September 2007

VIU Technology Center Opens at Pender Drive Campus

Virginia International University has been busily expanding its campus technology facilities this summer with the creation of the VIU Technology Center (VTC). The new center, located in the Pender Drive campus building, is slated to open to students and faculty with the start of the 2007-2008 academic year. According to Necmi Mutlu, Ph.D., chair of VIU's Computer Programs Department and the director of VTC, “There are huge advantages to this new facility, both to those of us at VIU and to the business community around us.”

The VTC will make available to VIU students the latest computers, equipment, and software and serve as both a teaching and lab space. The VTC, which houses 12 new computer workstations, will also be available to VIU faculty to support them in their academic research projects. Mutlu explains, “The VTC will be a place on the VIU campus where students can go to work on projects with support. It's also a place where our faculty can go to work on their own research.” Everyone who uses this facility will have access to really wonderful materials, enjoy on-site support, and “gain fantastic hands-on experience,” Mutlu adds.

The VIU Technology Center (VTC) opened this month at the Pender Drive campus building. Computer Programs Department Chair Dr. Necmi Mutlu (standing, left) and Computer Programs Professor Serdar Angun (standing, in rear) provide on-site guidance to VIU students in the new center.

The VTC plans to make connections to local Northern Virginia industry to provide opportunities for students to “tangle with real problems,” Mutlu says. Outreach efforts will create a win-win situation for everyone because companies in Northern Virginia will have a convenient and economical resource to help them solve their problems and grow their businesses. “We hope that industry in our community will take advantage of our students' brain power, know-how, and hard work,” Mutlu says.

In return, VIU hopes that students get a taste of real market problems and benefit from authentic learning experiences. The VTC was designed first and foremost to give students confidence and marketable experience. According to Mutlu, “We believe that our students will benefit tremendously by knowing that what they produce is not simply an academic exercise, but that their work will be put into actual use.” However, a secondary goal of the VTC is to help VIU students form relationships with professionals nearby who are already in the marketplace. “Our greatest hope is that the VTC ultimately leads our students to mentorships, internships, and employment in Northern Virginia ,” Mutlu adds. Furthermore, the VTC hopes to bring both human and financial resource to the VIU campus as it draws interest from the local business community. As Mutlu explains, “We'd be thrilled if the VTC ultimately becomes eligible for grant monies. The VTC would also love to attract guest lecturers and adjunct professors from members of the local business community.”

The VTC will be open to students and faculty starting in September 2007 during regular Pender Drive Campus hours. Virginia International University would like to extend a special thank you to the Pakistan American Business Association for donating computer hardware equipment to the new center. For more information about the VIU Technology Center , call Dr. Necmi Mutlu at 703-591-7042, ext. 306, or email him at nmutlu@viu.edu .

VIU's Summer ESL Students Beat the Heat at August 7 Potluck

The VIU potluck tradition continued this summer as students took a break from the summer heat on August 7 for a potluck luncheon. “The food was absolutely amazing,” says Karin Sandler , acting ESL director who organized the potluck for the students as they neared the completion of the 12-week summer semester. “It was an especially hot August day so I think everyone was grateful to share fantastic food, good friends, and a few laughs in the comfort of air conditioning,” Sandler adds.

Students enjoyed a summer potluck luncheon before the summer semester ended. Sampling the delicious foods are (from left to right): Satoko Sato (Japan), Benny Magomela (Tanzania) and Nazegul Kose (Turkey).

Robin Leon, VIU's International Student Advisor/ESL teacher, says, “It is astounding to me how tremendously talented some of our students are in the kitchen. The dishes they prepared to share with their classmates and teachers were delicious and beautiful. The smell of the food alone was a real treat.” The ESL potluck featured foods of many international cuisines and allowed students and faculty to sample dishes they might not otherwise have had an opportunity to try. The event took place between morning and afternoon ESL classes at the Pender Drive campus.

Says Sandler, “The students set up the potluck buffet, played some music, relaxed and enjoyed one another's company, and for about an hour on a hot Tuesday afternoon, we dined like kings.”

VIU Library Expands into Cyber-Space with Two New Online Resources

Remember the days when a library was a collection of books and magazines? Well, the VIU library is that but also so much more. The VIU's library system has just subscribed to two new online libraries called LIRN and e.brary. “These subscriptions increase VIU student and faculty access to reference and research sources tenfold ,” explains VIU librarian John Bennett . Both LIRN and e.brary will be accessible to VIU students and faculty from any computer with an Internet connection, Bennett says.

The LIRN electronic library provides participating colleges and universities with a wide range of research and reference resources. With a LIRN subscription, VIU students and faculty have access to databases in business, computer science, and many other disciplines. These databases offer, among other materials, the full-text of millions of periodical articles from thousands of peer reviewed journals.

The VIU library has subscribed to two new online libraries. Librarian John Bennett and Student Library Assistant Feruza Madrakhimova (Uzbekistan) calculate that the new resources combined will provide more than 120,000 up-to-date resources for the VIU community.

E-brary's Academic Complete database is designed to meet the reference and research needs of students up to the master's level. It provides students and faculty with access to more than 120,000 items including e-books, maps, journals, and reports. The database includes the full-texts of almost 35,000 current academic books, including more than 6,000 titles in business and economics, and approximately 3,000 titles in computer and information science.

Says VIU library assistant Feruza Madrakhimova, “These new online libraries will open up a huge new world to everyone here at VIU. They are wonderful.” The new online libraries were made accessible by password to VIU students, faculty, and staff starting September 1, 2007 .