IBM, Lotus and Connectria Sponsor Arctic Expedition Team To Collaborate With K-12 Classrooms

CHURCHILL, MANITOBA (Feb 20, 2001) - IBM, Lotus Development Corp. and Connectria have joined forces to provide the Arctic Blast 2001 dog sled expedition with the latest technological advances allowing the team to remotely communicate with teachers and students and collaborate with other classrooms through out North America.

Through the Arctic Blast program, a two-person team will utilize the technology throughout their 2,500-mile trek to the northernmost village in North America. During the expedition, students will be engaged in Lotus Sametime Moderated Chats, allowing them to have real-time dialogue with the explorers regarding their Arctic experiences. Additionally, 'study circles' using Lotus QuickPlace will create an interactive collaborative environment for students and teachers to communicate and exchange ideas on "hands-on" multi-disciplinary projects. During this four-month adventure, NOMADS Adventure and Education explorers, Paul Pregont and Mille Pregont Porsild, will use IBM ThinkPad computers to access the Lotus Sametime and QuickPlace hosted environment via a satellite Internet connection.

"As showcased through the Arctic Blast program, Lotus QuickPlace and Sametime are designed to meet the needs of any team -- traditional or nontraditional -- by providing adaptable, shared workspaces that compliment existing infrastructure to provide an instant collaboration zone," said Oliver Chow, vice president of corporate strategy, Lotus Development Corp. "Whether down the street or around the world -- the portfolio of Lotus' collaborative solutions available through hosting providers offer affordable solutions that allow them to quickly collaborate."

Connectria developed the infrastructure and is providing Lotus e-learning hosting so participants can remotely track and collaborate with fellow schools and the dog sled team as they make their trip from Churchill, Manitoba, traveling through the new Nunavut Territory of Canada, to Grise Fiord via the Magnetic North Pole. "Connectria developed, engineered and launched this Web site in just weeks," said Richard Waidmann, President & CEO of Connectria. "We're excited to help the Arctic Blast expedition team collaborate with students all over the world by using Lotus' innovative technologies such as Sametime and QuickPlace."

NOMADS Adventure and Education is a Minnesota-based company who use the allure of sled dogs and the magic of arctic travel to promote learning. NOMADS created the content for the Arctic Blast 2001 Web site including a 16-week nationally accredited curriculum package. "By using Lotus Sametime and QuickPlace, we are able to achieve a level of collaboration we had only previously imagined inside of the collaboration zone," said explorer Mille Pregont Porsild, co-founder of NOMADS Adventure & Education. "We hope this voyage encourages other educators to consider how communication and collaboration through technology can revolutionize the educational process."

About NOMADS Adventure and Education
Arctic Blast 2001 is an interactive educational program offering teachers and students the opportunity to learn and collaborate on important topics. The veteran Arctic Blast expedition team, Paul Pregont and Mille Porsild are the founders of NOMADS Adventure & Education Inc. The team is dedicated to developing quality content that enables teachers and students all over the world to become Arctic explorer with the intent to inspire a global exchange of ideas, instill a sense of environmental responsibility, foster cultural understanding, and create adventurous spirits. arcticblast.polarhusky.com

About Lotus Development Corp.
Lotus Development Corporation, founded in 1982, is a subsidiary of IBM Corporation. Lotus sets the standard for truly innovative software products and services that reflect the company's unique understanding of the new ways in which individuals and businesses must work together to achieve success. Lotus is redefining the concept of conducting business through practical knowledge management, e-business and other ground-breaking ways of connecting the world's ideas, thinkers, buyers, sellers and communities via the Internet. Lotus markets its products in more than 80 countries worldwide through direct and extensive Business Partner channels. The company also provides numerous professional consulting, support and education services through the Lotus Professional Services organization. www.lotus.com

About Connectria
Connectria is a profitable, growing and privately held provider of world-class IT Infrastructure Solutions targeted to large and Midsized organizations worldwide. Connectria's business has been built through reinvesting profits and without any debt or equity financing. Thus, Connectria is beholden to no one except our customers. Connectria operates world-class Data Centers, Network Operations Centers, and Engineering Centers located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA and St. Louis, Missouri, USA. From these facilities, Connectria operates as a virtual extension of our clients' IT organizations.

Connectria's services allow our clients to do more and spend less on their IT infrastructures, typically by 25 - 60% or more. Connectria is staffed 24 hours, 365 days per year to build, monitor and manage mission critical IT environments for our clients. Connectria offers an array of services including full outsourcing of IT infrastructures, managed hosting, disaster recovery, remote monitoring, onsite facilities management, and custom software development and engineering services. For more information, please contact Connectria at 1-800-781-7820 or visit us online at www.connectria.com.

To learn more about Connectria or to receive a detailed quote on any of our services, please contact us.