Keeping pace with rapidly evolving information technology (IT) resources and methodologies in higher education can be demanding and time consuming. On March 22-24, the third annual Educational Conference on Academic Technology at Emory (EduCATE), designed to help meet that challenge, will provide a welcome opportunity for faculty, IT professionals and University administrators to survey state-of-the-art practices and technologies that are advancing teaching and research at Emory; gain knowledge and skills; and connect with colleagues in a setting that encourages networking and information sharing.

Organized by Don Harris, vice provost for information technology and CIO, and the Information Technology Division (ITD), EduCATE features visionary keynotes, concurrent sessions in three tracks--teaching, research and IT--a strategic panel discussion, a technology showcase and hands-on workshops.

"The overall program this year is the strongest we've ever had for an EduCATE conference," Harris said. "Besides a good cross section of academic areas being represented, we'll have two outstanding keynote speakers who will help us consider new possibilities for using IT resources in teaching and research. We're looking forward to an outstanding event for the academic community."

The conference kicks off Monday evening, March 22, with an invitation-only banquet cosponsored by Harris, President Jim Wagner and Michael Johns, executive vice president for health affairs.

The keynote speaker, Richard Robb, Scheller Professor in Medical Research at the Mayo Medical School and director of the Biomedical Imaging Resource at the Mayo Foundation/Clinic, has successfully designed and taught academic courses in image processing and visualization and helped develop a unique curriculum in biomedical imaging. His continuing interests include design and evaluation of new-generation paradigms for biomedical imaging and visualization systems (particularly for medical treatment planning) minimally invasive clinical procedures, computer-assisted surgery, medical education and basic science curricula.

Robb will discuss technological capabilities and future trends in biomedical imaging that are anticipated to move imaging systems from multidimensional observation and measurement to a mode of visualization referred to as a "fusion of form and function throughout scale space," which holds unprecedented possibilities for anatomy and biology research and education.

On March 23, 15 one-hour, lecture-style concurrent sessions, open to all attendees, feature presentations on innovative teaching and research practices by an interdisciplinary group of Emory faculty including Nancy Bliwise, psychology; Joseph Kinkade, medicine; Steven Kraftchick, theology; Lavonda Mee-Lee, medicine; Peggy Moloney, nursing; Judy Raggi Moore, French and Italian; Gordon Newby, comparative and international studies; Wendy Newstetter, biomedical engineering; Kyle Petersen, medicine; Vernon Robbins, religion; Cheryl Strauss, medicine; Kim Wallen, psychology; and May Dongmei Wang, biomedical engineering.

Session topics are diverse and include "the online data collection process" (Moloney); "creating a syllabus in Blackboard" (Robbins and Gordon Newby); and "group effort in tackling challenging issues in modern biomedical research" (Wang).

Kenneth Green, founding director of the Campus Computing Project, will deliver the luncheon keynote address. The largest continuing study of IT's role in American colleges and universities, the project is widely cited by both campus officials and corporate executives as the definitive source for information about IT issues affecting American higher education.

In October 2002 Green received the first EDUCAUSE Award for Leadership in Public Policy and Practice. The award cited his work in creating the Campus Computing Project and recognized his "prominence in the arena of national and international technology agendas and the linking of higher education to those agendas."

Green's presentation will focus on the academy's aspirations for IT, the current IT environment, and challenges and outcomes for universities and faculty as they work to align IT expectations with resources and infrastructure.

On March 24 after a continental breakfast, a full day of workshop labs will offer hands-on instruction in web page creation, presentation, digital movie editing and online course-content management applications.

Interested participants are urged to register early. There are no fees, but space is limited. Attendees may register for the full conference or select only individual sessions. For full details or to register, visit http://educate.emory.edu.