This conference, where industry and academia meet, brings together technical professionals and executives from the data and telecommunications industry, standards bodies, government agencies, as well as the business community.

The presentations, exhibits, social events, and session breaks provide opportunities to discover different aspects of this rapidly evolving field.

“The overall theme of the conference is ‘Where Industry Meets Academia,’” said Carol Davids, Alva C. Todd Professor of Information Technology and Management, Director, IIT SAT Voice over IP Laboratory. “Many conferences strive to bring senior level technology and business leaders together in one place but fall short of that goal. The IIT VoIP conference does just that. A full 80% of the attendees are typically senior business and technical executives from industry, representing both large multi-national companies as well as small start-ups in the space.”

Conference Highlights include:

• Jeffrey Scott Cohen, Sr. Legal Counsel with the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau will present on “Policy and Technology: The FCC’s goals for Broadband Technology, 911 Alerting and Cyber Security”
• Christopher Mayer, Vice-President, Systems Integration and Testing, Verizon Communications will chair a panel session on “Carriers View of VoIP and the Future”
• Eric Burger, Georgetown University will address “Interoperability – We Can Achieve It – IETF Can Help” in a Keynote discussion.
• Henning Schulzrinne, Professor in the Dept. of Computer Science and the Dept. of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University and co-author of numerous IETF RFCs, including SIP will speak on the smart-grid theme, “Connecting VoIP and Location with the Physical World.”
• Richard Shockey, Chairman of the Board of the SIPForum, will chair a panel entitled, “The V in VoIP is Video,” examining the implications of recent explosion of products and services that allow us to stream video as part of our daily lives. Visit the SIP Tutorial tab on the conference website.
• Henry Sinnreich and Alan Johnston, Industry consultants and authors will lead a full-day optional SIP Tutorial on October 12, and will also discuss in the main Conference, “How will VoIP reincarnate in the Web and Cloud worlds?”

Planned topics for the sessions include:

• Voice over IP over Anything
• Unified Communications
• Voice over HTTP over IP – Voice over Web
• Voices from Beyond the Internet
• Mobility and VoIP
• Protocols, Architectures & Infrastructure
• Operations Test & Measurement
• Emergency Services
• Cloud Telephony
• Smart Grid
• Voice on the Web
• Security And VoIP Networks, and
• Others

Featured speakers include senior executives from:

• Alcatel-Lucent
• AT&T
• Avaya
• Cisco
• Cox Communications
• FCC
• GSMA
• Microsoft
• Motorola RIM
• Mu Dynamics
• NESS
• NetQuest
• NGN/IMS Forum
• Nokia
• Radvision
• SIP-CLF
• Telchemy
• Tellabs
• UC Strategies

Additional Details on the conference, sponsors and exhibitors are available at www.cpd.iit.edu/voipconference/

About The VoIP Research Lab The VoIP Research Lab at the IIT Rice Campus is a venue where industry and academia collaborate in research, development and test activities that advance the goals of both. Our test beds include IMS, SIPConnect, SIP Peering, and IP PBX.

Our “Voice over IIT” service provides, video calling, conferencing and many other services to the IIT-SAT community. The VoIP appliances of many of our industry sponsors and collaborators are added to this network for test under real-world conditions. For additional information visit: http://voip.itm.iit.edu/index.php

Illinois Institute of Technology Conference to Explore the World of VoIP | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has recently elected Jafar Saniie, an electrical and computer engineering faculty member at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), to its class of 2010 Fellows for his contributions to ultrasonic signal processing for detection, estimation, and imaging.

IEEE Fellowship is attained through nomination by peers and approval by the IEEE Board of Directors for distinction in the profession. Approximately 0.1% of the voting members of IEEE are elected by the Board of Directors every year to receive this honor, the highest membership grade in IEEE.

IEEE is the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology.

Saniie joined IIT’s electrical and computer engineering department in 1983 and currently serves as the Filmer Distinguished Professor, Associate Chair, Graduate Program Director, and Director of the Ultrasonic Information Processing Laboratory.

He has gained national and international visibility for his scholarly work in embedded computing and ultrasonic signal processing, and has published more than 195 journal and conference papers in these areas.

His recent research contributions have included signal processing algorithms and digital hardware architectures for system-on-a-chip design, nonlinear signal processing, time-frequency distributions, pattern recognition, and modeling and estimation algorithms for ultrasonic imaging with medical and industrial applications.

In 2006, Saniie received IIT’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Outstanding Faculty Award in recognition of his exceptional teaching and contributions to computer engineering, and in 2007, he received the university’s Outstanding Teaching Award.

Saniie earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1974, a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 1977, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Purdue University in 1981.

The IEEE- Chicago Section will host a dinner reception in honor of Saniie and the four other IEEE-Chicago members elected to the class of 2010 on Saturday, March 27, at Manzo’s in Des Plaines, Ill.

For more information about IEEE, please visit ieee.org.

IIT faculty member elected IEEE fellow | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers in recognition of meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications

Lederman was elected an AAAS Fellow for his “distinguished leadership in science education and outstanding research contributions to the understanding of teachers’ knowledge and classroom use of the nature of science.”

Lederman joined IIT in 2001 to establish the Mathematics and Science Education Department (MSED). Since then, MSED has become a force locally, nationally, and internationally for discipline-based mathematics and science education, with an emphasis on how scientific inquiry can improve science teaching and learning.

Internationally known for his research and scholarship on the development of students’ and teachers’ conceptions of nature of science and scientific inquiry, Lederman has studied pre-service and in-service teachers’ knowledge structures of subject matter and pedagogy, pedagogical content knowledge, and teachers’ concerns and beliefs.

The author or editor of 10 books, including an elementary science teaching methods textbook, Lederman is the editor of the recently published Handbook for Research on Science Education.

He has written 15 book chapters and published more than 200 articles in professional refereed journals. In addition, Lederman has made more than 500 presentations at professional conferences and meetings around the world.

The 531 new AAAS Fellows will be announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on December 18, 2009. New Fellows will also be recognized on February 20, 2010, at the AAAS Annual Meeting in San Diego.

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association’s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee’s institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer.

Each steering group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.

The Council is the policymaking body of the Association, chaired by the AAAS president, and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (sciencesignaling.org).

AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million.

The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more.

For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

For more information, please visit iit.edu.

IIT Professor Norman Lederman Named AAAS Fellow for Distinguished Leadership in Science Education | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Approved by the IIT board of trustees on December 10, the school will be composed of degree programs in Industrial Technology and Management (INTM) and Information Technology and Management (ITM), and non-credit Professional Learning Programs (PLP).

Professor C. Robert Carlson will serve as dean of the School of Applied Technology.

“The establishment of the School of Applied Technology reflects IIT’s overall commitment to innovation in education and research, and the advancement of technical and professional disciplines,” said IIT Provost Alan Cramb.

“By continuing to build upon it’s rapidly growing programs, SAT will provide full-time students and working professionals with the education they need to become the technology innovators, entrepreneurs, and the technological leaders of the future.”

Within the School of Applied Technology, the Information Technology and Management program currently offers specializations in computer and network security, voice and data communication technology, IT management and entrepreneurship, data management, internet development and electronic commerce, systems analysis, software development, systems administration, management information systems, digital systems technology and healthcare information technology.

The Industrial Technology and Management program offers specializations in industrial logistics, facilities management and manufacturing technology.  The Professional Learning Program (PLP) offers continuing education programs, non-credit short courses and training for working professionals.

The Professional Learning Program incorporates both domestic and international continuing education.

“The School of Applied Technology degree programs provide students with the theoretical foundations that they will need throughout their careers, and requires them to apply these concepts to real world problems as part of their IIT education,” said Carlson.

“The keys to our enrollment success include the real world experience of our faculty, emphasis on quality teaching, focus on student learning, portfolios, and innovation, development of industry relevant student projects, corporate partnerships and student mentoring, and the global learning environment that our international student base provides.”

SAT is widely recognized within the industrial community, hosting three international conferences annually and the Manufacturer of the Year Awards Banquet.

All receive considerable support from industry. The IT Security and Forensics Lab, and the VoIP Lab are actively involved in industry-sponsored research performed by IIT faculty and students.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

For more information, please visit iit.edu.

Illinois Institute of Technology Announces New “School of Applied Technology” | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Mayor Richard M. Daley and leaders of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) announced today that IIT will offer scholarships to qualifying children and grandchildren of members of the Chicago Police and Fire Departments.

The school is also providing Illinois veterans the opportunity to attend IIT tuition-free under the Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program.

“This partnership is a perfect example of the higher education community reaching out to work with our residents”, Mayor Daley said at a news conference at IIT’s Engineering Building, 10 West 32nd St.

“Together, we can work to prepare them to succeed in today’s increasingly technologically oriented society”.

Under the Chicago Police and Fire Department Scholarship Program eligible students are guaranteed a four-year scholarship in the annual amount of $15,000 provided he or she makes satisfactory academic progress.

In the case where parents or grandparents have lost their lives in service to the City of Chicago, IIT will provide additional financial assistance to children or grandchildren beyond the $15,000 scholarship.

This may include additional financial support up to full tuition after federal and state grants and loans have been applied for and where the family’s adjusted gross income is less than $40,000.

“This new scholarship program will provide the families of our city’s dedicated police and fire professionals increased opportunities to pursue a world-class education at IIT,” said IIT President John Anderson.

“We consider it a privilege to be able to give something back to those who risk their lives each day to protect the citizens of Chicago.”

The Veterans Yellow Ribbon Undergraduate and Graduate Program allows returning veterans who are eligible for full GI Bill benefits free tuition to IIT. There are currently 13 veterans participating in this program: 11 undergraduate students, 1 graduate, and 1 Stuart School of Business student.

“These men and women pulled themselves away from their families and laid their lives on the line to serve their country—it’s important to let them know how much we appreciate their sacrifice,” said Daley.

“This program is going to make a big difference in the lives of our returning veterans.”

“Participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program allows IIT to give back to those who have sacrificed to serve their country,” said Anderson.

“The program provides veterans with the opportunity to receive an outstanding education at IIT that will enrich their futures and enhance the learning experience of all of our students.”

Recipients of the CPD/CFD scholarship must complete a certification form and have it authorized by the designated official from the Chicago Police or Fire Department.

To be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program, veterans and dependents must be certified through the Department of Veteran Affairs.

To be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program, veterans must have served a minimum of 36 months of active duty after Sept. 10, 2001, or have been honorably discharged from active duty for a service connected disability and served 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001.

Dependents must be eligible for Transfer of Entitlement based on a veteran’s service.

Students who would like to receive need-based assistance in addition to the scholarship should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year.

Recipients who demonstrate financial need may be eligible for additional assistance in the form of grants, loans, and/or part-time employment.

For more information about the scholarships, please contact Jill Sfuentes at 312-567-6961, or visit iit.edu/undergrad_admission/apply/scholarships.shtml

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

For more information, please visit iit.edu.

IIT Offers Scholarships to Children and Grandchildren of Members of the Chicago Police and Fire Departments | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The DesignIntelligence results are determined through a poll of more than 100,000 leading architecture and design practitioners.

The practitioners rank the schools best preparing students for practice in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and industrial design.

IIT Institute of Design’s (ID) graduate industrial design program is ranked number one in a survey of deans and chairs of industrial design academic programs.

The program was cited for its excellence in design research and approach to strategy.

“We are honored to continue to have our programs ranked highly by a group of many of the nation’s most renowned architecture and design professionals,” said IIT College of Architecture Dean Donna Robertson.

“IIT College of Architecture has a history of design excellence and technical expertise and our award-winning faculty members continue to address the needs of today’s students and prepare them with the tools they need to become ethical, thoughtful, and informed architecture professionals.”

IIT College of Architecture’s programs of study emphasize investigations in architectural and landscape architectural design and technology, while expanding the significance of these investigations through a rigorous application of critical thought and intellectual inquiry.

The College draws strength from its unique traditions and circumstances, such as its Miesian legacy as a preeminent school of modernism, its location in Chicago with its profuse architectural heritage and devotion to enhanced landscapes, and the city’s present-day connections to progressively minded, global practitioners.

The students, faculty, and alumni foster an academic environment that is intellectually stimulating, professionally challenging, committed to innovation, and international in scope.

For more information about IIT College of Architecture’s degree programs, please visit arch.iit.edu.

For more information about DesignIntelligence, please visit di.net.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

For more information, please visit iit.edu.

IIT College of Architecture Ranked Among Nation’s Best by DesignIntelligence | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

“We are honored to continue to be included in every edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes since 2001,” said IIT Stuart Dean Harvey Kahalas. “IIT Stuart’s inclusion in Beyond Grey Pinstripes demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of business education and our dedication to educating future leaders to become strategically competitive in this ever-evolving economy and world.”

The Aspen Institute prides itself in looking beyond reputation and test scores to measure how well schools are preparing their students for the environmental, social, and ethical complexities of modern-day business.

This year, business schools from 24 countries participated in an 18 month effort to map the landscape of teaching and research on issues pertaining to business and society.

Relevant data collected in the survey, as well as the entire “Global 100” list of business schools, which includes IIT Stuart, is available at: BeyondGreyPinstripes.org.

“The best business students move quickly into the front ranks of business–and the attitudes and values they bring to the table are deeply influenced by their time in business education,” said Judith Samuelson, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program.

“Will they accept the status quo or act on their passion about the positive role business can play at the intersection of corporate profit and social impact? The schools that are competitive in the Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking are the real trailblazers—they assure that students have the right skill as well as the will to make things happen.”

The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education (Aspen CBE) equips business leaders for the 21st century with the vision and knowledge to integrate corporate profitability and social value.

The center helps business educators incorporate issues of social and environmental stewardship into teaching and research by offering targeted resources, networks, and a platform to share cutting edge practice among peers.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues.

IIT Stuart School of Business offers intellectually rigorous business education at all levels, from baccalaureate to doctoral.  All programs emphasize real world application and prepare graduates to compete both in today’s economy and in the next economy.

IIT Stuart focuses on the concept of strategic competitiveness, with an emphasis on developing students skilled in thinking differently.

To achieve this, IIT Stuart students develop creativity, innovativeness, an entrepreneurial mindset, incisive decision-making skills, leadership competencies and an understanding of sustainability through coursework and related professional development opportunities.

For more information about IIT Stuart School of Business, please visit stuart.iit.edu.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

For more information, visit iit.edu.

IIT Stuart School of Business Featured in the Aspen Institute’s Beyond Grey Pinstripes | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Anderson was recently honored at an awards luncheon, along with the 2009 – 2010 ARCS Scholarship recipients. Four IIT graduate students were named ARCS Foundation Chicago Chapter Scholars at the event.

The Chicago Chapter of the ARCS Foundation is one of fourteen chapters dedicated to helping the best and brightest United States students pursue graduate studies by providing scholarship support in the natural sciences, medicine, and engineering.

The ARCS scholarship provides an unrestricted $10,000 annual award for up to four years as long as the recipient continues to make satisfactory progress in his or her graduate program.

A total of 22 students from Chicago universities were named ARCS Scholars for 2009 – 2010. In order to receive an ARCS scholarship, students are recommended by deans and department chairs at their university.

Chicago ARCS Scholars pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in a wide range of subjects related to promising new technologies.

ARCS recipient schools, which in the Chicago area include IIT, Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago, undergo a comprehensive evaluation that considers the strength of the degree programs, size and quality of the faculty, number of published scientific articles, library facilities, test scores, research grants from nationally recognized institutions, and faculty membership in such professional organizations as The National Academy of Sciences, The National Academy of Engineering, and The Institute of Medicine.

Anderson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.

He has held visiting professorships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Melbourne (Australia), and Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen (The Netherlands).

He has also presented guest lectureships at universities throughout the world, and is the author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters.

For more information about the Chicago Chapter of the ARCS Foundation, please visit arcsfoundation.org/Chicago/ARCS_1.asp?CID=10&PID=1.

Illinois Institute of Technology President John Anderson Named ARCS Foundation Chicago Person of the Year | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Each year, the Chicago DHCS Colloquium, sponsored by IIT, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University, brings together researchers, scholars, and students in the humanities and computer science to advance the use of modern information technology in humanities scholarship, and identify and explore new directions and perspectives for future research.

This year’s theme is “Critical Computing,” exploring how to make research collaborations between computer scientists and humanities more effective, how computation can provide new critical tools for humanists, and how humanists can help computer scientists interpret their experimental results.

The general chair of the conference is Shlomo Argamon, associate professor of computer science at IIT. CSL Dean Russell Betts will give the welcome and introduction.

“We’re pleased to be able to host this important event,” said Betts. “As a college of science and letters in a major technical university, CSL has a particular interest in digital humanities. We have a blend of science and technology plus strong humanities, giving us many opportunities for collaboration and perhaps a unique perspective and role to play in this field.”

This year’s keynote speakers will be Stephen Wolfram, founder and chief executive officer of Wolfram Research, creator of Mathematica and Wolfram|Alpha, and author of A New Kind of Science; Vasant Honavar, director of the Center for Computational Intelligence, Learning, & Discovery at Iowa State University; and Roger Dannenberg, associate research professor of computer science and art at Carnegie Mellon University, and fellow of the Studio for Creative Inquiry.

Research papers will be presented in the areas of algorithmic tools for digital humanities, computational stylistics, text analytics, and data visualization. Presenters include scholars from academic institutions around the world.

IIT poster presenters will include Ophir Frieder, IITRI Chair of Computer Science and director of the Information Retrieval Laboratory, and Jason Soo, master’s student in computer science and a researcher in the Information Retrieval Lab, who will present a poster titled “On Foreign Name Search.”

Also presenting is Eben English, Digital Services Librarian, Paul V. Galvin Library, who will discuss “Bringing It All Together: Integrating Text, Audio, Metadata, GIS, and Scholarly Criticism in a Holocaust Oral History Archive.”

The event will welcome attendees from Stanford, MIT, Rutgers, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern, and other U.S. universities, as well as several European and Canadian institutions.

Registration and more information is available at dhcs.iit.edu.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

Visit iit.edu.

Illinois Institute of Technology to Host Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced new investments in three university-led wind energy research facilities that will enhance the United States’ leadership role in testing and producing the most advanced and efficient wind turbines in the world.

An Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) led consortium has been selected for up to $8 million to support university research and development programs, and will include partners from private industry, state and local governments, and other universities.

The IIT-led consortium members will perform focused research on critical wind energy challenges identified in the “20% Wind Energy by 2030″ report, including wind technology challenge, grid system integration, and workforce challenge. The university consortium’s research and development plan includes advanced concepts for rotor control and drive train control, robust sensors for blades, and improved aero elastic models to improve wind turbine performance and reliability.

The plan has been created under the direction of IIT’s Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research (WISER), and involves the participation of eleven faculty and more than two dozen Ph.D. students at the university. IIT Henry R. Linden Professor of Energy Hamid Arastoopour is director of WISER.

“Illinois Institute of Technology’s consortium is pleased to have been chosen to help advance wind energy for the nation,” said IIT President John Anderson. “The combination of research and academic opportunities at IIT and its academic consortium partners, in conjunction with industry, will help the United States be at the forefront of this technology.”

Chicago is quickly becoming a center for wind energy research in the United States. The IIT-led wind energy consortium will work with world-leading, Chicago-based wind energy developer Invenergy, to procure and install a 1.5MW GE wind turbine and perform turbine reliability studies.

The proposed installation site for the GE wind turbine is adjacent to Marseilles, Illinois. Invenergy’s extensive experience in deploying large numbers of wind turbines will help the wind consortium conduct a world-class wind energy research and development.

The consortium will also work with the world-leading small wind turbine manufacturer, Viryd Technologies, to procure and install an 8KW Viryd wind turbine at IIT campus, and deliver the second turbine at one of the IIT’s engineering laboratories to perform turbine reliability studies.

“IIT has been a leader in electric power research and education since the 1930s,” said Bodine Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Mohammad Shahidehpour, who is principal investigator for the consortium.

“We are excited to continue this work, together with our consortium partners, to meet the energy challenges of the 21st century.” Shahidehpour is also currently leading a DOE-funded Perfect Power project which integrates renewable energy into a ground-breaking approach to electricity distribution and management, as well as several other research projects focusing on wind energy integration, deployment and operation.

The close proximity of IIT’s turbine in Marseilles to an existing wind farm provides an ideal opportunity to study turbine-to-turbine wake interaction, wind farm interaction, and wind energy efficiencies.

IIT will develop and offer wind energy courses addressing the technical, operational, social, and environmental aspects of wind energy in consultation with industry. Fellowships will be offered annually to masters and undergraduate students in wind energy engineering fields of study.

Other university consortium members include the world-renowned University of Chicago, Southern Illinois University which is a leading university in clean energy research, and four internationally prestigious universities with a strong wind energy program: University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), University of São Paulo (Brazil), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), and Polytechnic University of Bucharest (Romania).

Faculty and students from the international university members will be invited to IIT to attend consortium workshops in the United States and to share their innovative ideas with their American counterparts.

The industry consortium members include all types of wind energy stakeholders: wind turbine companies (GE Energy, Viryd Technologies, Acciona Wind Energy USA), wind energy developers (Invenergy, Pampa Energia Eolica (Brazil), PS Wind Management (Romania)), power transmission system operators (ComEd/Exelon, ISO New England, British Columbia Transmission Corporation), wind energy control devices and software companies (Boeing Advanced Global Services & Support, Honeywell, Dakota Power, EnerNex Corporation, SmartSignal Corporation, Innovation Technology Applications Company) and energy system consultants (Keyworks, Electric Power Research Institute, AREVA T&D, Intelligent Power Solutions, McCoy Energy, Wiedman Power System Consulting).

The University of Minnesota and University of Maine were the other two institutions who received grants for wind energy research projects.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

Visit iit.edu.

IIT to Lead Wind Energy Research Consortium; Dept. of Energy Invests $8 Million to Improve Wind Generation | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Lake Forest students admitted to the accelerated program will spend three years at Lake Forest followed by three years at Chicago-Kent.

The fourth-year curriculum for the bachelor’s degree will overlap with the first year of law school studies. Students in the program who meet all requirements for their first three years — including satisfactory completion of all course work for their academic major and achievement of the required minimum undergraduate GPA and law school admission test score — will be assured of a place in Chicago-Kent’s first-year class.

The first group of Lake Forest students will be eligible to begin legal studies in the fall of 2012.

Students will pay Lake Forest tuition for the first three years and Chicago-Kent tuition for the remaining three years. Officials at both schools are optimistic about the new program and expect it will lead to additional cross-institutional collaboration.

The collaboration is not entirely new: Chicago College of Law was affiliated with Lake Forest College between 1889 and 1900. When that association ended, Chicago College of Law merged with the Kent College of Law to become Chicago-Kent College of Law.

“We’re excited about re-establishing our historical relationship with Lake Forest College,” said Chicago-Kent Dean Harold J. Krent. “Through the establishment of this dual-degree program, our faculty and students will benefit from greater interaction between the two schools. Moreover, this closer collaboration with Lake Forest will result in attracting additional excellent students to Chicago-Kent.”

“Lake Forest College is pleased to partner with Chicago-Kent to offer our ambitious and talented students the chance to get a law degree from a quality institution in less time,” said Lake Forest Dean of Faculty Janet McCracken.

Lake Forest College is a national liberal arts institution located 30 miles north of downtown Chicago. The college has 1,400 students representing 45 states and 69 countries.

About the Chicago-Kent College of Law

Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, a private, Ph.D.-granting institution with programs in engineering, psychology, architecture, business, design and law.

With more than 1,100 students, Chicago-Kent offers full-time and part-time J.D. and LL.M. degree programs as well as joint-degree programs with other IIT units.

Chicago-Kent Law School and Lake Forest College to Offer Accelerated Dual-Degree Program | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) presents the 2009 Chicago Conference, “Evolution of the Skyscraper: New challenges in a world of global warming and recession,” on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Friday, Oct. 23, in IIT’s Hermann Hall, 3241 S. Federal St., Chicago.

Key conference speakers include Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, His Excellency Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the owner of Burj Dubai, and Arthur Gensler, the chairman of Gensler, San Francisco.

The world’s leading experts on tall buildings will gather at the conference, in Chicago, the city where the global aspiration for tall buildings was first realized, to outline their thoughts on the next steps for tall buildings and debate whether or not skyscrapers remain relevant in today’s world.

For more than 20 years, tall buildings have been built in greater number, height, and geographical spread than at any other time in history. That position is now threatened due to the challenges of global climate change and the international economic recession.

The conference will address the challenges of climate change when working to create more sustainable urban environments, the appropriateness of tall buildings being used as icons to project the vitality of a city or country on a competitive world business stage, and the soundness of the fundamentals of skyscraper conception, financing, design, and construction.

Participants will also discuss the signs of economic recovery and explore policies that cities and governments can implement to aid in the recovery process.

Conference speakers, including financiers, developers, sustainable policy makers, architects and engineers, will present case studies of completed projects and look to the future to discuss how sustainable design policies will affect the property market.

Case studies of prominent projects at all stages in the development cycle – built, under construction, on hold, or conceived, will be presented, including those that represent “best practice” in aspects of sustainability, design, construction, and/or economics.

Several other themes will also be explored during the conference, including a discussion on the recent completion of Trump Tower Chicago, the tallest building constructed in the United States since the Sears Tower.

The developer of the Trump Tower project will discuss the motivation behind this project and other projects in the Trump portfolio. Additionally, in celebration of its 40th anniversary, the CTBUH will offer a retrospective on the last four decades of the organization.

A conference welcome reception will be held from 6pm – 8pm, Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the Grand Ballroom on the 16th floor of Trump Tower Chicago.

In conjunction with the conference, an awards banquet will be held from 6pm – 10pm, Thursday, Oct. 22, in IIT’s S. R. Crown Hall, 3360 S. State St., Chicago, celebrating the achievements of the 2009 international “Best Tall Building” projects and the distinguished lifetime achievement award winners.

For a complete schedule of conference events and times, and a complete list of conference speakers, please visit ctbuh.org.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, based at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, is an international not-for-profit organization supported by architecture, engineering, planning, development and construction professionals, designed to facilitate exchanges among those involved in all aspects of the planning, design, construction and operation of tall buildings.

Founded in 1969, the Council’s mission is to disseminate multi-disciplinary information on tall buildings and sustainable urban environments, to maximize the international interaction of professionals involved in creating the built environment, and to make the latest knowledge available to professionals in a useful form.

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

Visit iit.edu for more information.

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat at Illinois Institute of Technology Presents the 2009 Chicago Conference | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

IIT’s Mies van der Rohe Society presents a reading of “The White City: Daniel Burnham’s Dream,” a musical written by June Finfer and Elizabeth Doyle and produced by Lost and Found Productions, telling the story of Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, inspired by the 1893 World Fair in Chicago, the Columbian Exposition.

Event attendees are invited to explore the newly restored exterior of Mies’ only religious building, IIT’s Carr Memorial Chapel, where the reading took place at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11.

For the 1893 World Fair, Chicagoans worked together to create a temporary city that drew millions of visitors. After the turn of the 20th century, Burnham was asked to develop a plan for Chicago’s future growth.

What he learned in creating the “White City,” which refers to the 1893 World Fair, was the foundation of his vision for the 1909 Plan of Chicago.

In the 1909 Plan of Chicago, Burnham wrote: “This same spirit which carried out the Exposition in such a manner as to make it a lasting credit to the city is still the soul of Chicago, vital and dominant….This spirit—the spirit of Chicago—is our greatest asset. It is not merely civic pride: it is rather the constant, steady determination to bring about the very best conditions of city life for all the people…”

Following Burnham’s life, Finfer and Doyle’s musical is a glimpse into the past, and an inspiration for the future, revealing how obstacles were overcome and how Burnham’s Dream — Chicago’s dream, is being fulfilled.

Burnham grew in skill and grace throughout his life, eventually becoming the humanist whose vision of the lakefront as forever free for public use still inspires heated discussions and some disagreements today.

Inspired by the music of Burnham’s time, Doyle, who serves as the play’s musical director, wrote original pieces for the production, which features music ranging from ragtime to operetta, and one romantic ballad.

Finfer, the president of Lost and Found Productions, is the widow of accomplished architect, urban planner, and IIT College of Architecture alumnus Paul Finfer, and frequently writes about architecture and planning issues.

For more information about the musical and its writers, please visit web.me.com/junefinfer1/The_White_City_Musical/Background.html.

About the Mies van der Rohe Society

The Mies van der Rohe Society is dedicated to preserving Mies’ legacy, restoring his renowned IIT buildings to enhance educational programs for students, and reinforcing Chicago’s international reputation for architectural distinction.

The Society has raised funds for the restoration of many of the Mies campus buildings and is currently raising $1 million to completely restore Carr Memorial Chapel and provide money for a maintenance endowment.

To date, approximately $534,000 has been raised through contributions from IIT’s Mies van der Rohe Society board members, active members and the Regenstein Foundation.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

For more information, please visit iit.edu.

Illinois Institute of Technology’s Mies van der Rohe Society Presents “The White City: Daniel Burnham’s Dream” | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

After receiving his B.S. in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1944, Henry began his work in the energy field with Socony-Vacuum Oil Company (now part of ExxonMobil Corp.) in New York. He received a Master of Chemical Engineering degree from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic University) in 1947 and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from IIT in 1952.

For 30 years, Henry served the Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) in various management capacities, including 17 years as director and four years as president and trustee. He was instrumental in establishing the Gas Research Institute (GRI), the United States natural gas industry’s cooperative research and development arm, and served as its first president and member of the board of directors from 1977 until 1987. In 2000, IGT and GRI merged to form the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). He also served as a director of five major corporations: Sonat, Inc. and its subsidiary Southern Natural Gas Co. (1974–1994), Reynolds Metals Co. (1977–1992), UGI Corp. (1980–1992), and The AES Corp. (1987–1998).

After retiring from GRI, he turned his energy and attention to establishing a comprehensive research and education program in sustainable global energy development at IIT. As interim president of IIT from 1989–1990, Henry oversaw a year of important developments, including an $8 million grant from the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation to upgrade the residential and athletic facilities of the university and to begin work on the university’s Downtown Campus. Recently, his major research interests included global climate change, sustainable global energy systems, industrial ecology, and the energy/environment/economics (E3) paradigm.

“Henry Linden had the kind of wisdom that comes only from a lifetime of doing your own thinking and research—both good theory and practical applications; both high objectives and real facts,” said John Rowe, Exelon chairman and chief executive officer, and chair of the IIT Board of Trustees.

Henry was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the Institute of Energy. He was a member of the Hydrogen Technical Advisory Panel of the U.S. Department of Energy (1992–2003), the Advisory Council of the Electric Power Research Institute (1987–1993), and the Energy Engineering Board of the National Research Council (1986–1993).

“WISER was founded at IIT because Professor Linden’s lifelong research and teaching in energy engineering made IIT a national center of excellence in the field,” said Ralph Wanger, founder of Wanger Asset Management, chair of IIT WISER, and member of the IIT Board of Trustees.

Henry served on several federal advisory bodies dealing with energy policy, technology, and regulation, beginning with the Kennedy Administration, and held a presidential appointment during the Ford Administration.

An author or co-author of more than 240 publications and 27 patents, Henry wrote and lectured extensively on U.S. and world energy issues throughout his lifetime. He received numerous awards for his technical and analytical work in the fossil fuel area, including the Homer H. Lowry Award for Excellence in Fossil Energy Research from the U.S. Department of Energy in 1991, the 1993 United States Energy Award from the United States Energy Association, the 1996 Lifetime Achievement Award of The Energy Daily, and the American Chemical Society Division of Fuel Chemistry Award in 1967.

The IIT Alumni Association awarded him the Professional Achievement Award in 1975 and the Alumni Medal in 1995; in 1982, he was inducted into the IIT Hall of Fame.

In 1996, he was also inducted into Georgia Tech’s Engineering Hall of Fame. In 2000, AIChE recognized Henry with the Ernest W. Thiele Award and, in 2008, named him to its One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era list in celebration of the organization’s centennial anniversary.

“Henry Linden was a giant in advancing the efficient utilization of fuels,” said IIT President John Anderson. “He not only contributed greatly to energy technology, but also to the way we think about the effect of carbon-based fuels on the environment.”

Born on Feb. 21, 1922, Henry was a lifelong benefactor of the university.

Today, a graduate fellowship bears his name, as does the Henry R. Linden Endowed Professorship. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Natalie, two children from a prior marriage, Robert S. Linden and Debra Linden Thomas, and one grandchild, Heather Anne Linden.

A private funeral service was held on Sept. 18, 2009. A memorial service will be held on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 at 2:30pm in Hermann Hall Ballroom, 3241 S. Federal, Chicago, on IIT’s Main Campus.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the IIT Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in Henry’s memory.

For more information, contact Courtney Beisel at 312-567-3966 or cbeisel@iit.edu.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

Visit iit.edu for more information.

Henry Robert Linden: World-Renowned Energy Expert; IIT Mourns the Loss of Beloved Alumnus and Colleague | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The annual award honors one outstanding executive who embodies the constructs of strategic competitiveness that IIT Stuart represents: creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, incisive decision-making, leadership, and sustainability and who, through their leadership and competitive excellence, has made a contribution to Illinois and beyond, serving as an outstanding role model for future leaders.

Widely experienced in leading change initiatives, Costello addressed the luncheon attendees, stressing the importance of clear and consistent communication with both customers and employees to help support them through the uncertainty and change that they face in the current economy.

“Customers and employees look for the confidence that you know where you are going and are not distracted from your goals,” said Costello. “[However,] it is also important to look for and act on the opportunities that emerge in times of change.”

Costello concluded, “I am very optimistic about the future. I believe the economic outlook will continue to improve. I expect that we will emerge from this stronger and better. We will have challenges in our path forward, but with the talent and determination I see in this room, I am confident that we will find solutions.”

Part of the Toronto-based $415 billion CAD asset BMO Financial Group, one of North America’s leading financial service providers, Harris is a large regional retail, business, and wealth bank serving more than 1.2 million personal and business customers in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin through its network of more than 280 branches.

As the President and CEO of Harris Financial Corp., Costello is BMO Financials U.S. Senior Executive and has direct responsibility for the U.S. personal and commercial business. Her mandate is to enhance customer experience and drive profitable business growth organically and through acquisition.

A native of Boston, Mass., she has over 31 years of banking experience, the majority with BMO Financial group since 1983. During her tenure at BMO, Costello held a broad range of leadership positions across corporate banking and capital markets in the U.S., Canada, and Asia.

Currently, Costello serves on the boards of directors for United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, the Chicago Community Trust, the Chicago Public Education Fund, the Economic Club of Chicago, and the Executives Club of Chicago.

She is a member of the Bankers Club of Chicago, the Chicago Network, Chicago 2016, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the Financial Services Roundtable. Costello earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Francis Xavier University and holds an MBA from Dalhousie University – both in Canada.

For more information about IIT Stuart School of Business, please visit stuart.iit.edu.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law.

IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.

Visit iit.edu.

IIT Stuart Business School Names Harris Financial Corp. President and CEO Ellen Costello Illinois Executive of the Year | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Announcing the FSIP appointments, President Obama said, “This group brings a dedication and expertise in their fields that will serve this administration and the American people well. As we work to advance equal rights, keep our nation safe and put our country back on a path to prosperity, I look forward to working with these fine individuals in the months and years ahead.”

The Federal Service Impasses Panel is the agency that intervenes when an agency of the federal government and a union representing that agency’s employees are unable to reach agreement on the terms of their new collective bargaining agreement under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute and the Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act.

If bargaining between the parties, followed by mediation assistance, is unsuccessful, the FSIP has the authority to recommend procedures and to take whatever action it deems necessary to resolve the impasse. The seven FSIP members are presidential appointees who serve on a part-time basis.

“All of the members of the panel are highly regarded labor relations professionals and neutrals. I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve and am looking forward to the challenges ahead,” said Professor Malin.

A member of the Chicago-Kent faculty since 1980, Professor Malin teaches courses in labor law, collective bargaining, arbitration, public sector labor law, employment law, contracts and jurisprudence. He has published five books, including Public Sector Employment: Cases and Materials (West 2004), the leading law school casebook on public sector labor law. Professor Malin has also written more than 60 articles on labor law and dispute resolution.

In 1996, Professor Malin established the Institute for Law and the Workplace, a national center for research, training, dialogue, and reflection on the law that governs the workplace. The institute serves as an intellectual home for the labor and employment law community, both in the Chicago area and nationwide.

An active arbitrator and mediator since 1984, Professor Malin recently completed a three-year term on the National Academy of Arbitrators’ board of governors and is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. He also serves on the Executive Committee of The Labor Law Group and is a past chair of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Labor Relations and Employment Law.

During the mid 1980s, Professor Malin served as a consultant to Illinois’ public employment labor boards and drafted the regulations implementing Illinois’ newly-enacted public sector labor relations acts. From 2004 to 2008, he served as reporter for the Association of Labor Relations Agencies’ Neutrality Project. Professor Malin was the principal drafter of the association’s Neutrality Report, a mini-treatise on labor board and mediation agency impartiality.

Professor Malin joined the Chicago-Kent faculty in 1980 after teaching at Ohio State University and serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert E. DeMascio, United States District Judge, Eastern District of Michigan. He received his B.A. from Michigan State University’s James Madison College and his J.D. from George Washington University, where he was an editor of the law review and a member of Order of the Coif.

About the Chicago-Kent College of Law

Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), a private, Ph.D.-granting institution. The Chicago-Kent Law Offices, the nation’s first fee-generating law school clinic, has practice areas in employment discrimination and civil rights litigation, family law, health and disability law, immigration law, and criminal defense.

The Law Offices also provides low-income taxpayer representation and mediation and alternative dispute resolution for which no fees are charged.

President Obama Appoints IIT Chicago-Kent Professor Martin H. Malin to the Federal Services Impasses Panel | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The Winterhouse Award is given for a writer’s body of work. Three examples of Keller’s writing were submitted to the judges: “Well-tempered Piano” [on the museums of Renzo Piano], “Navigating Systems” [on Buckminster Fuller], and “Bidden City” [on the Beijing Olympics]—all of which appeared over the last two years in Artforum.

The jury, chaired by William Drenttel of Winterhouse, included Rick Poynor, writer-at-large for Eye, which he founded; Alice Rawsthorn, design critic of the International Herald Tribune; and Michael Sorkin, principal of Michael Sorkin Studio and author of more than 15 books on architecture.

Keller received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and B.A. and Master’s degrees in architecture from Princeton University. He has been a frequent contributor to Artforum, and his writings have appeared in the anthology Architecture and Authorship and the journal Grey Room. He is currently working on a book about the concept of reflexive modernism in postwar architecture.

The annual Winterhouse awards were founded in 2006 by Jessica Helfand and William Drenttel of the Winterhouse Institute to recognize excellence in writing about design and encourage the development of young voices in design writing, commentary and criticism.

Keller’s award, along with the dual Winterhouse Awards for Education, will be presented during Make/Think: AIGA Design Conference in Memphis this October. For more information about the Make/Think: AIGA Design Conference, please visit designconference2009.aiga.org.

To learn more about the 2009 Winterhouse Awards and read three examples of Keller’s writing, please visit aiga.org/content.cfm/writing-awards-recipients-2009.

Illinois Institute of Technology Faculty Member Sean Keller Wins Winterhouse Award for Design Writing and Criticism | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

This initiative seeks to bring $60 million in federal stimulus money to Illinois to lower electricity bills, reduce blackouts, make energy cleaner and create green jobs.

What is the Illinois Smart Grid Collaboration?

• The Illinois Smart Grid Collaboration is a statewide public-private partnership led by IIT and UIUC to speed the adoption of the Smart Grid in Illinois and nationally. Key private and municipal partnerships include Commonwealth Edison, Ameren, the City of Chicago, the Village of Oak Park, the Galvin Electricity Initiative and more than 50 companies.
• The Collaboration applied as a Smart Grid Regional Demonstration project, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, seeking $60 million (50% match) from the US Department of Energy (DoE) for the project.
• The Collaboration is nationally significant in that it is working to speed the effective adoption of the Smart Grid through a unique community, consumer, and market-based approach. With engagement at each of these levels, this project provides a format to ensure the expected benefits of SmartGrid adoption are widely adopted.

The Collaboration has four primary components:

1. The Illinois Institute of Technology Perfect Power System: A complete, replicable, and scalable demonstration of a “never-fail” Smart Grid that would eliminate blackouts and make our energy cleaner, more secure and more efficient.
2. The Oak Park Community Demonstration: A demonstration of the technological, financial and policy investments communities can make right now, in coordination with their utilities, to leverage Smart Grid Advanced Metering Infrastructure (Smart Meter) investments to achieve cheaper, more efficient, and more reliable energy in homes and businesses. The demonstration will begin with Oak Park, Illinois and expand to other communities.
3. The Illinois Institute of Technology Smart Grid Demonstration Center: A comprehensive technology development, demonstration, and evaluation platform for Smart Grid technologies that will allow companies to “plug-in” to an existing Smart Grid (IIT’s Perfect Power System) to speed the development of their new Smart Grid technologies and products.
4. The University of Illinois Smart Grid Validation Facility: An incubator, laboratory and advanced test bed that will allow companies to validate their smart grid technologies to ensure they are used in trustworthy configurations that meet cyber security and interoperability standards before they are implemented on the grid.

Benefits to Illinois

• Lower electricity bills through the Community Implementation model
• Blackout mitigation and elimination of other power interruptions for homes and businesses
• Cleaner energy, and reduced carbon emission, by reducing peak demand for electricity
• Access to the newest and most reliable Smart Grid technology
• Product innovation, entrepreneurial opportunity and other economic development spurred by the IIT Smart Grid Demonstration Center and the UIUC Smart Grid Validation Facility
• New green jobs growth as a result of by Community Smart Grid Implementations and new technology development initiatives
• New green job training operated by the IIT Smart Grid Demonstration Center

Background on ARRA Smart Grid funds

• The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided nearly $4 billion in competitive funding for the Department of Energy (DoE) to expedite the deployment of a more technologically advanced national energy grid and to support investment in the development of secure, energy efficient products that will allow American consumers and businesses to tap into greener sources of power and use less energy.
• Included in this funding is $615 million for regional demonstration projects that can quantify smart grid costs, demonstrate the benefits of large-scale adoption, verify technology viability, and examine new business models.
• The Illinois Smart Grid Collaboration is applying for $60 million in

About Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit iit.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tanya Pantone, 312-567-6930
Media Relations Specialist
tpantone@iit.edu

Illinois Institute of Technology Leads Statewide Initiative to Create Jobs and National Hub for Smart Grid | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The exhibition will be on display from Thursday, September 10, through Monday, February 1, 2010, in the Kemper Room Art Gallery of the Galvin Library, 35 West 33rd St., Chicago, on IIT’s Main Campus. An opening reception, including an artist’s talk by Barbara Crane, will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 10, in the Kemper Room Art Gallery.

The IIT Archives and the IIT Paul V. Galvin Library have recently announced the opening of a significant archival collection, the Institute of Design Records, 1948-2001, from which Crane’s ID portfolio was gathered.

This collection includes materials produced by a number of ID students and faculty, along with materials documenting significant school activities and programs. This body of ID records joins a previously opened collection, Institute of Design Records, 1937-1955, which includes materials from the school’s opening in 1937, by László Moholy-Nagy, as the New Bauhaus in Chicago.

The collections are open to scholars and researchers by appointment only. Remarks about the newly catalogued ID Archives will be offered at 6 p.m. on September 10, as part of the exhibition’s opening reception.

Independent curator Susan Aurinko created the idea for the exhibition when she learned that the IIT ID archives had been reorganized and made available for study, realizing that a collection of Barbara Crane’s works from her time as a student at ID could be displayed to the public for the first time.

Through the years, Aurinko represented Barbara Crane’s work at FLATFILEgalleries in Chicago, discovering that the experimental aesthetic developed during her studies at ID remains strong in her contemporary work. With the newly accessible archives, Aurinko was able to pull Crane’s Master’s Thesis, unseen in its entirety since 1966, and exhibit images from the portfolio together with the artist’s thesis essay. A selection from the 90 photographs in her thesis will be exhibited alongside her work from the last several years.

By juxtaposing the old work with the new, a connection is established, showing that what Crane learned and experimented with during her ID studies continues into her current work. This exhibition will run concurrent to the Barbara Crane retrospective, which will open on Saturday, October 3, at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Beginning her career in photography in 1948, Crane earned a master’s degree in photography from ID in 1966, where she began the unique and pioneering techniques that still mark her work today.

Crane has received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship (1979), an Illinois Arts Council Artists Fellowship grant (2001), two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships (1988,1974), and numerous other awards, grants and honors. She served as a full professor at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago from 1967 to 1995, and has presented more than 100 solo exhibitions in museums and galleries.

Her work is included in numerous private and public collections in the United States, Japan, France, Greece, and Germany.

The concepts Crane learned at ID are still a driving force for her today; strong individuality, visual experimentation and purity of form are stressed in her work, about which she has said, “The issues in my work are often of a similar nature with an abstract edge. Though I build on past experience, I attempt to eradicate previous habits of seeing and thinking. I keep searching for what is visually new to me while always hoping that a fusion of form and content will take place”.

Exhibition hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For parking information and directions, or for more information about art@IIT, please visit art.iit.edu.

This exhibition is part of Living Modern Chicago (March 2008–May 2010), a slate of programs organized by the Mies van der Rohe Society at IIT and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago that probe the presence of the modern today, featuring the legacy of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and László Moholy-Nagy who carried Bauhaus principles to Chicago and IIT. For more information about Living Modern Chicago programs, visit livingmodernchicago.org

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit iit.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tanya Pantone, 312-567-6930
Media Relations Specialist
tpantone@iit.edu

Illinois Institute of Technology Presents Barbara Crane Exhibition Presenting Artist’s Past and Present Work Sept. 10 | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is pleased to announce a special program providing new opportunities for community college students to earn four-year degrees from the university. Beginning in fall 2009, IIT, a long-time member of the South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium (SMHEC), will work with other SMHEC institutions to provide an accelerated admission process, and scholarship and financial aid opportunities to students currently enrolled in partner community colleges.

“IIT’s unique partnership with area community colleges provides students with strong and developed pathway programs to support their academic goals,” said IIT Vice Provost of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Gerald P. Doyle. “We look forward to strengthening our relationships with all of the SMHEC institutions as part of our consortium-wide commitment to the entire Chicagoland community and the academic success of all students.”

The development of a comprehensive recruitment and transition program at IIT allows the presidents, faculty, and senior leadership at area community colleges including Kankakee, Moraine Valley, South Suburban, Prairie State, and Joliet Junior College to identify and recommend highly qualified students for transfer to IIT. Through this partnership, IIT will enhance its orientation and academic advising programs for these students and at the request of a partner community college, also provide one-stop admission and review sessions at each SMHEC school.

Merit scholarships will be available for transfer students, including Transfer Scholarships of up to $12,000 per year, International Scholarships of up to $12,000 per year, Phi Theta Kappa Scholarships of $5,000 per year, and University Scholarships of $2,500 per year for students who participated in honors colleges at SMHEC institutions. Additionally, a number of Undergraduate Research Summer Scholarships with a $5,000 stipend have been reserved for SMHEC community college students. Federal and state financial aid is also available to qualifying transfer students.

The addition of a new Metra Rock Island line stop at 35th and Federal Sts., scheduled to open in fall 2010, will provide convenient access to IIT from the south and southwest suburbs for commuting students.

The IIT community is committed to the continued partnership with presidents and faculty at each of the SMHEC institutions on several initiatives, including an annual symposium of Illinois community colleges, to celebrate the achievements of local students in the areas of research, scholarship, leadership and service.

For more information about the undergraduate admission process, please contact Ryan Nelson, Assistant Director of Admission & Transfer Coordinator at 312-567-3025 or nelson@iit.edu.

Additional information about SMHEC is available at southmetroed.org.

About the Illinois Institute of Technology

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit iit.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tanya Pantone, 312-567-6930
Media Relations Specialist
tpantone@iit.edu

IIT Partners with South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium to Create Degree Opportunities for Students | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.