Gaithersburg, MD - October 30, 2002 - AWS Convergence Technologies, which owns and operates the largest network of weather stations in the world, today announced a partnership with the Desert Research Institute to provide weather monitoring equipment and software to schools in rural Nevada. The donations are part of an ongoing initiative between the Desert Research Institute (DRI), the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, and SBC Nevada Bell to improve the use of educational technology in Nevada and to modernize and improve rural communications capabilities.

"This partnership will give the smallest of schools in one of the most remote regions of the country access to cutting-edge educational technology. It will play a pivotal role in making sure that these students are competitive with others from around the state," said Bob Marshall, President and CEO of AWS Convergence Technologies. "It is a program we are extremely proud to be a part of. With DRI we are bringing high speed Internet access and innovative educational programs that leverage the power of technology to schools that might not normally ever have the opportunity to afford such an endeavor," he said.

AWS WeatherNet stations, Web cameras that stream live video from the sites, and dedicated computers with educational software have been installed in 26 schools in rural Nevada regions. AWS WeatherNet stations measure a host of meteorological information like temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, rainfall rate, and light intensity.

Teachers at all schools are using AWS' WeatherNet Classroom software to begin incorporating real-time weather data from the new stations into their curriculum to create highly interactive lessons that help kids learn about science and math. The weather data will also used by several television stations around the state, including KLAS TV in Las Vegas and KOLO in Reno, to bolster their coverage of outlying areas. The general public can access the same weather information in real-time using AWS' free WeatherBug software application, available at www.weatherbug.com.

"The Institute has a strong and ongoing commitment to the earlier stages of education, recognizing that successful science-based education programs lead to successful scientists," says DRI President Stephen Well. "In particular, our Western Regional Climate Center staff is enthusiastic about working with the teachers and students and benefiting from all that data."

About DRI

A nonprofit, statewide division of the University and Community College System of Nevada, DRI pursues a full-time program of basic and applied environmental research on a local, national, and international scale. Nearly 400 full- and part-time scientists, technicians, and support staff conduct some 150 research projects at DRI annually. More than 85 percent of DRI's annual $33 million operating budget consists of research grants and contracts obtained by its scientists. The balance is received from the state of Nevada for administrative costs.