The eyes have it—IU School of Informatics major Jennifer Niles used this eye-tracking device to test the natural progression of the human eye as it followed predetermined reference lines when she and her teammates focused their Capstone Project on problems and solutions with such hardware with help from Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center. Niles graduated in 2004.

Indiana University and Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane are charting a course to broaden opportunities for students seeking careers in information technology.

Crane and the IU School of Informatics recently reached an agreement to establish an educational partnership, enabling IU School of Informatics students to use the center’s equipment and software to develop undergraduate and graduate projects. Students also will have some access to Crane facilities and learn from some of its information technology experts.

For its part, the school will encourage its students to participate in educational programs and projects sponsored by Crane, share its appropriate computing resources on campus for student-employee collaborations and provide occasional meeting space for center personnel.

“Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center is of utmost strategic importance not only to our national security, but also to the economic security and stability of the State of Indiana,” said Michael McRobbie, IU vice president of information technology and chief information officer and of research.

“This newest initiative with Crane will enable students at IU to gain critical, real-world experience in the use and application of advanced information technologies,” McRobbie said. “It also reaffirms our long-standing commitment to develop and retain Indiana’s 21st-century workforce, creating new opportunities and greater economic security for citizens throughout the state.”

NSWC Crane, located about 30 miles southwest of Bloomington, is a world-recognized leader in providing acquisition and engineering support in the technical areas of engineering, electronics, electronic warfare and ordnance. Its agreement with IU is backed by a congressionally authorized education partnership program, allowing the Department of Defense laboratories and U.S. educational institutions to join together to promote the study of scientific disciplines.

 “Our goal is to stimulate student interest in information technology, science and mathematics in a variety of fields,” said Capt. Mark Welsh, NSWC Crane’s commanding officer. “The IU School of Informatics is the first of its kind in the United States and offers Crane a unique opportunity to leverage this state resource. Student participation will benefit the Department of Defense by providing advanced training of future employees.”

School of Informatics Dean J. Michael Dunn said such partnerships demonstrate IU’s ongoing commitment to become an international leader in information technology and research.

“Clearly, one way to achieve this goal is through well-designed partnerships and collaborations, and that exactly is what we have done in forging this agreement with Crane,” Dunn said.

The IU School of Informatics and Crane already have a track record of working together the last two years, said Dennis Groth, assistant professor and the school’s partnership liaison to Crane.

“Seniors are required to participate in our Capstone Project program,” said Groth, who oversees the program. “They work on supervised teams and learn to design and develop successful information systems in specialized areas, some of which have drawn upon Crane resources.”