ITP received the second installment of a $1.25 million Program of Excellence grant from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education during August 1999. Award funds are being used to enhance laboratories and course offerings in telecommunications networking, wireless and optical communications. Students can now gain hands-on experience observing and measuring mode patterns for multi-mode fibers, analyzing optimum output from lasers and LEDs, and using optical time domain reflectometers for fault location and to compare ideal system characteristics described by theory with practical optical fiber systems.

The Visiting Fellows program provides guest lecturers for classes, weekend seminars, and specialized summer courses. The International Center for Standards Research (ICSR) continues to grow. Researcher Timothy Schoechle presented a paper at the first biannual IEEE Conference on Standardization and Innovation in Information Technology in Aachen, Germany during September 1999, where conference planners chose CU-Boulder and the ITP/ICSR to host SIIT2001. Government, industry, and education leaders from 20 member countries will convene in Boulder, April 3-5, 2001 for a closer look at technical standards setting for the next decade.

Today's ITP students, ranging in age from 22 to 60, from 24 countries, constitute a growing and diverse population of current and future telecommunications professionals. For more information, visit our website or call 303-492-8916. itp-www.colorado.edu