Indiana University was recognized June 21 by Computerworld magazine as one of the Best Places to Work in IT. This adds a human-centric distinction to IU's long list of honors in information technology (IT), which include numerous awards for advanced networks, software, and services. IU and WellPoint are the only Indiana IT employers to rank in the top 100, and IU is one of only six higher education institutions on the list, featured alongside a prestigious lineup of corporations ranging from Aflac to Xerox. Full Story

Jonathan Mills is not your average computer scientist. When new computers start rolling into Indiana University Bloomington's School of Informatics and Computing where he is an associate professor, Mills' mouth starts to water, but not over motherboards, CPUs or RAM. Instead Mills, one of 15 computer scientists highlighted in a new book called Natural Computing, tosses aside the power supplies and external devices. The hybrid computer designer -- the only researcher spotlighted in the book who is not based on either the East or West coast -- has his eyes on packing foam inside the box that could soon become working parts in his next machine. Full Story

In collaboration with the Regenstrief Institute, an internationally respected biomedical and public health informatics innovator dedicated to improving health by enhancing the quality of health care, the Indiana University School of Informatics will address the growing workforce needs for qualified health IT workers by creating an array of specialized one- and two-year graduate programs offering a combination of classroom instruction, distance-accessible learning opportunities, and on-the-job training. Full Story

It sounds incredible that Indiana dragster driver Cory McClenathan traveled at over 324 mph when covering 1,000 feet in just 3.752 seconds to make drag racing history recently, but McClenathan says it was a group of motorsports engineering students at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis who were "unbelievable" in their assistance with helping him set the new record. "We've been working with IUPUI and those kids are just unbelievable when it comes to aerodynamics and how chassis should work," McClenathan said after making National Hot Rod Association history. "We've been working close with them and they were a big part of some configurations we've used. This car is basically set up the way they'd like to see it go in the future, especially when it comes to aerodynamics." Full Story

As the practice, regulation and reimbursement of health care become more complicated, and as the demand for electronic medical records and health information exchange grows, a universal method of identifying test results and other clinical measurement is essential. The standardized medical terminology system called Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, known as LOINC®, with a 57,000 term code vocabulary meets that need. LOINC provides the lingua franca needed for the creation of an electronic medical record and for health information to be electronically exchanged. The latest version of LOINC was released June 7. Full Story

The June 7, 2010, issue of IT Matters @ IU includes a look at how IU researchers are taking part through the VORTEX2 project in what is considered the largest national research undertaking in history to understand tornadoes. Also included in this month's issue are press releases about new research published from an IUPUI informaticist about virtual humans and their computer-generated attributes, an announcement by IU that it will expand its involvement in the Kuali Student initiative to develop a suite of open source software, a new study and initial assessment of the national framework for health information exchange, and announcement of the return of IU's popular summer technology workshop for teens sponsored by the IU Pervasive Technology Institute. Full Story