Beyond the barcode.

From grocery store checkouts to homeland security measures, today's identification technologies are tagging the students of Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena with the codes necessary for success.

The students are preparing for high-tech careers through the university's Center of Excellence for Automated Identification Technology (AIT). An emphasis program in the industrial technology department, the AIT Center works to improve existing coding technologies while anticipating the arrival of newer, faster imprinting. The center, guided by director Witaya Jangsombatsira, focuses its efforts on AIT and Automated Data Collection (ADC), which are the technologies that include the Uniform Product Code (UPC) or barcoding system, radio frequency identification, contact memory buttons, biometrics, and optical memory cards. These applications track products for businesses and have garnered additional attention in the wake of tragedies like September 11, 2001.

Jack Rose, former center director and university associate vice-president for institutional research and effectiveness, says only a few institutions in the nation are performing this type of research. MVSU is one of three universities in the country to offer a specialization in AIT and is the only historically black college or university to have extensive teaching and research solely dedicated to AIT studies. "In the end, I think ours is and will continue to be the most comprehensive program," Rose says.

The AIT Center was established in 2002 through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Cytec Corporation in Jackson helped to spearhead the program's development, reasoning that students trained in the emerging technologies could participate in internships with companies trying to implement the new technologies.

With government and industrial partnerships, the AIT Center educates students with real-world applications. "Primarily, there are two types of instruction: lecture with examples and lab work applications," Rose says. "Students become familiar with the software, scanning equipment, and test equipment that AIT research uses. People who have these skills can work anywhere and be successful."

University President Lester C. Newman says he's proud of the center's work: "Here at the Valley of Scholars, we are pleased to be among the small number of universities offering academic training in AIT and look forward to producing well-rounded graduates in the field who are prepared to take on the challenges of working in a high-tech environment."

See www.mvsu.edu/AIT/mvsu_final/ for more information.