News 07-31-2001

Stanford to Use Casio Pocket PCs in Study

The Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, in collaboration with Stanford's Persuasive Technology Lab, recently announced that it will use handheld devices to conduct a series of studies to investigate how portable technology can be used to motivate better health behaviors among people over 50. These studies, using Casssiopeia E-125 Pocket PCs, will be designed to gather ecologically valid information of what people do as they go about their daily lives. Stanford plans to conduct a controlled field study that can provide "proof of concept" for this approach and also influence subsequent research efforts.

For more information about the study, please call BJ Fogg at (650) 223-2010.

Community Colleges Need New Ranking System

According to a report from the Department of Education, community colleges need a new classification system that would replace their single Carnegie ranking with multiple categories. The report, "A Classification System for 2-Year Postsecondary Institutions," discusses recent classification strategies put forth by researchers, outlining a proposed classification system based on data from the Integrated Postsecondary Data Analysis System (IPEDS).

For more information, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001167

A.D.A.M. Online Anatomy G'es Live

A.D.A.M., Inc. a developer of education and consumer-patient health solutions for the healthcare industry, has launched A.D.A.M. Online Anatomy (AOA), a clinical application that allows layer-by-layer dissection of both male and female anatomy through a Web browser. AOA is the company's next-generation technology based on its highly digital dissection application in use by leading higher education institutions and medical schools around the world. AOA will be integrated with A.D.A.M.'s disease information centers, medical encyclopedia, medical news, and other offerings to give patients an understanding of the body and health conditions.

The public is invited to view A.D.A.M. Online Anatomy for a limited time at http://anatomy.adam.com.

MINITAB Named Readers' Choice Award Winner

Scientific Computing & Instrumentation, a publication covering computingand analytical instrument technology, named MINITAB the 2001 Readers'Choice Award Winner in the statistical software category. Subscribers rated the major statistical packages on quality, ease of use, reliability,technical support, and value to price. MINITAB also was named a Readers' Choice Award finalist in two additional categories: data analysis software and QA/QC software. A complete list of this year's award winners is available in the July issue of Scientific Computing & Instrumentation, or at the magazine's Web site: http://www.scimag.com

iLrn Launched as Division of Digital Learning Interactive

Digital Learning Interactive, a provider of learning content to the higher education market, recently announced the launch of iLrn, the Interactive Learning Resource Network. iLrn will provide original interactive content, delivered through a learning network that enables instructors to customize the content creates community through use of classroom management tools, chat, and discussion boards. Students register for their course through iLrn.com and purchase a subscription that presents them with the precise content their instructor has adopted and/or customized. The content engages students with resources such as dynamic maps, interactive modules, images, and primary source readings. Instructors and students can highlight, annotate, and create bookmarks within the interactive content.

The iLrn Web site, http://www.iLrn.com, is set to launch on August 1.

Grand Valley State Research Vessel on Outreach Tour

The Grand Valley State University's Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute research vessel, the W.G. Jackson, will be making Lake Michigan tours in August, stopping in five cities. The vessel's tour will provide the public hands-on experience in water issues for the public aboard the W.G. Jackson. During the tour, highlights from a recently released EPA plan and the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study will be unveiled. The mass balance data provide a wealth of information on how contaminants enter, remain in, or leave the Lake Michigan basin. This information could have a major effect on water quality policy making in the region.

For more information, visit http://www.gvsu.edu/news.

ebrary and Learning Network Launch Public Beta

ebrary and Learning Network recently launched the first public beta of ebrarian, ebrary's new e-content solution for partners and customers. The co-branded site is available now at http://learningnetwork.ebrary.com. Using a model similar to photocopying, Learning Network visitors pay only to print or copy the information they need. Searching and browsing are free, and there are no membership or subscription fees. Learning Network has also customized ebrary InfoTools to link users to relevant information on the Infoplease site. With InfoTools, any word or phrase a user selects can link to research materials such as articles, definitions, biographical information, and statistics.

Bill Gates Emphasizes Collaboration with Academia

Speaking recently at a two-day event involving 300 faculty members from leading research institutions, Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft Corp., stressed the importance of Microsoft's engagement with academia. Microsoft Research University Relations is sponsoring the faculty summit, which is designed to provide a forum for an exchange of information and ideas and collaboration to further the state of the art of engineering and computer science. In his keynote address, Gates unveiled Visual Studio .NET Academic, a new member of the Visual Studio .NET family of development tools. The tool is the result of Microsoft's work with higher-education institutions and professors to gain a greater understanding of what colleges and universities need in a research and teaching environment.

Don't Miss These Upcoming Events from 101communications:

TDWI World Conference, Summer 2001, Anaheim, CA, August 12-17.
No-Nonsense Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence Education.
For more information, please visit: http://www.dw-institute.com/anaheim2001

MCP TechMentor Fall in San Francisco, September 4-8.
Bridge the distance between Windows NT and Windows 2000. Onsite Testing Available!
Visit http://www.techmentorevents.com.

XML One & Web Services One - September 30-October 4, San Jose, CA.
http://www.xmlconference.com/sanjose/index.asp.
Online registration now open!

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