|
|
|
|
|
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University and October Interactive are finalists in three categories for one of the most esteemed awards in computing, the New Media INVISION Award. They have been recognized for Indiana University Virtual Visit, IU's soon-to-be- released CD-ROM, which was developed in partnership with the Bloomington-based interactive media design firm.
The INVISION Awards, sponsored by New Media magazine, are one of the most anticipated and prestigious awards for digital content creators. Judges reviewed 1,200 entries from 17 countries and selected five to seven finalists in each category. Winners will be announced Nov. 11 at an awards gala in San Francisco as a major highlight of the 1999 New Media Insight Conference Nov. 10-12.
Indiana University Virtual Visit is a finalist in three award categories -- Best Brand Marketing, Best Interface Design and Best Higher Education Application. Other finalists in these categories include entries from TV Guide, the Boston Globe, IBM, Microsoft and the Medical College of Ohio.
The CD-ROM was developed by October Interactive in partnership with the IU Office of Communications and Marketing and IU Radio and Television Services. This fall, IU is sending 50,000 of these CD-ROMs as a recruiting and marketing tool to prospective students and their parents who may live more than a short drive away from Bloomington. It also will be used to help alumni see how the university is changing.
"As a national leader in the use of emerging technologies for effective communications, the IU team could not be more pleased with this recognition," said Christopher Simpson, IU vice president for public affairs and government relations. "We believe our CD-ROM was viewed by the judges as a very effective means of using new technology to communicate with some of our most important constituents. We look forward to further use of new media and technology to continue to better communicate with our key constituents."
Features of Indiana University Virtual Visit include nearly 200 video clips of IU students, faculty and graduates talking about courses, majors, careers, campus diversity, sports and culture. Users also can take advantage of 166 panoramic photos -- with full 360-degree viewing ability -- to look at living centers, classrooms, labs, sports areas and other campus settings, as well as the city of Bloomington. It also has interactive games and an online link to IU's admissions application form, and is Macintosh/Windows-compatible.
IU's CD-ROM is just an example of how the university is using every emerging technology to tell its story to as many people as possible. It has used extensive research to redesign and reorganize its Web environment and is pioneering use of an electronic newspaper, IU News, to offer news information each week by e-mail.
IU is a technological innovator and leader. The university hosts the network operations center for Abilene, an Internet2 backbone network for research and education launched earlier this year. The National Science Foundation has awarded IU a $10 million grant to develop the international high performance research and education network connection, TransPAC, between the United States and the Asia Pacific Rim.
For more information on IU, go to its Web site at http://www.indiana.edu
(George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)