Date: August 3, 2005
Contact: Eric Matanyi
Phone: (708) 534-5000, ext 5151
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email:e-matanyi@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park , August 3, 2005 - Under the direction of Governors State University (GSU) professor Dr. Soon-Ok Park, undergraduate, computer science students Rakeya Smith and Rico Carell have developed a new software application for use at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, IL.
The team was one of fifteen, chosen from universities nationwide, to participate in the special program at Argonne . Funding for the ongoing project, which encourages mentoring between scientists and university students, comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
While many of the other research teams included students who are perusing their master’s or doctorate degrees, Dr. Park chose to involve undergrad students, due, in part, to their academic acumen. “This project is exciting because we do not usually have this kind of research at the undergrad level,” Dr. Park noted. “There is a difference between studying something in a classroom and using a program in a real world environment. It’s a nice opportunity for the students.”
During a ten week period between May 30 and August 5, the students worked with scientists who were researching protein structures.
Based on an existing web application, the students developed a PDA/Pocket-PC application for data collection software. The software uses a small scanner that plugs into the auxiliary data card slot of an ordinary PDA. This enables the scientists to scan and record data with the use of a PDA versus their current method, employing the use of a laptop. The new application will also allow individual scientist’s data to be immediately entered into a common database via secure a wireless connection, making it instantly available for sharing and viewing with other researchers. “It’s much more convenient than having to carry around a laptop,” remarked Dr. Park.
While the software is currently being used only at Argonne , Dr. Park sees a need for it throughout the science community. “We hope that this application will eventually be in use by laboratories around the nation and around the world,” she said.
