EDGE newsletter about Virginia Tech research

Naren Ramakrishnan, professor of computer science, received the New Century Technology Council Egg Factory Innovation Award, which rewards developments in technology that most likely will meet with success in the commercial market.

Ramakrishnan received the award for devising PIPE technology, which provides a method of customizing web sites without identifying the types of interactions that must be supported. His idea was featured in the November-December 2000 issue of IEEE Internet Computing, a periodical devoted to Internet technologies.

PIPE is the first systematic conceptual methodology to design personalization services on the Internet. It has been applied to a variety of domains, ranging from personalizing the Blacksburg Electronic Village for tourist information to personalizing stock quotes on the web using recommendations from on-line brokerage firms.

Ramakrishnan's research specialization is problem solving environments. Reach him at 540-231-8451 or naren@cs.vt.edu.

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Broadband developed for emergency response

Virginia Tech’s Center for Wireless Telecommunications (CWT), the National Science Foundation, and SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation, www.saic.com) are developing a wireless broadband communications network for rapid deployment in disaster response and recovery efforts.

The system will connect to surviving ends of optical fibers and provide broadband wireless connectivity to as many as eight remote stations. It will provide emergency management field workers with such communication applications as Geographic Information System (GIS) access, audio/video conferencing, real-time inventories, and streaming video.

The researchers demonstrated a prototype to the Virginia Preparedness and Security Panel. The system is being demonstrated through deployment of a base station and two field units. Since rapid deployment is critical, equipment must be portable, easily configured, and able to access remote databases and GIS engines.

The researchers are investigating additional innovative features to support rapid deployment and robust operation, including a built-in channel sounder and adaptive link layer protocols

For details, contact Charles Bostian at 540-231-5096 or bostian@vt.edu.

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Budgeting power

Efficient and cost-effective distribution of power by electric utilities is a major concern.

Software developed by Robert Broadwater of electrical and computer engineering enables utilities to automate data collection and to evaluate efficiency, peak loads, cost-effectiveness, and reliability. If used successfully, the software will enable utilities to improve efficiency, equipment selection, and cost-effectiveness.

The software, distributed by Electrical Distribution Design, a company formed by local investors in cooperation with the Electric Power Research Institute, is being used by electrical utilities across the United States, including in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Pennsylvania.

Reach Broadwater at 540-231-3771 or dew@vt.edu.

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Rat genes increase vitamin C in plants

Rat genes may hold the key to increasing vitamin C in the world’s food supply. Craig Nessler, head of plant physiology, pathology, and weed science at Virginia Tech, found that by transferring certain rat genes into lettuce, he can turn on a latent vitamin-C-producing pathway. In lab experiments, he increased vitamin C in lettuce by 700 percent.

Rodents produce vitamin C naturally. "Sailors on their way to the new world got scurvy while rats thrived because humans have lost the ability we once had to make our own vitamin C, while rats have retained it," Nessler explains.

But don't expect to see the rat-altered lettuce in stores. Researchers are using what they’ve learned from the rat-gene work to discover other ways to stimulate the vitamin C gene in plants.

As a preservative, vitamin C might extend shelf life and keep salad-bar lettuce fresh. As an antioxidant, it helps prevent symptoms of aging related to dementia. Nessler hopes the discoveries will improve the nutrition of people with limited food resources.

Contact Nessler at 540-231-6361 or Cnessler@vt.edu.

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