October 31, 2000

Contact: Ranjit Arab, University Relations, (785) 864-8855.

Internet technology brings four NSF directors to KU

LAWRENCE -- State researchers will have a chance to talk to four different National Science Foundation program directors from the University of Kansas campus this week.

KU will present NSF Day from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, in the Academic Computing Services auditorium. The event is free and open to interested researchers. No registration is required.

Previously, researchers interested in learning about NSF funding possibilities had to make a trip to Washington, D.C. The KU event will utilize the Access Grid Node, Internet technology that enables live interaction between people at remote locations. More than just videoconferencing, the Access Grid Node relies on high-speed Internet 2 applications to provide multimedia displays, making it possible for participants to view a large-scale presentation and to ask questions of NSF directors on a one-on-one basis.

Among those scheduled to answer questions about NSF programs are:

 • Gary Strong, NSF program officer of Computer and Information Science and Engineering;

 • Susan Hixson, NSF program officer for the Division of Undergraduate Education/Education and Human Resources;

 • Tom Quarles, NSF program officer of Directorate for Biological Sciences; and,

 • Susan Kemnitzer, NSF Deputy Division Director for Engineering Education and Centers.

The event also will feature a discussion with Jim Hoehn, director of the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Michelle Miller, outreach coordinator for the KU Center for Research Inc. and one of the organizers of the event, said the purpose of the event was twofold. "This is a way to provide more contact with the NSF and researchers here, as well as a way to test out the technology and get people familiar with it."

Miller said the event had already drawn the interest of researchers from Haskell Indian Nations University, Pittsburgh State University, Fort Hays State University, and both the Stowers Institute and the Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City, Mo., among others.

Immediately following the discussion with the NSF directors, there will be a luncheon featuring a panel of KU researchers who will discuss the technology that made the interactive meeting possible.