Foley's New Ride

That's right. IST just got a van! In a recent article in the Daily Collegian, the College of Information Sciences and Technology recently purchased a $1 million van called NERV. NERV stands for Network Emergency Response Vehicle and was created by Cisco Systems. The van has already been used in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the fires in San Diego. Why was NERV developed? NERV was developed as "technology we know works in a disaster situation," said Bob Browning, senior manager for tactical operations support at Cisco. NERV includes voice-over Internet Protocol (IP), radio over IP, video over IP, a hi-definition videoconferencing system and a wireless mesh incident network. So why did IST buy a $1 million van? "The goal would be to give our students an opportunity to put their hands on technology," Foley said. "It would put Penn State in the lead in developing extreme events and security science." Foley said the extreme events laboratory would enable students to explore security scenarios involving potential terrorist targets like the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor, the Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium.

While $1 million for a van may seem a little steep, I think that NERV was a good investment for the college. Having a van such as NERV does put Penn State in the lead in security science, and the van will allow IST and SRA students to gain valuable experience working with this technology. My hope is that the college just doesn't let the van sit around but actively use it throughout the campus and Centre County.