WASHINGTON – OPNET Technologies, Inc., a pioneer and leading provider of Intelligent Network Management software, has made a $1.6 million software and training grant to Jerald Feinstein, an assistant professor of information systems at The George Washington University School of Business and Public Management (SBPM). The grant will support Internet2 research and classroom activities. The work covered in this grant enables Professor Feinstein to continue research previously sponsored by SBPM’s Department of Management Science.

The grant includes licenses of OPNET’s IT Guru – a product with the ability to isolate application performance and network configuration problems. It also includes training to support Professor Feinstein’s research in developing virtual networking laboratories for conventional information systems courses as well as for those taught in a collaborative and distributed environment over Internet2. The tools will enable students to effectively translate theory into practice by designing, simulating and testing their business network projects within a realistic environment, and using best practice tools commonly used in private and public sector organizations. 

“We are researching the use of these tools for use in Internet2 kinds of collaborative and distributed activities such as distributed meetings employing IP-based videoconferencing as well as distance learning applications where we envision developing distributed, virtual network design and simulation labs for the students to use,” said Feinstein. 

Todd Kaloudis, OPNET’s vice president of business development and marketing, said, “More than 500 university groups worldwide use OPNET software across multiple disciplines including management information systems, electrical engineering and computer science. This is the same software we provide to businesses around the world for planning production networks and optimizing the performance of networked applications. We are very pleased to contribute to Professor Feinstein’s pioneering work.”

Internet2 is a consortium being led by 200 universities working in partnership with industry and government to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's Internet. GW has been one of the early experimenters with Internet2. Professor Feinstein has conducted research initiatives with Harvard University on collaborative and distributed learning over next generation Internet links. Such experimentation will help develop higher education’s and other industry’s understanding of Internet2, and how the technology can be used to accelerate increases in productivity and efficiencies in supply-chains.

OPNET Technologies was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Bethesda, Md. For more information about OPNET and its products, visit www.opnet.com.

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