the heads of departments with major faculty membership in CSL.
Application domains are pursued in centers and institutes in which members of research groups come together
and with other colleagues to tackle complex technological and societal challenges. Application domain examples
include healthcare systems and informatics, smart manufacturing, autonomy and robotics, advanced electronics
and device development, and cybersecurity and trust. The CSL organizational structure, as described above, isdesigned to allow CSL to expand its research portfolio. For example, the IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Instituteincludes a research cluster focused on Hybrid Cloud applications.
Researchers from the research groups come together to create initiatives for 1–2 years (usually supported byGrainger College of Engineering Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) seed funding and/or other seed grants). If theinitiative gets longer-term funding, perhaps through an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) or Science andTechnology Center (STC), an Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), or a
corporate partnership, the researchers create a center for 5–10 years. If the center lasts longer and has continuous
funding, the faculty can elect to create an institute, e.g., the Information Trust Institute. However, many centerscome and go after a certain number of years. For example, the SRC-funded SONIC center ceased to exist after 5
years when funding expired, and all its researchers went back to pursue their own research and new fundamental
advances. Typically, such individuals will be on the lookout for new opportunities to create new partnerships thatcan lead to new initiatives and center(s).
CSL is and will continue to be vital to Grainger Engineering’s ability to grow its research enterprise, both in size
and reputation. CSL will do so through its ability to initiate and support major research initiatives in the digitaldomain, a domain that continues to be of vital importance to a knowledge-based economy and society. At thesame time, CSL’s enduring success is dependent on the ability of faculty, immersed in a collaborative, resourcerich environment, to advance fundamental knowledge. Thus, while CSL seeks to inspire, create, launch, andsupport large numbers of centers and institutes, the number of ongoing grants in CSL, many of which are forsingle or small groups of faculty, is typically well over 300 at any given time. All of those awards represent faculty
pushing knowledge and innovation that advance fundamental and applied knowledge, and can lead to new ideas
for centers and major initiatives. That creates an avenue for both stability and renewal, since funding for centers
comes and goes, and not every faculty member is actively involved at any given time in a center or institute.

1

The Computational and Physical Electronics research group, composed of emeritus faculty do not elect a
representative on the P&P Committee.

3Looking at the Future: Engineered
Human-Cyber-Physical Systems
The field of systems research in engineering will evolve dramatically with theintroduction of cyber-components in every engineered physical system and thedigitalization of all fields in the Grainger College of Engineering and beyond. Evenas the development of digital twins makes simulations of systems more accurate
and easier to modify in quasi-real time, operational and management decisions will
shift to massive empirical data gathering and analysis, driven by machine learning(ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). It is clear that in 5–10 years, the workforce of all
engineering (and social) disciplines will need to have substantial knowledge about
computer systems. Digitalization, AI, and ML will be integral to engineered systems,
whether for smart materials, smart aero-systems, smart mechanical systems, smart
bioengineering systems, or smart civil engineering systems. The boundaries between
engineering fields will blur and, like mathematics, computer science will be taught
and embedded in every engineering discipline to enable progress and innovation.
Traditional research innovation is accelerating and will increasingly be focused on
addressing societal challenges. The emergence of COVID-19 testing techniques andvaccines is but the latest example. The field of materials science is being pushed to
cut the time needed to bring innovations from discovery to the marketplace by half,
if not more. Such innovations have the potential to transform the very nature ofelectronic devices, likely requiring a complete redefinition of the entire computing
stack and distributed network systems. It will be important for CSL to imagine andlead that future. It will also be important for CSL to bring value to major corporate
partners, agency stakeholders, and aspiring student researchers in order to stay
relevant and have impact.
CSL is well positioned to play a vital role in ensuring Illinois’ prominence in the above
areas, given its excellence and breadth across computing, communications, control,and circuits as foundational elements of the emerging areas. CSL will continue toassist and rely on departments to recruit stellar faculty, students, and postdoctoral
fellows.

4

Operational Challenges
Current CSL operational challenges include:(1) The recent acceleration of staff departures due, in no small part, to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2) The need to find a balance between educational and research activities in CSL given that several research
testbeds are now being partially utilized for educational purposes. An example is the use of the autonomous
GEM car for both classes and research within the Center for Autonomy (CfA).
(3) The need to reach a consensus on how to support interdisciplinary educational activities and distributetuition revenues to ensure the long-term sustainability and fiscal health of CSL. This needs to include
appropriate consideration of the cost, safety, and maintenance of facilities and equipment, and therevenues needed to cover CSL operational overhead.
(4) The need for additional space driven by rapid growth and demands forstorage space and testbeds.
In next 5 years, CSL anticipates that challenges will include:(1) Providing additional space for the Center for Autonomy (CfA). This center is receiving offers for newautonomous vehicles and UAVs, and we do not have enough space to accommodate the new cars and
UAVs in our current labs. Longer-term needs speak to the benefits of seeing the I-ACT developed at theIllinois transportation center in Rantoul.
(2) Providing promised headquarters and advanced digital smart manufacturing research and experimental
space for C-NICE in a new building. CSL does not have the space to accommodate this demand.
(3) Finding space for large new interdisciplinary centers, institutes, and corporate partnerships toaccommodate growth in the IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute, the Information Trust Institute,the Health Care Engineering Systems Center, and future major centers. The need for significant new space
to enable growth of CSL’s research enterprise will become acute.
(4) Adapting to or implementing cultural changes in the nature of work and space post-pandemic, including(i) a culture change in office space allocation (dynamic space allocation, hoteling, and space sharing), and(ii) a cultural change in the commitment of space as part of faculty recruitment activities.
(5) Optimizing operations based on new budget models and cost attributions related to both office andlab space allocation. We should strive to ensure that IRU participation continues to be supported bydepartmental units. It will be important to work with the College to provide clear guidelines and policies
in terms of space cost and space allocation across departments and IRUs in GCOE.
(6) The need to ensure safe operations of human-cyber-physical shared facilities across multiple buildings.

5

Major Strategic Plan Focal Points
The Coordinated Science Laboratory sought the input of its faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff inthree major strategic directions for the Grainger College of Engineering, namely (i) research, (ii) education, and (iii)diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI). All of the research groups were invited to provide input on future priorities.
Strategic planning workgroups were organized for each of the three major strategic directions and met several
times to develop initial proposals. These were in turn summarized, synthesized, and shared with the larger CSL
community for additional comments and suggestions.

Research
The Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) is the oldest interdisciplinary research unit (IRU) on the Illinois campus.
CSL is now celebrating its 70th anniversary and continues to flourish through a process of reinvention enabled by theexcellence of its faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff. CSL’s history follows the growth of the computing
and networking hardware and software stacks, starting with initial breakthroughs in electronic semiconductormaterials and radar technology, to current innovations in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation
security, to the optimization of tomorrow’s hybrid cloud infrastructure. The availability of massive Internet of Things(IoT) data, the development of smart and flexible electronic materials, new autonomy and robotics capabilities,
advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, bio-inspired neuromorphic computing, and quantum
information science, to name a few emerging transformational developments, are poised to usher in a new era ofinterdisciplinarity in computing, communications, control, and circuits. This marks a new point of inflection that
CSL can leverage to renew itself in order to maintain its leadership in computing, communications, control, andcircuits areas.
CSL must be responsive to industry, foundations, and government funding agencies, placing more and moreemphasis on the rapid translation of innovations to address pressing problems and ensure U.S. economic
competitiveness. CSL’s ability to attract the very best students and faculty by providing them with high-quality
facilities and resources is also an important factor in CSL’s success. CSL’s research capabilities and reputational
profile must be strengthened, and its interdisciplinary and translational networks expanded.
CSL is well-aligned with the Grainger College of Engineering’s (GCOE) vision to grow the research enterprise throughmajor partnerships and transformative initiatives. In recent years, CSL’s research and operational expertise enabled
the launch of major, long-term, well-funded partnerships such as the FIT-Illinois Center for Intelligent Networked
Components and Environments (C-NICE) and the IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute (IIDAI). The Health Care
Engineering Systems Center (HCESC) has seen its research endowment grow significantly. The Center for Autonomy(CfA), seeded by bold investments in shared robotic laboratory infrastructure2, has rapidly transformed Illinois’
capabilities and reputation in autonomy at a time when this field is transforming the world. Our researchers’ workin AI and ML with valued partners is leading to remarkable advances in semiconductor manufacturing, device
development, and medicine. The nation’s power grid is more secure because of the Information Trust Institute (ITI).
It will be important for CSL to implement a process for prioritizing among numerous “moonshot” ideas proposedby our research groups. That will depend on our ability to leverage emerging funding opportunities and makejudicious investment choices in the coming years. Further development of CSL’s capabilities to create and manage
large centers will be another priority.

2

Bold investments have come from CSL, the departments of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer
Engineering, Mechanical Science and Engineering, Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering, and Aerospace
Engineering, as well as the Grainger College of Engineering and the Provost’s Office through its Investment for
Growth Program.

6

Avenues of Future Research and Breakthrough Ideas (Moonshots)
The breadth of research undertaken by CSL faculty is significant. The impact that CSL’s advances have had onsociety, defense, and industry is equally broad. Each CSL research group has identified transformative societal and/or technological advances within its field, or that could be enabled within CSL, across the campus, and with external
partners. Moonshot ideas are defined as bold ideas that may not come to fruition but would result in major advances
if pursued with determination and the availability of plentiful resources. Equally important are breakthrough ideasthat leverage CSL’s excellence to address foreseeable needs. Both moonshot and breakthrough ideas must be
further refined. The benefits of pursuing such ideas must be compelling. Leaders must be identified who are willingto articulate and realize their benefits. These ideas must also have the chance to secure the resources they needto succeed. Ideally, the development of proposals that articulate such ideas should be coupled with known oranticipated emerging funding opportunities.
A non-exhaustive listing of proposed moonshot and breakthrough ideas emerging from our research groups andstrategic planning workgroup includes the following:
1. Sociotechnical systems research at the intersection of computing systems and social sciences. A natural
step would be to leverage CSL’s interdisciplinary faculty and, through the C3.ai Institute and otherunits and organizations, form top-tier interdisciplinary teams to formulate the best ideas for advancing
sociotechnical systems. CSL will pursue further collaborations with the iSchool, the College of Liberal
Arts & Sciences, the Gies College of Business, the College of Law, and others to pursue interdisciplinary
opportunities in this domain. A specific example is the investigation of AI for social good in various societal
domains such as healthcare settings, smart cars, smart cities, and smart manufacturing. In all thosedomains, AI is used for data analytics, yet there are issues with potential biases, misunderstanding, andinaccuracy, with the implication that users can be harmed. AI systems should be able to not only analyze,
classify, infer, predict, and detect, but also to reason about outcomes and explain themselves to users.
2. Research driven by future space systems. To revitalize CSL’s role in space information technology, we willtake advantage of the creation of the Space Force military branch and growing calls for major investments
to maintain America’s leadership in space exploration and the protection of space assets. The goal would
be to secure large grants that would rival CSL’s block grants in the 1960s and 1970s.

7

3.

Semiconductor electronics and manufacturing research. Intel, TSMC, and Samsung are making
multibillion-dollar investments in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Congressional interest insome version of the CHIPS act promises major new research funding in this area. CSL should proactively
leverage its faculty expertise to develop a compelling CSL angle for securing a substantial portion of new
research funds. The goal would be to leverage the nationally recognized work of our faculty to carve out amajor role in future U.S. research investments in this area; CSL should also work closely with the Holonyak
Micro & Nanotechnology Lab (HMNTL) and the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) to formulate a
global vision for this area. Silicon photonics and the resulting need for a new computing stack may be
important in this regard; success here could transform the dynamics of a world still reliant on copperbased connectivity.

4. AI and ML as crosscutting enabling technologies across real-world human-cyber-physical systems.
There is specific interest in physics-aware machine learning, i.e., tying computing with the physical lawsof real­world systems. Another direction is the exploration of avenues through which AI- and ML-based
systems could materially impact key environmental concerns, like ones related to the nitrogen cycle andclimate change. Two other real-world dimensions that are not now adequately addressed are time anduncertainty: the development of algorithms that self-evolve and self-heal is an open problem.
5. Health-centric computing to improve the human condition. We will advance AI, data science, andbioinformatics to address health disparities, brain modeling that improves our understanding of
neurodegenerative diseases, detection and treatment of mental health issues, and other health-related
challenges.
6. Computing + X: We intend to be ready to pursue any and all forms of computing platform revolution
enabled by new materials, whether this proves to be through quantum computing, biologicalcomputing, neuromorphic computing, or something else altogether. CSL can lead new initiatives
for future computing technologies in collaboration with other IRUs and departments. Hybrid newcomputing platforms that consist of quantum computing, optical computing, ambient computing, andbiological computing could be the next moonshot projects. A new ILLIAC-like project to build a newcomputing environment could result, creating a computing solution that can morph from one form toanother depending on usage, users, applications, and environments.

87. Remaining at the forefront of wireless data communications. This will require us to anticipate what
advances are needed for future 6G to 9G wireless ecosystems, from the physical layer to application
layers. New AI and ML distributed computing platforms, and richer, natural computer-network-enabledhuman and human-machine interactions (including brain-computer interfaces for human-robot
collaboration and control), and the emergence of digital twins for faster configurability of cyberphysical systems ranging from autonomous vehicles to smart manufacturing platforms will shape future
generations of wireless networks.
8. Development of a smart city infrastructure for Chicago 2050. To enable it, CSL, working with the
Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), would lead an effort involving multiple departments and academic
partners to prepare Chicago’s critical infrastructure to address climate change stresses (such as waterrunoff operations), taxiways, and traffic management systems for thousands of drones and autonomous
air taxis, and integrated AI systems for indoor climate control and in-city greenery.
9. AI for education, leading to powerful new professional development tools and services that bring cost­
efficient and effective upskilling and reskilling opportunities to diverse populations.
10. Advanced enhanced reality immersive environments that enable the metaverse. Augmented, virtual,and mixed reality (AR, VR, and MR), collectively referred to as extended reality (XR), has the potential
to transform most aspects of our lives. Multiple dimensions of performance and technology must be
improved by orders of magnitude. Various areas of CSL expertise can be brought together to addresscomputer vision, machine learning, graphics, optics, haptics, acoustics, and more; the creation of enduser applications (software, computer systems, and middleware) will require interdisciplinary advances.

9

Adding Skilled Personnel to Grow the ResearchEnterprise and Its Impact
CSL will seek to transform its ability to support research with an emphasis on advanced planning and real-time
responsiveness. Of particular interest is the ability to deliver on both foundational and translational research. CSL
also believes that it is imperative for faculty who wish to pursue bold new initiatives, large or small, to be well
supported. To move forward in this respect, CSL intends to:1.

Put in place personnel to facilitate translational research. Ideas of particular interest are provided inAppendix A. An example is the development of a pool of professionals to support major translational
activities.

2. Put in place flexible, dynamic, and detailed operational and growth models to more effectively plan forand manage future CSL personnel, facilities, and equipment.
3. Hire a facility safety officer to ensure the safety of a growing list of complex human-cyber-physical systems
and testbeds.
4. Work closely with the GCOE to develop the next generations of future faculty leaders.
5.

Advocate for a philanthropic push to gather resources to seed truly “out-of-the-box” research throughpostdoctoral and student fellowships3.

3

Agencies and peer-review panels tend to be conservative and require evidence of past performance. Ph.D.
Fellowships, for example, would allow faculty to pursue truly new directions..

10Plans for Moving Forward
CSL will proactively pursue transformative ideas that could bring significant resources and renown to CSL. To move
forward, CSL intends to establish an advisory committee or committees to the director on transformative research
activities and pursuits. At its core, the committee(s) is/are expected to facilitate alignment and coordination across
CSL and open up new avenues in the pursuit of research excellence. The charge of the committee is expected tofocus on three dimensions4:
1. Evaluating future research directions and advising on future investments.
2. Advising the director on growing industry interactions and partnerships.
3. Advising the director on how to reestablish CSL’s ability to secure major block grants from mission-driven
agencies.

4

Additional details on the three core charges are provided in Appendix A.

11

Education
The Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) is the home of several centers andinstitutes that incorporate education as well as research. CSL, as a result, alreadyplays a significant role in education5. CSL can assist departments by providing an
ecosystem and infrastructure that facilitate interdisciplinary education. One of themore important dimensions is the need for CSL to develop staff, expertise, andprocesses to make the creation and deployment of net revenue-generating workforce
development programs as easy as possible. Professional workforce development,
especially in human-cyber-physical systems, is expected to be vital to the vibrancyof the Illinois and U.S. economies. CSL industry partners increasingly discuss
professional development in tandem with research; likewise, NSF and other U.S.
government agencies are increasingly placing priority on professional development
activities. CSL sees it as imperative to address this emerging need and opportunity,
both to maintain its research programs and to maximize its benefit to society andits stakeholders.
CSL faculty and staff have pushed the bounds of what is possible in research, evenwhen it involved overcoming perceived and, at times, real bureaucratic barriers
through creativity and persistence. The launch of the Information Trust Institute (ITI)
and the creation of the Advanced Digital Sciences Center (ADSC) in Singapore areexamples of success made possible only through determined CSL faculty leadership,
creative and determined staff, and College and campus leadership support. All of
those elements were needed to overcome resistance to change and to establish
new processes and organizational structures that enabled such transformative
capabilities while at the same time removing barriers to change. Delivering new
professional and workforce development programs will require a similar concerted
effort, and CSL now looks to transform the ability of its centers and institutes todeliver bottom-up multidisciplinary cyber-physical systems workforce development
programs.

5

Please see Appendix B for a listing of current and planned CSL educational programs.

12

Looking ahead, CSL faculty and staff have identified several ways to fill gaps in the interdisciplinary educational
offerings of the College while at the same time complementing and supporting the needs of departments:•

Providing access to hands-on educational experiences by leveraging specialized human-cyber-physicalsystem testbeds, equipment, and staff.

•

Facilitating the creation of multidisciplinary educational programs driven by CSL centers and institutes
that require cross-pollination across departments.

•

Facilitating the development and delivery of reskilling and upskilling short courses, micro-certificates,and other nondegree programs to industry partners.

•

Leveraging connections into industry and industry sectors to deliver popular net revenue-generating
professional development programs tailored to specific industries, industry domains, andenvironments. It will be equally important to put in place processes and structures that make it easy
to close programs that prove not to be successful.

6

Additional details on each of these pursuits are provided in Appendix C.

7For example, CSL’s room 301 could be upgraded to have auto-focusing cameras for hybrid course delivery. CSL
could also look to incorporate a state-of-the-art multimedia recording facility with the dual purpose of advancing
multimedia research and educational content excellence.

13

To move forward, CSL will pursue the following 6 :1. Inviting key CSL centers and institutes to form a professional program development planning committee
charged with assessing what resources, staff, and organizational structure would be needed for CSL tobest support its centers and institutes in the delivery of professional education (social media, pricing,marketing, hosting, delivery) in all its forms.
2. Supporting the development of interdisciplinary MS/MEng degree-granting
programs.
3. Focusing on workforce development nondegree professional education 		to meet upskilling and reskilling needs of the human-cyber-physical systems industry.
4. Incorporating education delivery in its design and upgrade of shared space(i.e., conference rooms and recording capabilities).7
5. Continuing to support centers and institutes that offer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
programs.

6

Additional details on each of these pursuits are provided in Appendix C.

7For example, CSL’s room 301 could be upgraded to have auto-focusing cameras for hybrid course delivery. CSL
could also look to incorporate a state-of-the-art multimedia recording facility with the dual purpose of advancing
multimedia research and educational content excellence.

14

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)The Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) can and should be a model of equity and inclusion. There isoverwhelming evidence that diverse teams are far more likely to deliver the transformative breakthroughsolutions to the complex interdisciplinary societal challenges that CSL looks to address. Yet diverse teams are
only able to deliver breakthrough solutions if they exist within an organization where diversity and inclusion are
truly embraced and where everyone is respected and able to contribute to their fullest. Fostering a welcoming
culture for all, regardless of race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, disability
status, class, age, or religious beliefs (among other factors) is central to CSL’s success. It will also result in apositive experience for all who work in CSL and impact the manner in which students, as future professors
and industry leaders, conduct themselves and, in turn, positively impact others. As a result, CSL will be, inthe domain of human-cyber-physical science, engineering, and systems, the top destination for those whowant the freedom to discover, create, and innovate in inclusive, collaborative teams at the cutting edge ofknowledge and technology.
CSL believes that the development of a welcoming culture requires multiple engagements with its personnel
that place emphasis on the benefits and importance of equity and inclusion. Over the past six years, a numberof activities and policies have been instituted to advance DEI issues. For example, the Director holds regularluncheons with female faculty and regular luncheons with female graduate students and postdocs. The famed
R.T. Chien Distinguished Lecture Series now alternates between male and female speakers. A microaggression
workshop has been conducted, and there has been high interest in repeating it. Communications seminars
have been conducted to reduce problems between mentees and mentors, and the CSL Director holds open
office hours during which anyone can bring forth any issue or concern. Much remains to be done, however,
especially with respect to gender identity and ethnic and racial diversity.

15

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
DEI ideals and norms of behavior need to gain their own place in the minds of our faculty, students, and staff.
This can be achieved through creation of mechanisms and programs that allow our members to be exposed to
DEI concepts on a regular and continuous basis through varied and diverse interactions with messaging fromcolleagues and peers, as well as from administrative leaders. With this idea in mind, we intend to take numerous
steps within CSL and to support the Grainger College of Engineering strategic plan and the mission of the Institutefor Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA). The steps CSL plans to undertake to develop a more inclusive andequitable environment are as follows8:•••

Educate faculty, postdocs, and senior personnel on DEI issues.
Make it as easy as possible for CSL students, staff, postdocs and faculty to be informed of DEI issues andactions they can take to make a positive contribution to creating a welcoming environment for all.
Incentivize CSL participants to incorporate DEI in their thinking.

CSL looks forward to advocating for DEI initiatives that, in our view, would best be offered at the College level9.
CSL seeks to bring the very best talent to Illinois and foster an environment that allows those individuals to reach
their full potential. The evidence shows that units like CSL can become beacons of success in addressing DEI. CSL
therefore intends to advance Campus and College DEI goals and emerge as an exemplar of the successful, creative
and welcoming environment that can result. The actions proposed above require resources, and CSL will workwith its stakeholders (alumni, agencies, and foundations) and the Grainger College of Engineering Advancement
office to secure these resources.

89

Details on how these plans are to be implemented are provided in Appendix D.
Such initiatives are discussed in Appendix D.

16

Appendix A: Details on Research Plans
Adding Skilled Personnel
Below are additional details on CSL plans for putting in place personnel to facilitate translational research.
1. Developing a pool of professionals (programmers, project managers, and other engineering
staff) to support major translational endeavors that are expected to be an integral component ofmajor centers and industry partnerships 10.
2.

Developing a postdoc/industrial fellowship program geared toward applied research, andseeking an endowment or other source of funding to support it.

3. Working with GCOE and departments to develop a visiting researcher program for industry R&D
employees and industry-sponsored PhD students (employees given paid leave + company
fellowships). The program must include frameworks for IP, co -advising, and mentorship.
4. Developing mechanisms for combining transformative research with professional development
to facilitate the transfer of technological innovations to industry partners and key stakeholders.

17Improving Facilities
New investments in facilities should focus on giving our faculty the resources and capabilities they require
to make major technological and societal contributions in areas that depend on CSL expertise. In termsof facilities, a number of important investments should be undertaken.
1. Adding office space, storage space, and contiguous and reconfigurable research space
and upgrading existing facilities. CSL has invested significantly in making its use of space
more efficient by increasing the density of graduate students per office and developing sharedfacilities for robotics and cyber grid research. However, even as efficiencies have been gained,
estimated research-expenditures-per-square-foot benchmarks have led to the conclusion thatany significant growth in research expenditures will lead to increased space requirements. A
new building that includes space for the C-NICE headquarters would help. In a parallel vein, CSL
will invest in the maintenance and upgrade of its existing facilities to provide a top -tier working
environment.
2. Reconfiguring lab spaces located in the CSL basement. This could include the removal of walls
to create a more open and reconfigurable floorplan that is more conducive to interdisciplinary
research and intergroup communications. Faculty view the existing space as encouraging siloed
research and preventing interactions among students.
3. Investigating whether conversion of windowless student offices into hybrid office/experimental
spaces should be allowed, and the implications of such changes. Even as we push to have theserooms remain student spaces, several faculty are pushing to convert them into living experimental
environments for smart homes and smart office technologies.
4. Identifying the next major shared facilities investment to be made. Prime candidates include
spaces that would support state-of-the-art AV/AR research, 5G-6G anechoic chambers for IoT
devices and audio acoustics, and state-of-the art professional development.

10

The pool could be developed in partnership with the Applied Research Institute (ARI), the Information Trust
Institute (ITI), and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).

18

5.

Working with the Grainger College of Engineering and campus to establish transformative
capabilities, including:a. Encouraging the campus to add major data storage and processing capabilities that CSL
faculty could use to advance AI/ML and other data-intensive research.
b.

Continuing to support the efforts of Grainger Engineering to implement the Illinois
Autonomous and Connected Track (I-Act) in Rantoul with a state-of-the-art IT
infrastructure. Such a facility would enable continued research in autonomous vehicles
and logistics development that goes beyond ground transportation to include a futureof fully integrated rail, air, and ground systems as well as urban areas filled with UAV
delivery and monitoring vehicles and air taxis.

c.

New research facilities for urban renewal and outdoor UAV research, joint with Civil
Engineering and the Illinois Transportation Center.

d. Working with GCOE and the campus to develop unique experimental facilities in areas ofcritical importance to U.S. competitiveness and defense. In particular, CSL proposes
the development of unique human-cyber-physical system research facilities that takeadvantage of one of the University’s critical advantages over many of its competitive
peers, namely the availability of open spaces for development. Examples include:
Working with NASA and/or one of the other mission-driven agencies to establish
a national shared facility for satellite constellation research that could span
distributed control, edge computing, and space cybersecurity and trust. One canimagine major anechoic chambers with multiple dynamic 3D mobile platforms
that could be used to simulate movement in space to study satellite-to-satellite
communications, and also satellite-to-ground robot communications, for both
earthbound and space-bound (lunar, asteroid belt, and Mars) assets.
A similar facility focused on developing advanced wireless communications
and acoustics for the control of autonomous vehicles, and developing novel
environmental sensing and AR/VR in dynamic environments.

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Plans for Moving Forward
CSL will proactively pursue transformative ideas that could
bring significant resources and renown to CSL. To move
forward, CSL intends to establish an advisory committee
or committees to the director on transformative research
activities and pursuits. At its core, the committee(s) is/are
expected to facilitate alignment and coordination across
CSL and open up new avenues in the pursuit of research
excellence. The director may ask the committee(s) to form
ad hoc subcommittees as needed to explore various aspectsof its charge. Alternatively, the director may elect to form anumber of ad hoc committees to pursue the work proposed
for this committee and decide later, in consultation with
the Policy and Planning Committee, if a standing advisorycommittee needs to be established. Dimensions of the charge
are as follows:

1. Evaluating future research directions and advising on future investments. To serve in this capacity,
the committee will:a. Benchmark characteristics of past major “moonshot-like” initiatives: what has worked,
what has not?
b.

Put together teams that can develop white papers outlining major initiatives andmoonshot ideas. These white papers will effectively communicate the potential for theideas to have major societal impact and/or to enable deeply transformative capabilities
for humanity, science, and/or engineering.

c. Identify, develop, and prioritize plans for the next transformative major shared laboratory
space, in consultation with GCOE unit leaders.
d. Increase our efforts to connect with MRL and HMNTL to position Illinois to dominate thecoming new materials-based computing revolution.
e. Identify mechanisms for lowering barriers to interdisciplinary research collaborations .
f.

Stimulate and/or support discussions on major anticipated funding opportunities, inpartnership with the Grainger College of Engineering Office of Research.

202. Advise the director on growing industry interactions and partnerships. The advisory panel will look
into:a. Developing more uniform understanding and guidance regarding types of research(fundamental, applied, translational) from different stakeholder perspectives and training
faculty on relevant issues, limitations, and benefits of pursuing each type .
b. Identifying and prioritizing industries that should be targeted.
c. Identifying personnel needed and how best to leverage personnel in place.
d. Recommending processes and techniques for minimizing barriers and delays in theestablishment of industry partnerships.
e. Working with the College, departments, and faculty to reward translational research.
f. Devising strategies for pursuing centers that incorporate both fundamental and translational
research and that advance the careers of both senior and junior faculty.
3. Advise the director on how to reestablish CSL’s ability to secure major block grants from missiondriven agencies. This will include looking into:a. Identifying and prioritizing mission-driven agencies that should be targeted.
b. Developing effective and efficient processes to raise CSL’s profile with selected agencies,
including:i. Proactively understanding mission-driven agencies’ needs and their cultures;subsequently disseminating such understanding to the broader faculty .
ii. Presenting CSL’s record of accomplishments and current excellence.
iii. Formulating plans for regular interactions with such agencies.
c.

Devising strategies for securing major grants that deliver solutions to mission driven agencies while embedding opportunities to define the future through radical
innovation. This will include:i.

Optimizing processes for securing knowledge of agency interests andcommunicating new ideas to address such interests.

ii. Working with the campus, GCOE, departments, and faculty to raise awarenessof CSL’s expertise, both technical and administrative, with mission-driven
agency administrative leaders and key government stakeholders.
iii. Educating faculty on the best practices for pursuing and conducting researchfrom such sources.

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Appendix B: Existing and Planned
Educational Programs within CSL
HCESC and Jump Simulation Center Educational Activities* We plan to generate revenue for the Jump Simulation Center and HCESC through our Investment for Growthaward. The effort is targeted at meeting the needs of the healthcare industry. The proposed programs are
expected to generate enough revenue by 2022 to offset the operating costs of the Investment for Growth award
and the Jump Simulation Center.
** MD specialists, nurses, hospital technicians, etc.
*** Industry-specific personnel (paramedics, firefighters, etc.) can train using recent innovations in educational
methodology.

22

National Center for Principled Leadershipand Research Ethics (NCPRE) Education Programs23

Information Trust Institute (ITI)/Critical Infrastructure
Resilience Institute (CIRI) Workforce Development
and Educational Activities

ITI plans to generate revenue through the creation and delivery of in-person, hybrid, and virtual course
material for nondegree programs in partnership with industry and associations focused on cyber riskin critical infrastructure. It also plans to generate revenue through the creation of online curriculum/
content for degree and nondegree programs for a wide audience , focusing on cybersecurity risk in
critical infrastructure.

Center for Autonomy
The CfA is now offering a Master of Engineering in Autonomy & Robotics. This fast-paced, one-year
professional Master’s degree prepares students for leadership in the fields of robotics and autonomous
systems. Designed for those looking for a stepping-stone to technical and managerial careers
in the autonomy and robotics industries, the program harnesses the strength of several leading
academic departments in The Grainger College of Engineering to provide students with an in-depth,
interdisciplinary program. Details are provided at https://autonomy.illinois.edu/meng/academics.

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Appendix C: Details on Education Implementation Plans
This appendix first provides some of the context behind some of CSL’s planned educational objectives
and activities, followed by details on implementation plans.
In facilitating the development and delivery of reskilling and upskilling short courses, micro-certificates,and other nondegree programs to industry partners , a number of considerations are noteworthy.
• Of particular interest is the possibility of identifying or developing skilled professional trainers(non-faculty), perhaps even among CSL alumni, to deliver nondegree offerings, even when thenondegree offerings have been developed by faculty or modified from regular faculty materials.
•

CSL is becoming increasingly aware that its corporate partners are seeking ways to upskill o r
reskill their existing workforce rather than simply replenishing their ranks with recent graduates.
Many companies and millennials are not looking for traditional full courses and degrees , but
instruction delivery tailored to what they need and only what they need. Figuring out how todeliver on this could be a source of significant revenues and tighter connections with corporate
partners.

•

CSL is also interested in understanding how to incorporate these efforts into an integrated,holistic “lifelong learning” paradigm that would support Illinois graduates as they make theirway in their careers.

As noted in the main text, CSL is interested in leveraging connections into industry and industry sectors
to deliver popular, net revenue-generating professional development programs tailored to specificindustries, industry domains, and environments. In our view, this includes developing capabilities,
perhaps in partnership with other organizations like Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) and the Discovery
Partners Institute (DPI), in market intelligence and educational program deployment.
The following are details on each of the major initiatives CSL intends to pursue:
1. Inviting key CSL centers and institutes to form a professional program development planningcommittee charged with assessing what resources, staff, and organizational structure would beneeded for CSL to best support its centers and institutes in the delivery of professional education(social media, pricing, marketing, hosting, and delivery) in all its forms. This committee would betasked with assessing whether to recommend :a. The addition of staff and/or creation of teams with a mandate to support the launchof novel teaching and learning initiatives. These Individuals would, in particular, have amandate to overcome hurdles to out-of-the-box initiatives.
b. The development of a cadre of specialized administrators and education specialists tomanage and deliver professional development programs.
c. The development of a capacity for scaling up the deployments of programs in all theirforms and delivering them at scale. Of particular interest would be the potential forworking with third parties to meet this need.

25

2. Supporting the development of interdisciplinary MS/MEng degree-granting programs.
a.

Encourage CSL centers, institutes, and faculty to proactively identify opportunities
that transcend specific domains and thus complement departmental offerings.

b. Adopt an approach that lowers barriers to new programs but includes plans that allow
for sustainability and viable ongoing CSL operations in the longer term.
c.

Focus on mechanisms for providing access to shared testbeds and equipment for
graduate degree programs developed in partnership with faculty and their departments .

d. Develop MOU education program templates for space, resources, and revenue-sharing
terms that are fair yet transparent and simple to implement.
3. Focusing on workforce development nondegree professional education to meet upskilling
and reskilling needs of the human-cyber-physical systems industry. CSL anticipates that:a. Programs will include, but will not be limited to, micro-certifications, short courses,
massive open online courses (MOOCs), onsite delivery, online offerings, etc.
a. CSL will largely rely on its faculty, centers, and institutes to secure the funding needed
to develop and regularly update top-tier workforce development programs. CSL
would welcome, in this regard, the formation of a seed program at the College level for
professional program development, similar to the Strategic Research Initiative (SRI)
program.
b.

CSL will develop better connections to DPI, the Applied Research Ins titute (ARI), theGraduate College, and the Grainger College of Engineering Office of Graduate, Professionaland Online programs (GPO) to form a smoothly functioning professional education
ecosystem. This is intended to include capabilities for assessing market demand for
proposed programs, developing targeted marketing plans , and delivering programs. Of
high interest is the ability to put in place mechanisms and networks to secure access to
the resources, facilities, and personnel needed to deliver the materials, possibly throughthird parties, alumni, etc.

4. Incorporating education delivery in the design and upgrade of shared space (e.g., conference
rooms and recording capabilities).11 These spaces might serve as live experimental testbeds foraugmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) and other multimedia and learning systems research.
5. Continuing to support centers and institutes that offer Research Experiences for Undergraduates(REU) programs. REU programs are fully funded extensions of existing centers and institutes.
CSL will seek to provide the space, and access to other resources, that such programs require.

11

For example, CSL 301 could be upgraded to have auto-focusing cameras for hybrid course delivery. CSL could
also look to incorporate a state-of-the-art multimedia recording facility with the dual purpose of advancing
multimedia research and educational content excellence.

26

Appendix D: Details on DEI Implementation Plans

This appendix provides additional details on how CSL plans to address diversity, equity , and inclusion.
Educate faculty, postdocs, and senior personnel on DEI issues:• Train faculty and senior personnel in Team Science12. This will strengthen CSL’s position inleading centers being proposed to the federal government, where Team Science has gained
favor; it must be explicitly addressed in major NSF Center proposals. Team Science embraces
DEI.
•

Get faculty, staff, and students to undergo “Safe Zone”13 or similar training. This will begin witha small cohort to assess its impact and reception. If results are positive, CSL will communicate
findings to the College and campus and seek to expand the program if resources can be provided
to support the program.

•

Encourage the CSL Social Hour student organizing team to use the CSL Social Hour to celebrate
the different cultures that exist within CSL.

•

Recommend to the CSL Social Hour student organizing team that they host IDEA, asking IDEA
to present on the relationship among DEI, identity diversity, cognitive diversity, and impactfulbreakthrough innovations.

•

Encourage all CSL members to become familiar with the IDEA Institute and invite all CSL members
to consider joining IDEA.

•

Promote and host DEI talks and workshops in partnership with the IDEA Institute and otherorganizations

12

The Science of Team Science is a new interdisciplinary field that empirically examines the processes by whichlarge and small scientific teams, research centers, and institutes organize, communicate, and conduct research.
This includes understanding how teams connect and collaborate to achieve scientific breakthroughs that would not
be attainable by individual or simply additive efforts. For example: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our­work/thescience-of-team-science.

13

The Safe Zone Project (SZP) is a free online resource providing curricula, activities, and other resources foreducators facilitating Safe Zone trainings (sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ+ education sessions), and learners who arehoping to explore these concepts on their own. https://thesafezoneproject.com/.

27

Make it as easy as possible for CSL students, staff, and faculty to be informed of DEI issues and possible
courses of action they can take to make a positive contribution to creating a welcoming environment
for all:• Create a Broadening Participation Plan for CSL. Its development and plans of action should
actively engage CSL students and postdoctoral fellows and include actions in which they can
actively participate.
•

Ask IDEA, possibly by collaborating with the ASEE14 Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, toprovide access to the most relevant and accessible papers, articles, and books on DEI (e.g., toprovide links to facilitate such access).

•

Make proactive efforts to inform students and postdocs of organizations that can be leveraged forsupport and that can provide an increased sense of belonging. Organizations to be considered
include Women in Engineering, Women in Computer Science, Graduate Society of WomenEngineers, National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers,
Graduate Engineers Diversifying Illinois, and others as appropriate.

•

Encourage the formation of one or more book clubs, discussion groups , and/or other forums todiscuss relevant DEI pieces of literature per IDEA recommendations.

•

Take concrete steps to explore the possibility of converting some restrooms into gender -neutral
facilities that anyone can use.

Incentivize CSL participants to incorporate DEI in their thinking:• Encourage postdoc and student participation in DEI activities to strengthen their credentials for
future employment (i.e. stronger diversity statements when applying for faculty positions andindustry posts).

14•

Be willing to advocate for a measure to require postdoc applicants to provide a diversity
statement as part of the hiring process. Be willing to advocate for requiring applicants to senior
CSL administrative and communication positions to provide a diversity statement.

•

Encourage faculty to participate in DEI activities as a means of strengthening their credibility in
pursuing NSF and industry funding, given the expectation that this will become an increasingly
important selection criteria. This will have the additional benefit of strengthening theirbiodata form bona fides. The CSL Director will commit to communicating DEI participation to
department heads as part of the CSL Director’s contribution to annual faculty reviews.

American Society for Engineering Education.

28

•

Incorporate, where possible, a prompt for information on DEI activities as part of gathering
information for the application or nomination process for CSL awards such as the R.T. Chien
Civil Service and Academic Professional Awards, the CSL PhD Thesis Award, etc.

•

Work with the College to secure funding that might provide the means to remove barriers
to equity and inclusion via universal programs 15. Given that CSL’s biggest hiring role is in
hiring administrative support staff, CSL intends to place emphasis on hiring and retention of
a diverse staff pool.

In addition, CSL looks forward to advocating for the following initiatives that , in our view, would best
be offered at the College level, and thus could be undertaken by the IDEA Institute and/or Grainger
College of Engineering (GCOE).
•

Develop a comprehensive contact plan to expose a large majority of faculty, staff, and students
for them to develop a “DEI presence in the mind”- an instinctive consideration of DEI in these
individuals in the manner they conduct themselves and relate to their colleagues.

•

Get speakers on IDEA topics to give talks on DEI that CSL could promote .

•Develop a cadre of trusted facilitators and points of contact that individ uals from different
categories of minoritized individuals would feel safe in approaching to discuss issues ofconcern. The hope is that groups could work together to develop solutions and advocate forchange. 16•

Establish diverse workgroups to identify systematic discriminatory policies and processes andidentify symbols that reinforce discrimination and inequality, even if unintentionally17.

15“Universal programs” are non-targeted programs that do not require children or families to meet specificeligibility criteria and are financially accessible. Examples would include provision of laptops to all incoming
students.

16

CSL believes it would be beneficial to create safe environments in which individuals from across multiple units(who belong to minoritized groups that have few members within any one unit) to be able to share theirexperiences and seek support. This could include staff groups, postdoc groups, and student groups, for example.

17

An example of symbols that unintentionally reinforce inequality include photos of white men who were past
recipients of an award at a time when such awards were simply not given to others.

29