UNL hosts radio frequency ID symposium May 5

The Radio Frequency Supply Chain lab in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering & Technology will present a one-day short-course on radio frequency identification on May 5. Participants will learn the basics of RFID, its potential in various research applications and a variety of RFID research applications that can be evaluated in an academic lab setting.

Speakers are Manish Bhuptani, president and co-founder of Cleritec Systems Corp. in the San Francisco Bay area and co-author of "RFID Field Guide: Deploying Radio Frequency Identification Systems"; and Erick C. Jones, director of the RFID and Supply Chain Logistics Lab and an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering at UNL. The lab is a future National Science Foundation Industry/ University Cooperative, in which industry and academia work together on applied research and projects. Symposium topics include:

* RFID History and Key Concepts: Introduction of RFID and its evolution, fundamentals of RFID and key components of an RFID system

* RFID Standards: Overview of key ISO and EPC global standards, issues they solve and implications for RFID deployment

* RFID Deployment: Strategic considerations for an RFID project, cost-benefit analysis, assessment of physical environment, selecting the right pilot and metrics, component selection, factors affecting scope and implementation of an RFID project, vendor selection

* Data Integration: Overview of the type of data generated, role of RFID middleware, EPC Information Services

* Tour of RFID Lab: RFID demonstrations and testing environment overview

* RFID Drivers and Barriers: Overview and implications of Wal-Mart and U.S. Department of Defense mandates, security issues surrounding RFID, technology evolution and trends

To register for the symposium, which is open to the public, go to www.nuengr.unl.edu/cet/rfscl/index.html. For more information, e-mail Lori Straatman or Jones. Cost is $349 for those registering by April 21, $399 after that date.

CONTACT: Erick C. Jones, Asst. Professor, Industrial & Management Systems Engineering, (402) 472-3695