In a broadly circulated public message distributed on the university's IowaNow web platform, UI President Bruce Harreld has cited the UI Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD) as an example of how the university "has long been an epicenter of groundbreaking research, scholarship, and creative work."

Directed by Karim Abdel-Malek, professor of biomedical engineering, CCAD has bridged many departments and colleges on campus and expanded from 27 researchers to more than 160 in the last decade.

Though CCAD encompasses seven excellent interdisciplinary programs, he highlighted three that have attained national and international recognition and continue to push the envelope in simulation research--the Operator Performance Laboratory, Virtual Soldier Research, and National Advanced Driving Simulator.
In addition, CCAD has successfully transitioned research to a number of commercial entities, helping with economic development. The center has successfully led to the formation of 11 distinct ventures.

To read President Harreld's complete message, go to https://now.uiowa.edu/2018/03/president-harreld-importance-groundbreaking-ui-research