Professors receive national award for computer projects

The Michigan League Ballroom was packed yesterday with professors sharing a common bond, although few have degrees in the same area.

Each professor was honored by the Computerworld Smithsonian Awards Program for innovation in the use of computer technology.

"We designed the virtual microscope as a way to improve our classes," said Lloyd Stoolman, associate professor of pathology. "It allows students to look at anything as if it were under a microscope, such as diseased tissue, at any time of the day."

Stoolman was one of a group that designed the Virtual Microscope, an online project that allows students to study microscopic samples 24 hours a day.

JEREMY MENCHIK/Daily Chemistry Prof. Nancy Kerner speaks about her project during the Computerworld Smithsonian Awards program yesterday at the Michigan League Ballroom.

The awards program selected this project as one of the top 50 out of 472 projects honored nationally.

In total, 14 University professors received awards. The Virtual Microscope was the only project to place in the top 50.

All winning projects are permanently placed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

A ceremony was held in Washington D.C. last April to honor all 472 award recipients.

Other award-winning University projects ranged from software that help teachers post quizzes on the Internet to a program that allows students in genetics classes to view dissections for labs.

"It is a virtual flight lab allowing students to view many variations of fruit flies. Students must do part of the lab in the classroom and part of it on the computers. Students actually have to collect the data and apply it to the online information," said biology Prof. Sandthadevi Jeyabalan about her CyberFly project.

This is the second year the University has participated in the competition. The national program accepted all 14 of the University's projects.

To be eligible, projects must be nominated by a committee of chief executive officers from major technology corporations.

There are about 600 nominations each year. The nominations are then reviewed by the Smithsonian, an editorial board at Computerworld and finally by Daniel Morrow, executive director of the Computerworld Smithsonian Program.

"The museum is interested in tracking the revolution, in terms of how technology touches real people," Morrow said.

University Chief Information Officer Jose-Marie Griffiths said receiving the awards adds to the University's reputation as a leading source of technology research.

"These awards allow us to be viewed as a birthplace for technology and innovation. The projects are made aware to the public so that anyone can have access to them," Griffiths said.

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