News 03-06-2001
Syllabus Extends Early Bird Deadline
The Early Bird 10 percent discount off registration fees for the Syllabus spring2001
conference has been extended to March 21. Online registration is available at
www.syllabus.com, or registration forms can be faxed. The spring2001 conference,
to be held at the Dr. Albert B. Sabin Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati,
April 5-8, will address Campus Communications: From World Wide Web to Wireless.
The conference will present a framework for successful integration and implementation
of new communications technologies on campus. A variety of breakout sessions,
case studies, workshops, seminars, and technology demonstrations will provide
exciting opportunities for attendees to absorb the fundamentals of technology
use and gain a practical understanding of how to implement information technologies
at the classroom, program, and institutional levels.
Visit SyllabusWeb at www.syllabus.com/cincinnati/index.asp
for complete session descriptions and more information about Syllabus spring2001.
Jones International Launches Online M.Ed.
Jones International University, a fully online accredited university, launched
six online master of education (M.Ed.) programs in e-learning offered completely
via the Internet. Specifically designed to meet the needs of working professionals,
the degree programs offered are: Research and Assessment, Corporate Training
and Knowledge Management, Global Leadership and Administration, Library and
Resource Management, Technology and Design, and a Generalist Master of Education
in e-learning. To complement the degree programs, JIU is also introducing eight
e-learning professional education programs.
For more information, visit www.jonesinternational.edu.
Yipes Partners With Universities for Internet2 Access
Yipes Communications, a provider of scalable bandwidth on demand, recently
announced that its optical IP networks have been selected to link several regional
institutions with the Internet2 core network infrastructure.Yipes' optical IP
networks now give customers scalable access to Internet2 at gigabit speeds through
three sites: Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX) in College Park, Md.; the Mid-Atlantic
GigaPoP in Philadelphia for Internet2 (MAGPI), overseen by the University of
Pennsylvania; and the Goddard GigaPoP at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in
Worcester, Mass.
For more information on the Internet2 GigaPoPs served by Yipes, visit www.oit.umd.edu/max/
(MAX), www.magpi.net (MAGPI), and www.wpi.edu/Admin/IT/Internet2/
(Goddard).
Grant Help for Undergrad Science Programs
GrantsNet, the free Web site (www.grantsnet.org)
that provides information on grants and fellowships for young biomedical researchers,
has introduced a new database on undergraduate-level programs.
Professors and
administrators who seek to provide undergraduates with research experience and
other opportunities will find hundreds of programs that offer support. GrantsNet
also unveiled several new features, such as a My GrantsNet option that allows
users to keep informed of new funding opportunities through e-mail alerts, and
to save searches or update registration information quickly. The Howard Hughes
Medical Institute (HHMI) and the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS), which sponsor GrantsNet,announced the changes during a career
fair at the AAAS annual meeting.
Internet as Tool in College Admissions Recruiting
The study, "The Internet as an Admissions Tool - 2000," shows an increase in
the use of the Internet as a marketing and applications tool by colleges and
universities. Findings of the study include: 86 percent of institutions permit
students to download, complete, and mail applications; 75 percent of institutions
permit students to complete an application and transmit electronically; 73 percent
of Internet inquiries came from geographical areas beyond those traditionally
served by institutions; and 57 percent of institutions use the Internet for
cross-functional operations. The full study, conducted by Education Now and
commissioned by ApplyYourself Inc., was released yesterday.
Christian Science Monitor Joins Historical Newspaper Project
The Christian Science Monitor recently announced an agreement that will bring
all of the Monitor's back issues to the Web through the ProQuest online information
service as part of Bell & Howell's Historical Newspaper Project. The agreement
allows for Bell & Howell to digitize the Monitor's archives--approximately one
million pages--and to distribute the resulting database to educational institutions
and libraries around the world. Beginning with the Monitor's first issue in
1908, the database will cover the entire run of the newspaper. In addition,
Bell & Howell will continue to microfilm the paper and offer its full run in
microform. The electronic file will be released in segments covering 10 years
each. Announced in January 2001, the ProQuest Historical Newspapers project
will initiate the digitization of newspapers dating from the 19th century to
the present--in most cases, full runs of newspapers. A demonstration of ProQuest
Historical Newspapers is currently available at www.bellhowell.infolearning.com.
Compaq and UT Austin Partner to Enable Computer Visualizations
Compaq Computer Corp. and The University of Texas at Austin Center for Computational
Visualization (CCV) have entered into a cooperative research relationship in
advanced visualization techniques using high-performance computers and complex
display equipment. Powering the lab's extensive computer processing requirements
is a cluster of Compaq SP750 workstations. The 130 workstations and disk drives
are networked using Compaq ServerNet II high-speed, low-latency interconnect
technology. Researchers can use the new tools to simulate events that take place
at very large scales like the explosion of a star, galactic motion, or the theoretical
collision of black holes.
They also can simulate extremely small-scale events
at the subatomic scale. Computerized images such as strata underneath the earth's
surface can be used to predict the production of oil reservoirs. And researchers
can examine the human body layer-by-layer or cell-by-cell. Testing complex theories
in geophysics, astronomy, medicine, and other scientific disciplines produces
such large amounts of data that scientists often find it difficult to see the
solution.
To see examples, visit www.ticam.utexas.edu/ccv.
Celera Genomics to Provide Database Subscription to AMDeC
Celera Genomics, an Applera Corporation business, recently signed a multi-year
agreement with AMDeC LLC allowing AMDeC member institutions to access Celera's
database information through its Celera Discovery System. AMDeC is a consortium
of thirty-seven New York medical schools, academic health institutions, and
other research institutions whose members include Rockefeller University, Cold
Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Columbia University College of Physicians and
Surgeons. The Celera Web-based Discovery System allows subscribers to use Celera-generated
databases, additional non-proprietary genome and biological datasets, computational
tools, and super-computing power to advance the discovery programs of researchers
worldwide.
For more information, visit www.applera.com.
Web Site Celebrates Women's History
March is Women's History Month, and the Michigan-based Gale Group is gearing
up to help students and others celebrate the role of women in history. In addition
to operating its own Web-based Women's History Month Center at www.galegroup.com,
the reference publisher will provide the daily biographies featured on A's
Biography.com and History Channel's Web sites.
GeForce3-Based Graphics Accelerator Powered by NVIDIA
VisionTek, a provider of advanced graphics and memory solutions for PCs, recently
introduced an advanced graphics accelerator. Powered by NVIDIA, VisionTek's
GeForce3 graphics accelerator features a programmable GPU and performance compatible
with Microsoft's DirectX 8.0 application program interface. The GeForce3 provides
the ability to program a virtually infinite number of effects via the engine's
Vertex Shader and Pixel Shader components. Featuring NVIDIA's high-resolution
anti-aliasing technology, VisionTek's GeForce3 graphics accelerator generates
high-performance samples at nearly four times the rate of the nearest competitor,
delivering more than 800 billion operations--more than twice the raw performance
previously available. For more complex scenes and images, the GeForce3-based
graphics accelerator can provide a seven-fold increase in delivered performance.
For more information, visit www.visiontek.com.
