Hard-technology discovery audit
Branch: development
Baseline: last commit shared with main — 3169eb15 (merge-base)
Window: 22 commits on development since baseline (AGIF/ORS/RFUMS/CIRCLE + Phase 2 candidate pipeline + ORS internal-program reports)
Mode: audit only — no repository content modified, no resources/relationships created, no candidates promoted
Related: Repository-wide refactor governance · Candidate preservation implementation · Hypertext & reciprocity audit
1. Executive summary
Since the last commit shared with main, the repository-wide IKaC refactors have produced massive growth in the grants layer (grant_count 39 → 922, +883) and a working candidate-preservation pipeline, but negligible growth in promoted physical-research-infrastructure pages.
Headline finding: 0 new hard-technology resource pages were created. All infrastructure "promotions" were typed grant→facility links onto pre-existing pages (6 links across 4 facilities). Every genuinely new physical-infrastructure signal (labs, clinics, equipment) was preserved as a candidate, not promoted — which is governance-correct, but means the original ORS mission of discovering and documenting physical research infrastructure is currently bottlenecked at promotion, not discovery.
| Mission dimension | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Discover infrastructure | Working — 9+ hard-tech labs/facilities surfaced as candidates |
| Document infrastructure | Lagging — 0 new facility pages; existing pages enriched only |
| Connect infrastructure | Partial — 6 new grant→facility links; reciprocity manual/sparse |
| Validate infrastructure | Partial — verification refreshed on 4 facilities; candidates unverified |
The dominant new content is grants and administrative program structure, not physical resources. Infrastructure discovery is concentrated in AGIF award reports; the internal-grant / paid-leave / URAP packets were almost entirely administrative.
2. Promoted hard-technology resources
No new resource pages. The following existing hard-technology facilities received new evidence-backed grant→facility links (status: implemented):
| Resource | Type | New link(s) | Grant | Source packet | Evidence | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDM-009 NexGeN Lab | networking/computing lab | GRL-017 | GRA-878 | agif-reports-2018-2025 | AGIF appendix: "Next Generation Networking Lab: NexGeN"; PI Oteafy; $100k | high |
| CDM-014 HPCC | HPC / computing infrastructure | GRL-018 | GRA-916 | agif-reports-2018-2025 | AGIF: "DePaul High-Performance Compute Cloud"; $300k | high |
| UNI-006 DIGI Lab | instructional game/innovation lab | GRL-019 | GRA-921 | agif-reports-2018-2025 | AGIF: DIGI Lab Working Model; $99,993 | high |
| CDM-011 MedIX / VIDA | informatics/imaging research lab | GRL-013, GRL-015, GRL-016 | GRA-052, GRA-055, GRA-407 | ors-annual-reports-2020-2025 | Featured/annual narratives name MedIX REU | high/medium |
Provenance: data/grant_resource_links.yaml; reciprocal prose added on CDM-011. 4 facilities, 6 links, 0 new pages.
3. Candidate hard-technology resources (preserved, not promoted)
From data/review/resource_candidates.yaml and packet extracted/candidates.yaml:
| Candidate | Type | Status | Source packet | Evidence | Confidence | Existing page | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immersion Lab (Interaction Design Research Space) | laboratory | candidate | agif-reports-2018-2025 | AGIF FY24-25; PI Ramsay; $99,980 | medium | none | RC-001 |
| CoBaAB Lab (Computational Biology & Applied Bioinformatics) | laboratory | candidate | agif-reports-2018-2025 | AGIF; PI Ramaraj | medium | none (≠ CDM-011?) | RC-002 |
| Virtual & Augmented Reality Communication Lab (VARC) | laboratory | candidate | agif-reports-2018-2025 | AGIF $78,400; Booth/McEwan | medium | none | RC-003 |
| Assisted Locomotion Laboratory | laboratory | candidate | agif-reports-2018-2025 | AGIF FY21-22; PI Huzaifa | medium | CDM-006 (ambiguous) | RC-004 |
| Cybersecurity Clinic | facility | candidate | agif-reports-2018-2025 | AGIF FY23-24; PI Spears | low | CDM-004/007 unconfirmed | RC-005 |
| Connolly Lab | laboratory | candidate | ors-annual-reports-2020-2025 | Featured NIH HSV — Connolly laboratory expertise | high | none | RC-006 |
| Anatomy and Physiology Lab | laboratory | candidate | internal-grant-reports | auto-extracted from report text | medium | none | packet candidates.yaml |
| Tobacco Use Research Lab | laboratory | candidate | rfums-dpu-grants-2024-2023 | auto-extracted (PDF) | medium | none | packet candidates.yaml |
| Argonne National Laboratory | laboratory (external) | candidate (matched) | rfums-dpu-grants-2024-2023 | auto-extracted; matched EXT-003 | high | EXT-003 | packet candidates.yaml |
| National Cancer Institute | institute (external funder) | candidate | rfums-dpu-grants-2024-2023 | auto-extracted | medium | none | packet candidates.yaml |
| Resuscitation Institute | institute (external) | candidate | rfums-dpu-grants-2024-2023 | auto-extracted | medium | none | packet candidates.yaml |
| DePaul Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic | facility (non-tech) | candidate | ors-annual-reports-2020-2025 | ORS Tier C listing | medium | none | RC-007 |
Highest-value unpromoted DePaul hard-tech labs: Immersion Lab, CoBaAB Lab, VARC, Assisted Locomotion Lab, Connolly Lab (5 with grant-backed evidence and no page).
4. Equipment discoveries
Effectively none. No equipment-collection candidates were produced. The closest signals are infrastructure-as-facility (HPCC/HPC Cloud → CDM-014, already a page). The candidate registry's equipment: 1 summary counter is not backed by a discrete equipment candidate record. Gap: equipment/instrumentation discovery is the weakest layer — no source packet in this window itemized instruments, fabrication tools, or equipment inventories.
5. Facility discoveries
- DePaul research facilities/labs surfaced: 7 candidate labs (§3) + 1 clinic (Cybersecurity Clinic).
- External facilities matched: Argonne National Laboratory → EXT-003 (high confidence) — confirms the registry-backed matcher works.
- Repeatedly appearing facilities (multi-source): MedIX/VIDA (CDM-011) appears across ORS featured + annual + AGIF (CoBaAB ambiguity) — strongest multi-source facility signal, already promoted via 3 GRLs. NexGeN (CDM-009) and HPCC (CDM-014) appear in AGIF + existing pages.
- Non-DePaul/administrative facilities (low map value): National Cancer Institute, Resuscitation Institute (external funders), Asylum & Immigration Legal Clinic (non-technology).
6. Infrastructure relationship audit
For the promoted/candidate hard-tech resources:
| Resource | People | Grants | Pubs | Outputs | Programs | Partners | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDM-009 NexGeN | Oteafy (PER-004, via grant) | GRA-878 (GRL-017) | — | — | AGIF | — | grant link implemented; person link candidate/indirect |
| CDM-014 HPCC | Picher (unresolved) | GRA-916 (GRL-018) | — | — | AGIF | — | grant link implemented; person unresolved |
| UNI-006 DIGI Lab | Klass (PER, via grant) | GRA-921 (GRL-019) | — | — | AGIF | — | grant link implemented |
| CDM-011 MedIX | Raicu (PER-015) | GRA-052/055/407 | — | — | — | — | implemented; reciprocal prose present |
| Connolly Lab (cand.) | Sarah Connolly (unregistered) | NIH HSV | — | — | — | — | candidate (REL-002) |
| Assisted Locomotion (cand.) | Huzaifa (PER-007) | GRA-913 | — | — | AGIF | — | candidate (REL-001/004) |
Relationship records: data/review/relationship_candidates.yaml (REL-001..010). Implemented infra edges: REL-APL-001..003 + GRL-013/015/016. Candidate infra edges: REL-001, REL-002, REL-004, REL-010. Rejected: REL-003 (Sharevski→Secure Design Lab — narrative did not name the lab).
7. Reciprocity audit
- New reciprocal links created: ~1 explicit (CDM-011 reciprocal prose for Raicu/MedIX); person↔office reciprocity via
people.yaml(Miller↔UNI-001, Raicu↔CDM-011/UNI-001). - Missing reciprocal links identified:
- CDM-009 / CDM-014 / UNI-006 pages do not back-reference their funding grants in a "Linked Relationship IDs"/Documented-Relationships sense (grant→facility is one-way via GRL).
- HPCC (CDM-014) PI Picher unresolved → no person↔facility reciprocity.
- Candidate labs (Immersion, CoBaAB, VARC, Connolly, Assisted Locomotion) have no pages, so no reciprocal structure can exist yet.
- ORS (UNI-001) → internal programs (URC/QIC/PSC/URAP) is preserved as candidate REL-010 only (programs have no pages).
- Automated reciprocity remains deferred to Phase 3 (no tool computes it).
8. Source effectiveness analysis
| Source type | Infrastructure | Equipment | Capability | Mostly administrative? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGIF award reports | Highest — 3 promoted facilities + 5 candidate labs/clinic | none | innovation/instructional | no |
| ORS annual reports | Medium — Connolly Lab, MedIX links, clinics | none | research administration | partly |
| RFUMS / DPU-RFU packets | Medium — Argonne (matched), Tobacco Use Lab, institutes | none | AI/health research | partly |
| Internal grant reports | Low — 1 weak auto "Anatomy & Physiology Lab" | none | internal-funding admin | yes |
| Paid leave reports | Lowest — 1 parse artifact | none | faculty leave admin | yes |
| URAP reports | None | none | undergrad research funding | yes |
| CIRCLE report | None (program/curricular) | none | curriculum indexing | yes |
Conclusion: grant/award packets that name projects and labs (AGIF above all) are by far the most productive infrastructure sources. Aggregate ORS program reports (internal grants, paid leave, URAP, CIRCLE) are administrative and yield little physical-resource signal.
9. Gaps and missed opportunities
- Discovered but not promoted (hard-tech): Immersion Lab, CoBaAB Lab, VARC, Assisted Locomotion Lab, Connolly Lab, Anatomy & Physiology Lab, Tobacco Use Research Lab (7).
- Equipment collections discovered but not promoted: none discovered — systemic gap; no source itemized instruments/fabrication/equipment.
- Facilities repeatedly appearing across sources: MedIX/VIDA (promoted), NexGeN, HPCC.
- Insufficient evidence: Cybersecurity Clinic (low), CoBaAB vs MedIX disambiguation, Assisted Locomotion ↔ CDM-006 ambiguity.
- Lacking reciprocal links: CDM-009, CDM-014, UNI-006 (grant back-refs); all candidate labs.
- Lacking people links: CDM-014 (PI Picher unresolved); candidate labs (Connolly, CoBaAB).
- Lacking grant links: Anatomy & Physiology Lab, Tobacco Use Research Lab (auto-extracted, not yet tied to a grant).
- Lacking provenance: none material — every candidate carries source_file + evidence_snippet.
- Lacking verification: all §3 candidates are unverified (no resource page / verification record).
10. Recommended next sources for maximum infrastructure discovery
- CDM "Labs & Facilities" web capture and CSH lab directory — directly enumerates physical labs/equipment; would promote the 5+ candidate labs and seed equipment inventories.
- Faculty lab websites for the unregistered PIs: Connolly (CSH), Huzaifa (CDM-006/Assisted Locomotion), Ramaraj (CoBaAB), Ramsay (Immersion Lab) — convert candidate labs → pages with people + equipment.
- HPCC / research-computing service pages — itemize HPC nodes, storage, and instrumentation (equipment layer, currently empty).
- College of Communication site — VARC lab.
- Core facilities / shared-instrumentation catalogs (microscopy, fabrication, machine shop, makerspace) — the single highest-value untapped source for the equipment/instrumentation gap.
- De-prioritize further aggregate ORS program reports (paid leave, URAP, internal-grant) for infrastructure purposes — they are administrative.
Summary counts (since main baseline 3169eb15)
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| New hard-technology resources promoted (new pages) | 0 |
| New hard-technology candidates preserved | ~9 DePaul labs/clinics (+3 external institutes/labs) |
| New equipment candidates preserved | 0 |
| New facility candidates preserved | 7 labs + 2 clinics (1 external partner matched: Argonne) |
| New infrastructure relationships created (grant→facility) | 6 (GRL-013/015/016/017/018/019 → 4 facilities) |
| New infrastructure relationships preserved as candidates | 4 (REL-001/002/004/010) + 1 rejected (REL-003) |
| New reciprocal links created | ~1 explicit (CDM-011) + people.yaml person↔office pairs |
| Missing reciprocal links identified | ≥6 (3 promoted facilities + candidate labs) |
| Context: total grants | 39 → 922 (+883) |
| Context: new people | +1 (PER-118) |
| Context: new resource pages | 0 |