(Posted June 21, 2004)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - Juniata College's Raystown Field Station is one of 42 colleges and universities across the country to receive a Hewlett-Packard Technology for Teaching Grant, valued at $67,500 for Juniata.

The grant, which will be put into effect at the start of Juniata's fall semester in August, will allow students at the college's field station, which is located about 15 miles away from the college's campus in Huntingdon on Raystown Lake, to utilize wireless technology while studying and performing research at the station.

The equipment award will allow students to have full access to e-mail, Internet and online instructional materials while in residence at the station. Ultimately, Juniata students will live and study out at the field station for an entire semester, pending completion of residence halls and other buildings that will comprise the four-building complex.

"This grant enables Juniata to give students an amazing opportunity to live and study at a remote site, while still keeping in touch with the services and connections they would normally maintain if they were living on campus," says Dennis Johnson, associate professor of environmental science and principal investigator for the wireless project.
"We will have the students use GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology in conjunction with the tablet PCs for this project."

The equipment to outfit the Raystown Field Station initiative includes the purchase of 21 Hewlett-Packard tablet computers, a mobile projector, a printer, docking stations and a mobile cart. The grant also includes a $7,500 cash stipend for use by faculty.

In addition, Hewlett-Packard will provide access to the company's higher education help desk support for one year as part of the grant.

Hewlett-Packard has distributed more than $10 million in Technology for Teaching grants for the 2004-2005 academic year.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.