ACADEMIA

The Student Technology Council (STC) at Virginia Tech is sponsoring an Engineering Technology Showcase on Tuesday, March 27. In addition to providing a platform for technology companies to show off their most recent innovations, technology presentations will be offered by Virginia Tech faculty and staff on topics ranging from a virtual greenhouse to the System X supercomputer. The showcase will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Commonwealth Ballroom at Squires Student Center. “The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech has a legacy of exposing our students to the most advanced technologies. The Engineering Technology Showcase is an outstanding example of our engineering students promoting and participating in an event that highlights technological innovation. This is an event you will not want to miss,” said Glenda Scales, associate dean for distance learning and computing. An impressive array of technology companies will be on hand to display their company’s latest technology tools. The list includes: Adobe, Apple, AutoDesk, CCS, Circuit City, CISCO, Dell, DyKnow, Fujitsu, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Michelin, Microsoft, Micron, Parallels, Qimonda, SAS, Toshiba, and Virginia Semiconductor. Exhibitors at the showcase are generously providing an amazing array of high-tech door prizes for students who attend the event. Students have the opportunity to win any of the following prizes: an HP Workstation, Fujitsu Tablet PC T4215, iPOD Shuffle, WACOM Graphire4 USB Tablet, Gateway Flat Screen Monitor, Adobe Acrobat 3D, two deluxe Fujitsu gym bags, two $50 Circuit City Gift Cards, 1-GB Flash Drives and more. Details about entering the drawings for prizes are available at the Student Technology Council website. As part of the showcase, a variety of award-winning student design teams in engineering will display their latest projects, and other student organizations, such as the Student Engineers Abroad Council (SEAC), will staff information booths. The host of this event, the STC, is a team of students that evaluates different technology products and solutions and makes recommendations to the College of Engineering about technology tools. The group organizes the technology showcase each year to raise awareness on campus about technology and the many outstanding engineering faculty and their research activities related to technology. The STC also assists with the College of Engineering’s Computer Orientation Night for freshmen. This year’s showcase includes twice as many vendors and faculty presentations as last year’s inaugural event. A new event at the showcase will be a breakfast, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard and Michelin, for faculty and company representatives. The breakfast is designed to give the two groups an opportunity for dialogue prior to the showcase opening. The showcase break room is being sponsored by AutoDesk, and SAS is sponsoring a lunch for the exhibitors. "Last year's inaugural event was a big success, and at the upcoming Technology Showcase the Student Technology Council is excited to present the achievements of Virginia Tech faculty and students, along with innovations from leading tech companies to the campus community," said Daniel Culpepper, president of the STC and a Virginia Tech senior in materials science and engineering. For information about the Engineering Technology Showcase, visit the STC website.