What is IVI?
Currently under development at Northwestern University, IVI is a cyber-infrastructure designed to enhance global collaborations in research and education. The conceptual design is based on the layout of a university campus, complete with campus buildings in cyberspace that can be accessed virtually from anywhere in the world. On this virtual campus, each building has a special topical area, e.g., Nanotechnology, Energy, and the Environment. Likewise, each floor has a focused function, e.g., Global Research Gallery, Information Resource Center, International Conferencing Center, and Personal Offices.
In offering these tools, the IVI will meet the need to harness the energy and participation of other institutions in the materials science community. To this end, it will partner with the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS), a worldwide consortium of materials research societies and technical groups that regularly holds meetings and symposia around the world to fulfill its mission of promoting worldwide interdisciplinary materials science research.
How to navigate within the IVI?
Our guests will arrive at the IVI Lobby through the gateway of Materials World Network. At the lobby, login and proceed to any of the floors. The IVI is an on-going project and some floors may not be complete. If you reach a floor that shows "Under Development," simply click on the elevator and navigate to another floor. You can log out from anywhere in the building.
Here are some common navigational tips that may help you:
The scrolling text in the lobby indicates the latest additions to the site.
Use the “Back” button on the right side if you want to return to the previous page.
If a vertical scroll bar appears along the right side of the display box, scroll down to view all the contents.
What is Global Research Gallery?
The Global Research Gallery is the first of several IVI features now under development. The Gallery is designed to enable members of the materials science community—from both the academy and industry—to promote research and form collaborations among researchers with disparate interests and backgrounds. Members will showcase their research posters and their products. Additionally, the GRG will house presentations and posters from different IUMRS meetings and symposia. This virtual gallery will be equipped with interactive links to a Directory of members and Corporate Partners.
How can I view the presentations and posters in the Global Research Gallery?
In order to gain access to any content area in the IVI, you must become an IVI member. At this moment all the members have contributed their powerpoint posters to the IVI. We welcome your participation by sending your research posters and you will be listed in our Member Directory. You will join an exclusive network of materials science researchers and developers. Click here to inquire about IVI Membership. Please type “IVI Membership” in the subject line and our staff will reply to you.
Why some pages download faster than others?
This table shows the approximate data transfer time using common Internet connections:
Connection
56.6 dial-up
One-channel ISDN
Fractional T-1 / cable modem
T-1 (1.544-Mbps) / DSL
Estimated ideal data transfer throughput
5.2-KB/sec
6.2-KB/sec
50-KB/sec
151-KB/sec
Transfer time is:
If file size is:
1 sec
5.2 KB
6.2 KB
50 KB
151 KB
5 sec
26 KB
161 KB
250 KB
755 KB
10 sec
52 KB
322 KB
500 KB
1,510 KB
Data transfer time is directly proportionate to the size of the file.
Example: A 52KB file could take 10 seconds to download with a 56.6 kbps modem.
Formula: data byte/ data transfer rate (KiloByte/sec) = time (sec)
What to do if I cannot find the answers in any of the FAQ's?
In each section there is an FAQ page to answer common queries. If you have any question that is not on the lists, please feel free to send an email to our webmaster. Click here or click “Contact Us” on the banner. Please type “Question on IVI” in the subject line and our staff will look into it.
