IOCOM and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Partner for Educational Video Conferencing Tutorials

Virtual learning program takes students on live, deep-sea explorations aboard scientific research vessel

CHICAGO – September 28, 2009 – IOCOM, a leading software provider for enterprise-class video conferencing and collaboration capabilities, today announced its ongoing partnership with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program’s (IODP) Deep Earth Academy to offer educational video conferencing for students to witness live, deep-sea voyages. Since the installation of the IOCOM solution 12 months ago, twelve conversations have taken place with Northside Independent School District (ISD) of San Antonio, Texas; Oregon’s Treasure Valley Community College; and other students and teachers across the United States and Japan. More presentations are planned for student groups and museums in the near future.

The program has enabled students to connect with the IODP’s ship, JOIDES Resolution – also known as “The JR” – through IOCOM’s video conferencing platform, allowing scientists onboard The JR to host interactive sessions with students that include file sharing of relevant scientific data. Participants discuss and observe how the scientists take core samples and measurements from under the ocean floor, giving them a glimpse into the earth’s development and a scientific means of measuring climate and environmental change throughout a significant part of the earth’s history.

“This educational project has been a spectacular success, and IOCOM has played a major role in ensuring everything works without a hitch,” said Leslie Peart, Deep Earth Academy director. “During our first expedition we served about 350 San Antonio students and also had a conversation with all the Northside campus instructional technology managers, and that was just the beginning. The advanced video conferencing technology and the professionalism at IOCOM play an integral role in being able to share our knowledge with students in a fun, interactive manner.”

Seventeen conferences are scheduled for the current JR expedition, including one celebrating the first anniversary of the Smithsonian Institute’s Sant Ocean Hall as well as weekly conferences with the Tokyo Museum of Nature and Science and the University of the Virgin Islands. Video conferencing events are also scheduled at the Maryland Science Center for homeschooled students and their families and for various school groups visiting the IODP over the next few months.

“Being a part of this project has been extremely rewarding,” said Michael Galich, CEO of IOCOM. “The IODP program is a phenomenal opportunity for students across the world, and we are proud to provide the technology and support necessary to connect the students with such an innovative, extraordinary research program.”

About IOCOM
IOCOM is a Chicago-based software provider that helps keep people connected through video, data and audio conferencing. Its solutions work with virtually any Internet-enabled device, including room systems, PCs, laptops and mobile devices. IOCOM’s focus is on delivering the high performance necessary for smooth audio and video without the cost and complexity of bulkier, proprietary systems. Fortune 500 companies, government and education institutions, researchers, skilled workers, and general consumers currently rely on IOCOM’s solutions. For more information, please visit http://www.iocom.com.

About Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is an international marine research drilling program supported by 23 countries dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of Earth by sampling and monitoring subseafloor environments. Through multiple platforms, preeminent scientists explore IODP’s principal research themes: the deep biosphere, environmental change, and solid earth cycles.

Media Contact for IOCOM:
Jamie Larson
Blanc & Otus
512.372.6654
jlarson@blancandotus.com