Date:05/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/08/05/stories/2005080504170400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Anna University gets Tamil Nadu's first satellite interactive terminal

Staff Reporter

Latest in series of initiatives by Delhi-based consortium to promote educational multimedia Apart from receiving lectures by experts from all over the country, the terminal is also capable of transmitting lectures

ON AIR: The State's first satellite interactive terminal being commissioned at Anna University's Educational Multimedia Research Centre by the Vice-Chancellor, D. Viswanathan (right) on Thursday. G.D. Sharma (left), Director, Consortium for Education al Communication, R. Ramprabhu, Dean, College of Engineering (standing left) and R. Sreedhar, EMRD Director (standing right) look on. — Photo: M. Vedhan

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's first satellite interactive terminal, capable of receiving and sending video signals under the "Ku" band of EDUSAT (Educational Satellite), was commissioned at Anna University on Thursday.

Prof. D. Viswanathan, Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, declared the project open by having the first official videoconference with officials of Consortium for Educational Communication in New Delhi. The terminal is the latest in the series of initiatives by the consortium to promote production and dissemination of educational multimedia materials.

Prof G.D. Sharma, director of the consortium, said 50 terminals would be set up in various educational institutes of the country by August 15. The one at Anna University is the 17th to be commissioned in the past two weeks and another one would come up at Madras University soon.

Apart from receiving lectures by experts from all over the country, the terminal at Anna University was also capable of transmitting lectures. Mr. Sharma said colleges could also opt for "receiver-only" terminals. The Educational Multimedia Research Centre at Anna University has been creating multimedia content for UGC's educational services.

It has created more than 120 titles and has also been contributing online content. R. Sreedher, director of EMRC, supervised the launch of the terminal.