Organization
 

The Center, hosted by the School of Physics, brings together faculty and students from Colleges and Schools across Georgia Tech. Center's goals are to give the Georgia Tech nonlinear program firmer cross-disciplinary footing, more visibility and greater coherence, and to aid in graduate and faculty recruiting.

The Center is administered by the Director and the Executive Committee.

1. Director:
1. Vice-Provost for Research appoints the Director of Center for an initial 3 year term, and thereafter either re-appoints or appoints a new Director for subsequent 3 year terms.
2. Vice-Provost for Research approves the scientific program and the budget of the Center as presented by the Director.
3. Director appoints Center faculty, post-doctoral fellows, visiting faculty, administrative and technical personnel.
4. Director is responsible for Center's accounting.
5. Daily Center expenditures, travel grants and short term visitor reimbursement are approved by the Director.
6. Director presents the Center yearly activity report to Vice-Provost for Research.
7. Director receives 2 months summer salary.
8. A Deputy Director appointed by the Director supervises day-to-day activities in Director's absence.

 

 

2. Executive Committee:

Training, research, and other scientific activities of the Center are supervised by the Executive Committee
 
1. Executive Committee consists of the Director and 4 faculty members, each elected annually by 2/3 majority of the Center Faculty, by open ballot.
2. Each year a graduate student representative, elected by the Center Faculty's graduate students, is appointed for a one year term to the Committee, without voting rights.
3. Executive Committee meets prior to the start of each academic year, and then at least twice per semester during the academic year. The meetings are chaired by the Director. Non-Center faculty or external experts may be invited by the Director to take part as non-voting members. Points can be introduced to the meeting agenda by the faculty as well as by the graduate students' representative.
4. At the beginning of the academic year the Executive Committee appoints and sets the budget for
1. a faculty coordinator for courses in nonlinear sciences to be offered across the participating Schools
2. a faculty member and a graduate student in charge of the Center seminar series
3. a faculty member and a graduate student in charge of the organization of the annual Center workshop
5. Executive Committee proposes the allocation of Center resources, which includes:
1. Faculty nominates Center visitors and brings forth proposals for the Center activities. The Executive Committee evaluates the proposals and proposed budgets, and the Director acts on the basis of Executive Committee's recommendation.
2. Executive Committee collaborates with the participating Schools in graduate program recruitment initiatives, such as hosting of prospective students and organizing graduate student retreats.
3. Executive Committee recommends to the Director the appointments of Center J. Ford Fellows and other Post-doctoral Fellows (normally for 2 years, maximally 3 years) and Visiting Professors (normally for an academic semester).
4. Executive Committee acts on students' and faculty applications for funds to help cover the travel expenses of attending conferences and workshops.
3. Faculty:
1. Current Faculty and Associate Members of the Center are listed on www.cns.gatech.edu/people.html.
2. Director convenes a full Faculty meeting no less than once a semester.
3. New candidates for the Center Faculty are nominated by the current Faculty. Election requires 2/3 majority of the Center Faculty, by open ballot.
4. The initial appointment to the Center Faculty is for a three year period. The director can re-appoint members of the Center Faculty for subsequent three year periods.
5. Director can appoint a Georgia Tech or external faculty as an Associate Member of the Center, for a one year period. After a year, such appointments lapse, unless the Faculty deems the activity of the Associate Member to be of sufficient importance to the Center to merit election to the Faculty, as in c).

 
4. Administrative secretary

Administers the visitor program. Assists with Center accounting, grant applications, correspondence, manuscript preparation, travel arrangements, seminar scheduling and home-pages maintenance. Center secretary schedules and keeps minutes of the Executive Committee and Faculty meetings.
 
5. Systems Manager
1. A systems manager with Unix expertise employed by the School of Physics will have the overall responsibility for Center's computer support (installation, upgrades, backups, security, account management and assistance, selecting components and vendors), maintains a reliable, up-to-date computer network for Center staff and visitors.
2. The manager can delegate the day-to-day assistance to student help funded by the Center, but working under the systems manager's supervision.
3. A web site manager employed by the School will be responsible for the Center homepages maintenance, under the supervision of the Center secretary and director.


6. Accounting:

Center accounts as well as the individual PI accounts included under the Center umbrella are administered by the School of Physics accounting staff.
 
7. Funding:
   The seed funding for an initial period of 3 years is provided by the Georgia Institute of Technology, as negotiated by the Director. Continuation of the Center is contingent upon Center Faculty's ability to secure external funding.

 
8. Start date:

Center will officially open and the OSP funding will start subsequent to the completion of the renovation of the space assigned to the Center, at a date to be agreed upon between the Director and the Vice-Provost for Research.
 
9. Renewal, termination:

Vice-Provost for Research can seek an independent expert evaluation of the Center at any time, and either terminate or renew the Center status with no less than 18 month advance notice.

Last edited by P. Cvitanovic', Aug 2 2000