Virtual Corporations
Recruiting Students
Students are being recruited for two virtual corporations - the Distributed Information Systems Corporation
(DISC) and the Personal
Electric Rapid Transit Systems Corporation (PERTS).
The student-run virtual corporations provide an educational experience
that goes beyond conventional student projects. Participating students work
closely with faculty and industrial advisors in corporate-style organizations
to develop commercially viable projects within actual markets.
DISC and PERTS are seeking engineering, business, and arts and science
students to fill positions throughout both organizations. During the fall
1997 semester, the corporations expect to select corporate officials and
define their structure, in addition to beginning technical and business
development work.
Interested students are being interviewed by faculty members in order
to match interests and backgrounds to technical areas and roles within the
corporations.
Participants earn course credit for their work through various methods.
The ECE Department is offering credit for work on DISC through independent
study courses EE2974, EE3974 and EE4974. The Computer Science Department
also offers two special studies courses for DISC, CS2984 and CS4984. Students
in other departments may sign up for one of these, do an independent study,
or make other arrangements through their home departments.
DISC
The DISC team will be developing a medical information system that would
integrate multimedia data ranging from paper notes to real-time monitoring
images with on-site hospital and remote access for doctors, nurses, pharmacists
and others involved in patient care. The system not only will give decision-makers
speedy and accurate information, but would help them with intelligent decision-support
systems.
Initially DISC will be working with the College
of Veterinary Medicine and focus on a cytology laboratory system.
PERTS
The PERTS team will be designing a prototype dual-mode rapid transit
system proposed to run between downtown Blacksburg and a nearby shopping
complex. The system will involve electric passenger vehicles operating under
their own power for short distances, or hooking up to a monorail system
for high-speed, long-distance transport.
For information, contact Professor Krishnan Ramu at phone: (540) 231-4311,
or e-mail: kramu@vt.edu, or visit the Web site: www.ece.vt.edu/virtcorp/. | 
