AT&T Foundation Announces $25,000 Gift to University of Central Florida

AT&T Foundation Announces $25,000 Gift to University of Central Florida

Donation, matching last year's, will fund graduate work in live simulation technologies

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The AT&T Foundation today announced it is awarding a $25,000 grant to the University of Central Florida to fund graduate work in the specialized field of live simulation technologies. The gift marks the second year in a row that the Foundation has made a $25,000 grant to UCF to support academic research in modeling and simulation.

Live simulation increasingly is used by the U.S. Army and other military branches to simulate battlefield conditions so soldiers can experience real- world conditions before being deployed around the world. It is also used to evaluate new or modernized weapons systems in a near real-world setting and holds promise in other areas, such as homeland security-related training.

The AT&T Foundation said the grant will support graduate work in live simulation under the guidance of UCF's Institute for Simulation and Training. The research will be performed at the Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith Simulation and Training Technology Center located in the Central Florida Research Park, a UCF partnership facility that also houses the U.S. Army's Research Development and Engineering Command simulation and training research activity.

"We're very glad to make another contribution to support UCF's modeling and simulation program," said Lou Addeo, president of AT&T Government Solutions. "In particular, live simulation training is truly leading-edge technology that can help our military personnel remain the best-trained in the world. We're especially pleased that this donation will help strengthen the partnership between industry, UCF and government."

AT&T Government Solutions' Orlando operations in April 2004 won two major Army contracts involving the development of live simulation training and testing technology, which will modernize the "laser-tag" battlefield simulation that has been in use over the past decade. The newer technology will include global positioning systems and wireless communications devices and will accommodate non-line-of-sight simulation, giving troops more realistic "force on force" simulated battles so they are better prepared for real battle.

"Contributions such as AT&T's provide a dual service," said Institute for Simulation and Training Director Randall Shumaker. "They not only advance simulation and training technology, they also augment the next generation of research scientists." Shumaker added that the Army, by allocating additional resources and laboratory space for this research effort, has helped foster a climate for rapid progress.

"AT&T's generous donation is the key component of a public-private partnership that benefits education and develops real world technology to train our military before being deployed to the battlefield," said Congressman Tom Feeney, (FL-24). "The AT&T grant allows the University of Central Florida's Institute for Simulation and Technology to develop cutting-edge programs that have placed UCF and the high-tech corridor at the forefront of modeling and simulation research. It is an honor to once again participate in today's announcement."

Responding to the growing need for highly skilled professionals in the field, UCF several years ago developed multidisciplinary master's and Ph.D. degree programs in modeling and simulation. More than 125 graduate students from the U.S. and abroad currently add to the discipline's body of knowledge while they work toward an advanced degree.

AT&T Government Solutions, headquartered in Vienna, Va., is a long- standing, trusted source of information technology solutions for the federal government, integrating unmatched network resources and professional services expertise with innovative technologies from AT&T Labs and industry-leading partners. Best known for network leadership in voice, data, video and managed services, AT&T Government Solutions is a proven solutions integrator, with professional services expertise in areas such as enterprise architecture, business transformation, knowledge management, training, program management, systems engineering and security.

The University of Central Florida in Orlando is a metropolitan research university with programs of national and international prominence in life sciences (biotechnology), optics and lasers, nanotechnology, nursing, teacher education and modeling and simulation. With more than 42,000 students, UCF is the second-largest university in the state of Florida and among the fastest- growing in the country. UCF's Institute for Simulation and Training is an internationally recognized research institute that focuses on advancing modeling and simulation technology and increasing our understanding of simulation's role in training and education.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991018/ATT )

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991018/ATT
Source: AT&T

CONTACT: Jim McGann, +1-703-506-5524, or Julie Spechler,
+1-954-493-6134, both of AT&T; Randall Williams of UCF, +1-407-882-1317

Web site: http://www.att.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: You are invited to see and hear about the latest in live simulation technology following today's 11 a.m. media briefing at the Smith Simulation and Training Technology Center located in Research Park.

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