February 13, 1998 For Immediate Release

BC Gas President John Reid will be announcing a $50,000 contribution to the University ofNorthern British Columbia on Monday that will allow the University to take advantage ofnew distance learning technologies.

The new computer software allows live audio and screensharing to be displayedover the internet, linking the instructor with one or more students. A multi-mediacomputer lab on the campus will be named in recognition of BC Gas. A demonstration ofthe new technology will be held in UNBC Room 1069 (in the Admin Building) startingat lpm on Monday, February 16th.

"The BC Gas contribution will allow UNBC to purchase the equipment tosupplement our academic offerings in northern BC," says UNBC President Charles Jago."We already offer courses in about a dozen northern BC communities through face-to-faceteaching, audioconferencing, videoconferencing, and via the World Wide Web."

"This is entirely interactive," add Dennis Macknak, UNBC Director of RegionalOperations. "Not only will students be able to participate in lectures being offered byprofessors in Prince George, but students here will be able to learn from instructorselsewhere. We could, for example, have an instructor from the Nass Valley lead a FirstNations course or an instructor from Fort St John teaching about energy development."

A World Wide Web page describing the new technology can be found atwww.ilinc.com