"Play" or back-and-forth dialogue between users and designers can lead to IT systems that are more responsive to the subtleties and ambiguities of users' different perspectives, say Penn State researchers. Because it makes users and designers teammates during the development process, the "play" model also can reduce the multiple upgrades and updates that plague enterprise-wide or "Newspeak" solutions, says Frederico Fonseca, assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). Too often, system designers aim for the "killer application" with the assumption that it will work well for every user and address every business or organizational need. But users are not homogeneous, and enterprise-wide or "Newspeak" solutions don't take into account users' different perspectives. The consequence: updates and upgrades are needed. "For example, departments in banks interpret the term 'loan date' differently," Fonseca said. "One department views it as the date when the loan was applied for, another when the loan was approved and yet another when the money was released."

At major universities across the nation, a revolution is under way in teaching and learning in information technology. Old departmental silos are toppling, discipline lines are being crossed, and a whole new breed of information school -- "i-school" -- is emerging. In response, more than 250 deans, faculty members and students from across the country are converging at Penn State Sept. 28-30 for the First Conference of the i-School Community. Representatives from 18 i-schools will seek a common understanding of what makes the i-schools unique, what they offer society, and the challenges they face. "Dramatic change has occurred in how many universities conceive information technology education," said James B. Thomas, dean of Penn State's School of Information Sciences and Technology. "Research and curricula are being crafted through the blending of different fields and disciplines to inspire new solutions for our society." The emergence of the i-schools has not gone unnoticed by savvy employers, who are looking for leadership and problem-solving abilities, along with technology skills from 21st century graduates. As well, many millions of dollars have gone to i-school researchers as they attack multifaceted problems associated with information and technology in our society.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.2-million grant to researchers in the Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) and the University of Kansas to enhance and improve the CiteSeer academic search engine which receives more than 1 million hits a day and is heavily indexed by Google and Yahoo!. Since its launch in 1997, CiteSeer has provided the public with access to more than 700,000 documents in computer and information sciences. The Next Generation CiteSeer will archive more documents, allow new types of searching, offer CiteSeer as a Web service, include personalized recommendations and searches, and permit synchronous live-object collaboration. Lee Giles, the David Reese Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, is the principal investigator for the NSF Computing Research Infrastructure Collaborative Grant. Jack Carroll, the Edward M. Frymoyer Professor of Information Sciences and Technology; Jim Jansen, assistant professor of information sciences and technology; and Susan Gauch, University of Kansas, are co-investigators.

In the first study of its kind to focus on college-trained information technology (IT) professional women working in positions from systems analysts to IT project leaders, a team of Penn State researchers has found new evidence that organizations need better policies and programs to foster women in the IT workplace. The researchers recommend that employers address ways to retain women in those critical moments when they are bearing and caring for young children. These ways could range from supporting part-time work arrangements and job sharing to telecommuting, flexible hours and child-care subsidies. "Women bring different perspectives and different needs to the workplace, and organizations need to recognize that," said Steve Sawyer, a faculty member in the Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) and co-researcher on the study. "For instance, women who are discouraged from information networking and mentoring with their co-workers have very different employment outcomes than men."

Sponsored links are marketed as a sure-fire way to lure consumers to specific Web sites, but a Penn State study shows most online shoppers don't take the bait. "Consumers have a bias against the links that businesses pay search engines to provide," said Jim Jansen, assistant professor in the Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). "By themselves, sponsored links appear not to be a viable business model and should be only one part of an online advertising campaign." According to recent reports, businesses spent an estimated $8 billion to sell their products and services via sponsored links in 2004, despite little evidence that such advertising successfully directs traffic to Web sites.

Companies wanting to use the Internet to recruit new employees should spotlight the geographic location of positions on their Web sites and include terms used by searchers, rather than site designers or human resource professionals, according to Penn State researchers. "Users' primary interest when looking for jobs is location, but company Web sites typically don't highlight geographical information," said Jim Jansen, assistant professor of information sciences and technology. "Location ranks above industry, position, particular companies and even job skills." Jansen and co-authors Karen J. Jansen, assistant professor of management in The Penn State Smeal College of Business; and Amanda Spink, University of Pittsburgh, drew their conclusions by analyzing 7,000 job-related queries submitted to Excite on Sept. 16, 1997; Dec. 1, 1999; and April 30, 2001. The researchers also learned that online job searches yield a higher percentage of non-relevant returns than general Web searches -- 60 percent for job searches compared to 50 percent for general searches, Jansen said.

New easier-to-read road signs based on Penn State research are appearing across the United States and Canada.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has approved the interim use of a new typeface, called Clearview, for signs on all public streets, highways and byways. New signs bearing Clearview, instead of the old familiar Highway Gothic, already appear on Routes 322 and 80 in Pennsylvania near Penn State, on highways throughout Texas and in Canada.