News 06-26-2001
Syllabus2001 Conference to Address Teaching and Technology Implementation
Track 4 of the Syllabus2001 conference, titled "Case Studies: Teaching and
Technology Implementation" is a showcase of outstanding examples of technology
use both within and outside of the traditional classroom. The impacts of technology
on the teaching and learning processes will be presented through the experiences
of individual faculty, and institutional case studies of technology program
planning and implementation will be presented.
For more information about Syllabus2001, to be held in Santa Clara, Calif.
July 20-24, visit http://www.syllabus.com/summer2001/.
Directory Testbed for Higher Education
Internet2 and Sun Microsystems recently announced the development of the Directory
of Directories for Higher Education (DoDHE), part of the Internet2 Middleware
Initiative. The directory of directories is a service testbed enabling people
to find and communicate with each other in the United States by using high-performance
network applications such as video conferencing. The Directory will support
more than 6 million people in the United States. The DoDHE testbed will extend
beyond current technologies by linking enterprise based directories using open
and scalable technologies to enable real-time searching. In contrast to current
Web directories, this effort aims to develop the tools and practices that allow
people to control and update their own information. The testbed will explore
issues such as scalability, parallel searching, and user interface. Sun and
iPlanet are contributing E450 Servers along with the 6 million entry developmental
license to develop and test the directory service suite. For more information
about Internet2, visit http://www.internet2.edu/.
For information about Sun in Education, visit http://www.sun.com/edu.
Interoperability Testing at UNH
The University of New Hampshire's InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) announced
recently that 10 vendors successfully participated in its second 2001 multi-vendor
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) testing period. The event was held at
the IOL group testing facility on the campus of the University of New Hampshire.
To help solidify the existing draft standards and to advance customer adoption
of MPLS technology, these companies and others will continue joint interoperability
testing as members of the UNH-IOL MPLS Consortium. The major focus of the testing
was on the IETF specification for extensions to RSVP for LSP tunnels (RSVP-TE)
as specified in draft-ietf- mpls-rsvp-lsp-tunnel-08. The goal of the UNH-IOL
is to provide both interoperability and conformance testing for all products
used in networking. UNH-IOL provides testing services for 10Base-T, 10Gigabit
Ethernet, ADSL, ATM, Bridge Functions, DOCSIS (Cable Modems), Fast Ethernet,
Fibre Channel, Gigabit Ethernet, HDSL2, IPv6, iSCSI, MPLS, Routing, SHDSL, Voice
over Broadband, Voice over IP, and Wireless (802.11).
For more information on the UNH-IOL, visit http://www.iol.unh.edu.
Carnegie Mellon Robot Will Test New Concept
Next month a prototype solar-powered robot with the potential to be self-sufficient
for extended periods of time will be tested in the Canadian Arctic by Carnegie
Mellon University researchers. The researchers will test a concept called Sun-Synchronous
Navigation that may enable autonomous robots to obtain continuous solar power
for long-term exploration of distant planets and moons. The robot named Hyperion
was developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute with support
from NASA. It represents the latest in a series of terrestrial testbeds for
planetary explorers the institute has developed for NASA in a relationship that
spans more than a decade.
For more information about Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, visit http://www.ri.cmu.edu.
Dictionary Breaks Sound Barrier
Merriam-Webster's Web site, (http://www.Merriam-Webster.com),
has added a new audio feature to its online version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate
Dictionary. Now when site visitors see a red audio icon next to an entry word,
they may click on it to hear the word pronounced by real voices. Multiple icons
will be displayed when variant pronunciations are available.
Study Examines Internet and Admissions
ApplyYourself recently released a study designed to measure how graduate and
professional programs are using the Internet to carry out the functions of their
admissions offices, includeing prospective student recruitment and application
processing. The study, "The Internet as a Tool in Graduate School Admission
--2001,'' examined the impact of the Internet on traditional admission operations
and found that while nearly all of the responding institutions are currently
using the Internet to deliver general university and admissions information
to prospective students, respond to student inquiries, and provide a downloadable
application, only 11 percent are currently using the Internet as a proactive
recruitment tool and a little over half of the respondents are permitting a
student to complete and submit an application online. Further, as the volume
of online inquiries and applications continues to rise, 70 percent of the participating
institutions are still hand-keying the data they receive online.
Copies of the complete study are available at http://www.applyyourself.com
and http://www.ednow.org.
Always-On to Provide ASP Services to Office.com Users
Recently, Always-On (http://www.alwayson.com)
and Office.com (http://www.office.com)
announced the availability of Always-On's subscription-based software and technology
services through a co-branded area on the Office.com site. Users can access
the complete catalog of services, including a free, 30-day trial subscription
to Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Exchange. Always-On offers a simple, cost-effective
way to use sophisticated applications like Microsoft Exchange without the challenge
of buying, installing, and managing their own infrastructure.
Online Resource for R&D Opportunities
NineSigma, an Internet-based company serving the global R&D community, recently
announced the introduction of ProposalNet, a secure resource for identifying,
qualifying, and matching R&D buyers and suppliers. Research institutions can
use ProposalNet to showcase their proposed innovative R&D to thousands of qualified
businesses seeking advanced technology to meet their own critical business needs.
Potential sponsors of research, development, and commercialization projects,
including businesses, consortia and governments, can search ProposalNet for
projects that address their interest, based on proposal type (e.g. basic research,
applied research, development, prototyping, commercialization, facilities/equipment,
topical area, posting date, budget size, and other relevant criteria). Buyers
may also continuously monitor significant developments within their areas of
interest. Once buying organizations have identified specific proposals of interest,
they may use the information in ProposalNet to directly contact the research
institution for further discussion and evaluation.
For more information, visit http://www.ninesigma.com.
Study: Lack of Standards Obstacle to Open Source Development
Evans Data Corp announced recently in its bi-annual study that one-quarter
of development managers at companies with more than 2000 employees, interviewed
in the latest Enterprise Development Management Issues, believe that the biggest
obstacle to open source development is the lack of standards. This figure has
declined over the last 6 months when more than one-third of development managers
saw that as their biggest problem.
For the complete table of contents of the survey, visit http://www.evansdata.com/EDTOC.htm.
e-Learning Authoring Tool for Pocket PC Delivery
Trivantis Corporation, a provider of e-learning authoring solutions, recently
announced the launch of Lectora Pocket Publisher--a software tool for authoring
and publishing e-learning content to the Pocket PC. The authoring system enables
trainers and educators to develop and publish proprietary learning content for
delivery to Pocket PCs without programming knowledge. For more information,
visit http://www.trivantis.com.
OpenMind and Britannica.com Offer Content to Academia
OpenMind Publishing Group, a collaborative publishing service, and Britannica.com
Inc., creator of digital products for reference, education, and learning, have
teamed up to share existing content and develop new co-branded content for both
the higher education and the secondary education markets. The agreement will
allow instructors to draw on select information from the Encyclopaedia Britannica
as they use OpenMind's services to create customized "CourseBooks." OpenMind
and Britannica.com will also work together to develop and deliver co-branded
products for biology, American government, economics, sociology, and other curriculum-related
subjects. For more information or to see a demonstration, visit http://www.ompg.com.
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