Summary of Membership Benefits and Costs
| Table of CIFE Membership Levels - Options, Costs & Benefits | ||||
| MEMBERSHIP LEVEL | CONTRIBUTOR | MEMBER | ASSOCIATE | PARTNER |
| Annual Fee |
|
|
|
|
| Facilitated Recruiting of Graduate Students |
|
|
|
|
|
1 day
|
5 days
|
10 days
|
15 days
|
|
| Discounted Rates for CIFE Conferences |
|
|
|
|
| Web Site Access (Password-Protected Sections) |
|
|
|
|
| Member Bulletin |
|
|
|
|
| Technical Reports, Videos |
|
|
|
|
| Mini Internships |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Membership on Technical Committees (TAC) |
|
1 to 3 people
|
1 to 3 people
|
1 to 3 people
|
| Membership on Industry Advisory Board (IAB) |
|
1 person
|
1 person
|
1 or 2 people
|
| Annual Visit from Faculty Member |
|
|
|
|
| Visiting Fellows at CIFE |
|
|
|
|
Benefits Available at All Membership Levels
CIFE operates under the Stanford Stanford University Policies affecting Industrial Affiliates Program Memberships.
Facilitated Recruiting of Students
CIFE facilitates access to students who may be interested in industrial employments. CIFE will circulate position descriptions among graduate and undergraduate students (as appropriate) and help match students with positions/member companies.
A 3-to-5-day program is offered each summer (usually in the second half of June), where all CIFE members can send representatives to obtain an in-depth exposure to CIFE research from the participating faculty and students. The program is a mixture of lectures, workshops, vendor presentations and group participation by attendees. Although the pace is intense, there is also opportunity for relaxation and discussions with other attendees. Contributors may send a delegate for one day tuition-free, Members have 4 tuition-free days, Associates, 8 tuition-free days, and Partners 12 tuition-free days at the Summer Program. All non-tuitionl expenses are paid by the attenee's company. Additional days and/or attendees are at special, reduced tuition rates.
Access to Conferences at Greatly Reduced Rates
Occasionally, CIFE hosts special conferences, seminars, and workshops (often based on the encouragement or in cooperation with its members). Speakers from industry, Stanford, and other academic institutions, working on CIFE-related research, are invited to make presentations on theoretical and practical aspects of advanced virtual design and construction technology and business issues. During workshop sessions, smaller groups discuss aspects of the presented material. These conferences are open to non-members for a fee; CIFE members are admitted at a significant discount.
Topics of the previous conferences and seminars include:
Access to Password-protected Sections CIFE's World Wide Web Site
CIFE maintains an extensive amount of information on the web that describes the people, research projects, publications, CIFE events calendar, information about past conferences and the most current Summer Program. This site also provides information about CIFE's membership and terms and benefits of membership, as well as transportation and accommodation information.
Access to the Online Member Bulletin:
We issue periodic bulletins on our web site. The link to the most current bulletin's link is at: http://cife.stanford.edu/Events/
Technical Reports, Video Tapes and Prototype Software
The Center's research results are recorded in technical reports, working papers (interim results), video tapes and software products. All Technical Reports and Working Papers, published since January 2000, are available on the website in pdf format. Older reports are only available in printed format. A single copy of these printed reports is distributed free of charge to all members who request them. Additional copies of reports and videotapes are available for a small fee to cover reproduction and mailing. These products are also made available to outside research and industrial organizations, as all seed research at CIFE is public. The prototype software developed at CIFE is available on an unsupported basis to CIFE members, although license fees may exist for licensed products (both from Stanford and other vendors whose products were used in the research project).
Additional Benefits Available at Member, Associate, & Partner Levels
Mini-internships enable companies to propose an engineering problem that could benefit from analysis with 3D, 4D, and other virtual design and construction (VDC) technologies. A group of Stanford students work on a member's problem with VDC tools as their project during the Stanford VDC class (usually taught from January to March each year). If desired and mutually agreeable, the student group then visits a site of the member company during Spring break (in late March) to continue the project. The visiting student team explains its use of VDC methods and its approach and works collaboratively with a small group of company engineers and managers to develop an alternative to or an in-depth analysis of the engineering problem with the VDC methods.
Visits by Faculty to CIFE Members
Each year, at a mutually agreed time, a member of the Stanford faculty who is pursuing CIFE research, will make a one-day visit to CIFE member companies. The purpose of the visit is to present an overview of relevant research topics and to review issues of interest to the company. Except travel costs, there is no additional costs for this visit.
Membership on Industry Advisory Board (IAB)
The IAB meets annually in the fall. It is composed of senior managers of CIFE member at the Member level and above. Associate- and Member-level firms are permitted one representative in this group; Partner-level firms may send two representatives. The purpose of the IAB is to provide overall policy guidance and direction to CIFE. This group provides the direction for major research initiatives and CIFE programs.
Membership on Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
The TAC meets in the spring (in March or April) to review proposed CIFE seed research projects, select the projects that will receive support, and determine funding levels for the projects.
Additional Benefits Available at Associate & Partner Levels
The Visiting Fellows (VF) program is designed to enable close collaboration between the CIFE Partner and CIFE to explore and develop a research area of mutual interest.
A VF can be a member of the Partner’s staff who is working at CIFE as a visitor or as a student. A VF can also be a Stanford student who is working at Stanford or at a Partner site to advance research in that way.
VF
from Partner at CIFE
A CIFE Partner can send a staff member (or members) to work at Stanford as a
Visiting Fellow (VF). These individuals become part of existing research teams
and are given office space with access to all facilities at CIFE (including
hardware and software). In addition, they can audit classes and attend colloquia
at no additional charge. If a VF desires to work on an individual research project,
CIFE works to match the VF with an appropriate faculty member who can guide
the research. The year at Stanford is divided into quarters: fall, winter, spring
and summer. Each quarter is three months long. Partner level members may send
a VF for one year (four quarters total). There is a charge for additional quarters.
VF
from Partner at Stanford University as a student
A CIFE Partner may elect to have one of its staff members attend Stanford University
as a student (usually as a graduate student pursuing a M.S., Engineer, or Ph.D.
degree) and pursue joint research in this capacity. Like all prospective students,
the staff member will need to go through the regular admissions process. If
admitted, the Partner level contribution covers up to 10 units of tuition per
quarter. Additional expenses (e.g., housing, salary, travel, books) need to
be covered by the Partner.
Stanford
student at Partner
A Partner may elect to work with a Stanford student in the context of the VF
program. This is usually a Ph.D. student who is working on a topic of joint
interest. As mutually agreed, the student may work at Stanford or at a Partner
site. The Partner contribution covers the tuition and stipend for the student
(at the 10 unit or 50% research assistantship level). Additional expenses (e.g.,
travel, accommodation) need to be covered by the Partner.
Further Membership Information
Please contact:
|
Dr. John Kunz |
Last updated: May 2, 2005.