ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 21, 1997 TAG: 9702210045
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: DUBLIN
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
FutureNET has arrived at the Southwest Virginia Governor's School as an educational tool for the New River Valley and beyond.
Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, said he doubts that even the National Aeronautics and Space Administration realized the full potential of the computer line it provided to the Governor's School.
That line will use wireless technology to spread Internet connections to other school systems, allowing students to dial up on-line art from the Louvre in Paris, the latest National Weather Service information and much more, Boucher said.
In 1994 Boucher contacted NASA's Langley Research Center at the request of the school and Pulaski County school system to seek federal assistance for the project. The result was that NASA provided more than $70,000 in the purchase and installations of computers, modems and other equipment for a high-speed T-1 computer line for the school.
"And I think that was probably the best-spent $70,000 in federal funds that I have ever seen," Boucher said Wednesday in a formal announcement of FutureNET at the Governor's School. He was joined by Pulaski County school officials, school superintendents from several counties and students at the school.
FutureNET is not only about linking computers at the Governor's School to the Internet. It has formed the basis for developing an educational Internet network in the New River Valley and beyond.
Pulaski County is completing connections for all its schools and its School Board office to the network, through a wireless communications system which eliminates the need for costly telephone lines. The success of these connections has led to others.
Wythe, Bland and Carroll county schools are developing a networking plan to connect all their schools to the Governor's School. Giles County is connected by a high-speed leased line which feeds from Giles High to all the county's other schools, and is looking into the possibilities of the wireless system to replace the line. Smyth County is preparing to connect Marion Senior High.
"The project provides an unequaled level of communications capability for educational purposes," Boucher said. He said it "will bring this universe of information instantaneously to the desktops of students here at the Governor's School and to other schools. ... By taking these steps together, we have once again placed Southwest Virginia in the forefront of the rural use of information technology."
The T-1 line carries data at the rate of 1.5 million bytes per second, compared with nearly 29,000 bytes per second for typical dial-up modems. This eliminates delays in receiving graphics and pictures, and eases the downloading of full-motion video clips.
The wireless technology allows the Governor's School to act as a hub and spread these connections to other school systems, Boucher said.
"I don't know of another series of schools anywhere in rural America with such connectivity," he said.
Federal and local project funding so far has totaled more than $140,000.
NASA provided $37,151 of computer equipment at the Governor's School and $33,600 for the T-1 line for one year. Wythe County schools contributed a $9,192 work station computer to the project. Giles bought a work station and four more systems totaling $40,910. The Governor's School is paying $15,000 for a part-time network director and has bought networking equipment totaling $4,225.
Boucher credited the foresight of Governor's School Director Margaret "Pat" Duncan, Pulaski County School Superintendent Bill Asbury and Network Director John Weinrich with coming up with the concept. It places "schools in the New River Valley in the forefront in the use of technology for the exchange of data among educational institutions," Boucher said.
"We did not want to keep everything contained here and, with the wireless technology, we are able to share," Duncan said.
LENGTH: Medium: 73 linesby CNB