More about what we do at
IST
If you're still in the dark about
IST, join the crowd. Simulation research is many-sided and one of
the challenges we face is explaining the multifaceted capabilities
of our staff—and student—researchers.
The university two decades ago made
simulation research a priority. UCF established the institute not to
do this research in a vacuum but to provide opportunities for
learning and for strengthening the central Florida simulation
industry.
So much of our research (a learning
process) is conducted by many of the brightest and most highly
motivated students at the university, guided by talented and highly
regarded faculty and staff researchers. Most of these students carry
their IST-acquired discipline and skills directly to the high tech
community.
But what do students and staff
research at IST? And who pays for it?
Second question first: Much of our
research is sponsored by the Department of Defense and other
government entities. That's primarily because they depend on
simulation research to develop effective training programs for
public safety management and national defense. Often the results of
this research once made available to private industry are
transferred to public use. As a matter of fact, UCF made this
technology transfer a priority, setting up an extensive
infrastructure to promote and encourage commercial success with
university research products.
Our researchers look at all
aspects of simulation science, from the psychological effects of
"wandering around" in cyberspace to ways to talk to
computer-generated forces.
Some examples (roll over the
underlined copy to pop up a box):
Fully Immersive Team Trainer
Inter-vehicle Embedded
Simulation Technology
We study the training effect of
simulations—whether they train people correctly for a task—and even
whether simulation is the best way to learn under certain
circumstances.
Our mathematicians (gratuitous fact:
UCF's math department faculty are cited in others' scholarly works
even more than math professors at Harvard), engineers and
computer scientists dig down to the very foundations of simulation
science in a continual effort to create faster, cost effective and
increasingly more accurate solutions to modeling and simulation
problems.
Some of the "spin-offs" of all this
research are
- Web-based data management systems
that speed research and help prevent redundancy
- Parallel computer clusters that
speed up simulation database processing
- Training programs for people
already in the simulation business
- Application to simulation of
personal communications devices and other modes of sending and
receiving information
- Entertainment values tied to
learning applications to increase overall retention
As you can see, there is a lot going
on at IST. For a full appreciation of all that we do, contact us for
a visit.
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