for further information contact:

Jo-Ann Michalak, Director of Tisch Library

617-627-3345

Sixth Annual Berger Family Technology

Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Medford, MA, April 10, 2003- The sixth annual grant from the Tufts University Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment has been awarded to Digital Boston Geotechnical Database for Research, Teaching, and Technology Transfer in Education, submitted by Laurie Baise and Lewis Edgers, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department; Anne Gardulski, Geology Department; Wayne Powell, Tisch Library; Gregory Colati, Director, Digital Collections and Archives and University Archivist; Denise Castronovo, Geographical Information System (GIS) Center; and Academic Technology.

Digital Boston Geotechnical Database for Research, Teaching, and Technology Transfer in Education will develop a digital online database of geotechnical data in the Boston area for use in research and education at Tufts University. The project focus will be on the creation of a digital library resource as a part of Tufts Digital Library, that can be navigated using innovative technology for two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) visualization. This project will be accomplished by developing a geographical information system (GIS) and web interface for accessing geotechnical data and geologic and historic maps. In order to accomplish the educational objective of the project, the GIS will be developed in parallel with a set of teaching modules for undergraduate and graduate courses at Tufts. The project will build on previous Tufts initiatives: 1) The Digital Library Collections' Boston Streets Project, 2) the compilation of geotechnical data led by Professor Lewis Edgers and published in the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Journal, 3) an on-going research project which is developing a database of geotechnical data for Boston to assess seismic hazard, and 4) on-going research mapping stratigraphy and sea level history in marsh deposits around Boston.

A set of teaching modules designed for students and researchers to highlight the advantage of digital data and visualization through GIS in engineering, education and research will be developed using the data retrieval/visualization tool (GIS for geotechnical data). The teaching modules will direct the student to use the GIS tool to answer specific questions about the subsurface conditions in Boston and how those conditions affected the development and resulting infrastructure of Boston. The GIS for geotechnical data will provide a powerful educational tool for teaching important engineering skills to students within the context of geology and Boston history. In collaboration with Wayne Powell on the Tisch Library staff, instructional modules will be developed on accessing and using the digital data for the Tufts community and for the Boston area.

The Berger family has been a generous donor to Tufts University. Over the years they have contributed to the renovation of Tisch Library and established an endowed professorship in the College of Engineering. Members of the Berger Family Technology Transfer Endowment Advisory Board are: Amy Friedlander, the representative for the Berger family and Special Projects Associate at the Council of Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Washington, DC; Susan K. Martin, President of SKM Associates, Inc., Marstons Mills, MA, and member of the Arts & Sciences Overseers; Vincent Manno, Interim Dean, School of Engineering; Susan Ernst, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences; Professor Terry Haas, Chair, Library Committee; Professor Kent Portney, Chair of the Computer Facilities and Usage Committee; Professor Greg Crane, Winnick Family Chair in Technology & Entrepreneurship; Jo-Ann Michalak, Director of Tisch Library.

A copy of Digital Boston Geotechnical Database for Research, Teaching, and Technology Transfer in Education is located on the Web; in addition, please see the Berger website.