North Carolina State University News Services
Campus Box 7504
Raleigh, NC 27695
(919) 515-3470
October 27, 1997
NC State CyberNews Tips
A roundup of NC State University Web or Internet-based research and outreach activities. For use by the media as briefs or as background for stories.
Media Contact:
Tim Lucas, News Services, 919/515-3470 or [email protected]
Pfiesteria on the Web -- More than 100 people call Dr. JoAnn Burkholder's office at NC State daily seeking information about Pfiesteria piscicida, a toxic organism that, since 1991, has killed millions of fish in Mid-Atlantic waters and has been linked to human illnesses. A Web site created by Burkholder, the world's top Pfiesteria expert, can help answer their questions. The site is updated weekly and has downloadable images of Pfiesteria; a biological profile of it; research news; confirmations of new fish kills; links to scientific papers; and other useful information. It's located at http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/project/aquatic_botany.
An Animated Guide to the Internet -- Schools often lack the resources to give kids one-on-one instruction about information technology. "Cosmo the Internet Adviser," a new interactive software program from NC State, can help. Part computer game, part personal tutorial, it combines eye-popping animation with artificial intelligence to take kids on a fantastic voyage into the guts of a computer and onto the Internet.
"With Cosmo, students get a virtual tutor who can give them personalized lessons about the Internet on demand," says Dr. James Lester, Cosmo's co-creator. The program's artificial intelligence lets it react to and remember students' questions, and adjust the lesson to their skill levels. "Kids can learn at their own pace," says program designer Patrick FitzGerald. "And because it's fun, they end up learning more."
Free Online Career Guidance -- Stuck in a job you hate? Trapped in a dead-end field? Before you check out the classifieds, check out the Career Key, a free Internet site that helps job seekers and students identify careers that offer the best opportunities for them.
The site is located at http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/l/lkj/. It's the brainchild of Dr. Lawrence K. Jones, a professor of counselor education at NC State University. Based on the work of psychologist John Holland, the site helps job hunters identify which of six personality types best describes them: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising or conventional. Users can then link to a list of jobs that fit their personality, and to relevant sites such as the Bureau of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook. A comparable service is usually available only through a school or a professional career counselor.
-- lucas --
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