ATLANTA, April 7, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) has announced today that EMS will serve as a technology sponsor for an interactive, cross-cultural K-through-12 videoconference program, Rwanda Alive, that will be held April 13th to May 7th in observance of the 10-year anniversary of the genocide that claimed 800,000 Rwandan lives.
Global Nomads Group (GNG), a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering cross-cultural dialogue and understanding among youth, is sponsoring the program (http://www.gng.org/rwanda).
EMS's SATCOM Division has provided two STORM Portable Satellite Terminals to support remote video for a series of eight videoconferences that will connect six U.S. ambassador schools, including Atlanta's The Galloway School, with students in Rwanda. The two EMS terminals will be linked together to provide 128 megabits of bandwidth over satellite.
Two highly anticipated remote broadcasts, to air live May 3 and 4, will feature mountain gorillas from Rwanda's lush rainforests. The program will feature a scientist from The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, headquartered in Atlanta, who will be able to interact two-way with the ambassador schools during the broadcast.
"EMS Technologies is proud to support the Global Nomads Group's role in fostering understanding among the world's youth," said Dr. Neil Mackay, senior vice president and general manager of EMS Technologies' SATCOM Division. "We're extremely pleased to partner with GNG to bring students a better understanding of Rwanda's past and future, while showcasing how technology can help bring the beauty and wonder of Rwanda's natural habitat directly to the classroom."
"About 70 percent of the Rwanda Alive program will require remote broadcasting, much of which will be conducted from rugged areas, such as the dense rainforest where the mountain gorillas live. GNG must depend on rugged, reliable satellite systems, and EMS Technologies' STORM unit is the best that exists," said Mark von Sponeck, executive director of GNG. "EMS's mobile satellite technology essentially helps us to bring the world into the classroom, live, giving students the ability to connect with each other face-to-face for meaningful dialogue."
About Global Nomads Group
Global Nomads Group is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to fostering cross-cultural dialogue and understanding among youth. Using videoconferencing and satellite communications technology, GNG moderates conferences between K-12 classes in different countries, organizes virtual lectures, and conducts remote broadcasts from the world's historical and cultural sites.
About EMS Technologies, Inc.
EMS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELMG) is a leading innovator in the design and manufacture of wireless, satellite and defense solutions, and focuses its unique range of advanced technologies on the needs of broadband and mobile information users. The Company is headquartered in Norcross, employs approximately 1,700 people worldwide, and has manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, Montreal, Ottawa and Brazil. For more information, visit EMS on the World Wide Web at www.ems-t.com.