Stemming from a trip last fall to India by Academic Affairs Vice President Brian Adler, five students from North Gujarat University visited Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) recently for six weeks. Their stay was not simply a site-seeing venture — they were here to work.

The students were commissioned to develop software and/or methods to make life on the computer an easier task for individuals on GSW's campus and within Americus Fire and Emergency Services (AFES). They presented their work on June 9.

"These projects are the first part of a collaborative effort between Georgia Southwestern and North Gujarat University in India," said Boris Peltsverger, Ph.D., dean of the School of Computing and Mathematics. "We expect several graduates from North Gujarat to begin work on master's degrees at Georgia Southwestern in the fall. All of the students involved in these projects want to come back as graduate students."

Two of the five students, Agni Acharya and Aneri Desai, developed an Emergency Management System for the AFES. The new system provides Americus fire and rescue personnel easy access to important information documented on pre-fire surveys. This may include hazardous material located in various buildings within Americus. Until now, that information wasn't available digitally or remotely.

Having advocated for a system like this for some time, Americus Firefighter Matt Winter said there are not many programs like this on the market. Fortunately, the students from North Gujarat University earned class credit for their work, so it came at no charge to the City of Americus. Each student must complete similar projects in order to graduate.

Durgesh Vishen, Sachim Mehta and Suhas Patel, three of the five students from North Gujarat, presented, as well. Vishen developed a server farm that could increase capacity of a computer virtual lab within the School of Computing and Mathematics. Patel and Mehta developed a virtualization system.

GSW Professor Arvind Shah, Ph.D., coordinated all of the students’ activities and served as an advisor for two projects: the virtual lab and AFES. Professor Semen Baev supervised the virtualization project.

Only their first visit to America, the North Gujarat students made the most of their time in the states. While in Americus, they received a warm welcome from the local Indian community as Sharad Patel, owner of the Windsor Hotel, coordinated community events. They also had an opportunity to meet former President Jimmy Carter, and on their way home, they spent a few days in New York City. The students described their trip as an "unforgettable six weeks."

For information about the students' projects or the School of Computing and Mathematics, contact Peltzverger at 931-2100.