Bryant University

National award: The university has won two national awards for its Collaborative Public Safety Network: the Campus Technology Innovators Award and the Institutional Excellence Award from the Association for Information Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education.

The network enables first responders throughout Rhode Island and nearby states to communicate with one another regardless of the communication equipment they use.

The public safety network operates through IPICS, which stands for Internet Protocol Interoperability and Collaboration System. Developed by Cisco Systems, IPICS has the ability to share simultaneously, with the push of one button, firsthand information from the source directly to the people who need it, no matter where they are or what they use to communicate, be it regular phone, cell phone, computer or hand-held radio. Think of it as a virtual conference call in which everyone simultaneously gets all the information needed to respond quickly to emergencies and make quick group decisions.

IPICS grew out of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center tragedies, when police and fire battalions, each talking on independent frequencies, were unable to share critical information with one another.

Bryant uses IPICS daily to enable direct radio communication among campus public safety, campus management and residential life departments. But after the shootings at Virginia Tech, the university realized that IPICS had the potential to connect campus public safety officials to one another and to off-campus safety officials during a crisis.

Working closely with fire chiefs in Smithfield, Bryant extended IPICS to a number of public safety agencies, first in Smithfield, then in the neighboring communities of North Smithfield, Cumberland, Glocester, Foster, Woonsocket and Connecticut’s Quinebaug Valley Regional Dispatch Center.

The university also connected with Rhode Island’s E-911, the Rhode Island chapter of the American Red Cross, the state’s Emergency Management Agency, and with other college campuses in Rhode Island.

The network expansion has already been put to use. Last winter, an auto accident occurred on the Rhode Island/Connecticut border. A motorist placed a 911 call, which was relayed to the Quinebaug Valley Regional Dispatch Center. With the click of the IPICS button, the dispatcher was able to get additional details and immediately alert Rhode Island public safety officials responsible for the area where the accident occurred.

Community College of Rhode Island

New computer courses: The computer studies and information processing department is debuting two new classes this fall, an online 3-credit course in computer forensics and a 1-credit course about podcasting.

Computer forensics, the science of acquiring and analyzing evidence in digital form such as files on a hard drive or network activity, is an in-demand field with applications in criminal justice, corporate information technology, homeland security and the military.

Introduction to Computer Forensics will start with the basics of computer technology to build a foundation for understanding where evidence can be found. It will expose students to tools used in the industry, law and procedures. The course will be taught online using streaming video lectures and hands-on exercises that students perform on their own computers.

Also new this fall is Introduction to Computer Software (Podcasting). Students will learn about podcasts and their benefits as well as how to create, edit and publish their own podcasts. This 1-credit course will meet from 6 to 10 p.m. on Mondays from Nov. 24 to Dec. 22 at the Knight Campus in Warwick. For more information about either course, visit www.ccri.edu/comp/

New England Institute of Technology

Accredited: The day division of the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Technology program at the college has been granted accreditation to operate in the college’s evening division. The program is accredited through the 2015/2016 academic year. Individuals interested in studying in the OTA program in the evening can call the college at (401) 467-7744 or (800) 736-7744 or view the program at www.neit.edu.

Donation: Christopher Bannister, chairman of the automotive technology department, has received a donation of two vehicles from the Ford Motor Co. The 2008 Ford Focus and 2008 Ford Edge will be used by the students and faculty as a training aid.

Received: Lisa Reed, chairperson of the surgical technology department, has received $21,350 in donated surgical materials from Kent Hospital, in Warwick. The materials will be used as teaching aids by the students and faculty in the department.

Providence College

Jazz Concert: The department of music will present a jazz concert by the Brubeck Brothers Quartet on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Ryan Concert Hall of the Smith Center for the Arts on campus. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (401) 865-2183.

Roger Williams University

Ranked eighth: In this year’s college rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, the university achieved its highest ranking in history, jumping to the eighth slot in its category: Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the North.

The university attributes the jump from ninth to changes in its acceptance rate, freshman retention rate, graduation rate, student/faculty ratio, the academic qualifications of incoming students, and reputation.

As defined by U.S. News & World Report, baccalaureate colleges are institutions “that focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs — in liberal arts, which account for fewer than half of their bachelor’s degrees, and in professional fields such as business, nursing and education.” Ranking ahead of Roger Williams in the category for the North region are Cooper Union, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Bard College at Simon’s Rock, among others.

University of Rhode Island

Hunger play: But for the Grace…, a play about hunger in Rhode Island by playwright David Eliet, will be performed at URI on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. and on Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. in Edwards Auditorium, 64 Upper College Road, Kingston. It is free and open to the public.

The performance is sponsored by the URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America in collaboration with the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. The one-man show stars Providence actor Bob Jaffe as 11 characters ranging from a 7-year-old boy to a 75-year-old Russian immigrant woman.

The play, commissioned by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, was created from more than 70 interviews with Rhode Island food pantry clients, staff and volunteers. The stories told in this play are as varied as the circumstances that led each character to seek food assistance. Their words explain what life is like when a most basic need cannot be met.

Donations of canned food or monetary gifts will be accepted at the door. Six agencies are involved with the promotion of the play and will benefit from any donations.

Auditions: Auditions are open to the public for two upcoming plays: Small Tragedy and Oklahoma! Call (401)874-5921 for an audition or sign up outside the theater office on the second floor of the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Rd., Kingston.

Performance dates for Small Tragedy are Oct. 9 through 12 and Oct. 16 through 19. Performance dates for Oklahoma! are Nov. 13 through 16 and Nov. 20 through 23.

For a complete list of scenarios, requirements, dates, and times go to http://www.uri.edu/news/releases/?id=4551