News Update 05-27-2003
SPONSOR: Casey Green, Founding Director of Campus Computing, to Speak
at Syllabus2003
Kenneth C. "Casey" Green has spent more than two decades researching the computer
revolution in higher education. Hear his insights on innovation and information
technology and its role on campus in his keynote address at Syllabus2003, July
27-31 in San Jose, Calif. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Syllabus2003 offers
five days of outstanding keynotes, panels, breakout sessions, networking, and
more! Don't miss the opportunity to participate in this summer's 10th annual
conference at the new San Jose Marriott, with a special day of programming at
Stanford University. For complete conference details and to register, go to
www.syllabus.com/summer2003.
Register before June 27 and save up to $200 with the Early Bird discount.
MIT, Army, Unveil Futuristic Soldier Center
MIT last week opened the Institute for Solider Nanotechnologies (ISN), the
result of a $50 million Army contract won last year to build a center to develop
combat gear with atom-sized materials. Such gear would allow soldiers to become
partially invisible, leap over walls, and treat their own wounds on the battlefield.
"If you want to visualize the impact of nanotechnology, think about the movie
'Predator,'" Army Chief Scientist Michael Andrews told the Reuters news agency.
ISN scientists envision uniforms lined with a slurry of fluids that can go from
flexible to stiff during combat. Several corporations are joining the effort.
DuPont Co., for example, will explore uniforms that change colors to camouflage
soldiers in changing environments. Other ideas include weaving radio communication
materials directly into a uniform's fabric.
Stanford B-School to Broadcast Via CNET News.com
Stanford Knowledgebase, a business journal published by Stanford University's
Graduate School of Business, will republish its content electronically through
the computer media site CNET News.com. The resource is the fifth business editorial
content site to offer free access to its material via the site. CNET also announced
a "Business Elites" Web page featuring analytical work by Knowledge@Wharton
from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard Business
School's Working Knowledge, "The McKinsey Quarterly," and Booz Allen Hamilton's
"strategy+business." Barbara Buell, director of communication at the Stanford
Graduate School of Business, said the relationship with CNET "helps us deliver
information about the knowledge developed at Stanford Business School to a wider
business audience that is looking for thoughtful insights and ideas about complex
issues in business."
Georgia School Boosts Connectivity with Wireless LAN
The State University of West Georgia, whose student body of approximately 10,000
is about half commuters, installed a wireless local area network (LAN) system
that will provide anytime connectivity across the campus to any student or staff
member with a wireless-enabled computer.
Prior to installation of the 3Com Inc.
network, the school struggled to provide access to its network—it had no
network jacks in common areas to connect laptops, and commuter students were
forced to wait in lines at computer labs and the library. Although dormitory
residents enjoyed the convenience of Ethernet connections in their rooms, they
also were limited to hard-wired computers to access the LAN elsewhere on campus.
The wireless LAN will be based on 58 access points, each of which supports up
to 256 simultaneous users, 1,000 users running security-enhanced encryption
and 1,000 passwords for network authentication. Twelve omni-directional antennae
atop campus buildings will distribute the maximum 11Mbps links to most campus
locations—both indoor and outside.
Dotcom Introduces Homeland Security Online Courses
RedVector.com, which works with subject matter experts to develop online courses
for professionals in the engineering, architecture, and construction fields,
announced a series of courses focused on homeland security. The courses cover
protecting building environments against chemical, biological, and radiological
attacks, Department of Defense standards, and secure whole building design.
RedVector.com's course library currently features more than 1,700 online courses
specializing in continuing education, certification, licensing exam preparation,
and corporate training.
Deals, Contracts, Awards in Higher Education Market
WIRELESS—Anglia Polytechnic University (APU), based in
Chelmsford, England, installed a wireless telephone system developed by SpectraLink
Corp. The decision to incorporate NetLink Wireless Telephones with a new Wi-Fi
wireless local area network is part of APU's plan to create a high-tech education
facility that will serve as a model for future campus expansions. Faculty will
use the phones while attending classes, meeting with students, and conducting
research.
ADMIN SYSTEMS—Utah State has chosen Collegis to help
implement a new administrative data management system. The project is part of
a multi-year migration to SCT Banner, an administrative data management software
platform. Utah State's choice of Collegis as third-party implementer of the
new software came after a formal bidding and an RFP mandated of public higher
education institutions such as Utah State. The agreement with Collegis invests
approximately $3 million over three years for comprehensive technology services
and assistance with managing the new enterprise resource planning system.