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VIVO—Creating a Virtual Community for the Life Sciences at Cornell

A key goal of Cornell’s new Life Sciences Initiative is to support collaboration among biologists, engineers, physical and social scientists, mathematicians, and computer scientists to enhance both research and education in the life sciences. Yet the very breadth of this multidisciplinary effort, coupled with the complexity of Cornell’s institutional structure and multiple campuses, can make it difficult for students and faculty members to find information on current research and potential collaborators. To solve that problem, CUL has created VIVO, a powerful Web-based index to life sciences resources, instruction, research, personnel, and facilities at Cornell.

VIVO brings together in one Web site all the information you need to figure out who’s doing what, where, and how in the life sciences at Cornell—and what library resources are available to support that work. This virtual library provides easy access to online databases, software tools, and image collections licensed for use by the Cornell community, as well as to important external resources. A VIVO search transcends campus, college, and department divides to provide an integrated view of the life sciences at Cornell.

Janet McCue, the director of Mann Library, said, “In a sense, VIVO is a virtual community center where students and faculty can not only find the information they need to support their research, but also connect with others who are pursuing similar studies.”

For more information about VIVO, contact Medha Devare, at mhd6@cornell.edu or 255-2199.

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