MTC News: 2000

CTRE/Iowa State University Videoconferencing Facility Now Operational

A videoconferencing classroom at CTRE/ISU is now fully operational. It is a fully equipped classroom (seating up to 49 persons) containing a Polycom ViewStation MP videoconferencing system that allows for multi-point conferences at up to 512 Kbps in bandwidth over ISDN phone lines plus X.323 conferencing over the Internet. It includes full multimedia capability, including accommodating presentations involving video, personal computer, overheads, and a whiteboard.

The facility has already been used successfully to put on several multi-week continuing education courses for the Iowa DOT, with participants at the CTRE location and at remote sites owned by the Iowa DOT. The facility can now be used for classes, workshops and seminars, other MTC outreach activities, and for some MTC administrative functions. An ultimate goal of the MTC is to share many more educational resources through videoconferencing technology in a "Virtual Transportation University". This summer, the key staff of the MTC will begin discussing opportunities for distance learning and sharing with faculty at other institutions in the region.

The CTRE facility was financed through a combination of sources, including Iowa State University, the Iowa State University Research Park, and the Iowa DOT.

Contact: David Plazak, Iowa State University ("GASB 34" Workshop)
Phone: 515-294-8103, email: dplazak@iastate.edu