Old buildings will "virtually" disappear and new buildings will materialize before your eyes when Georgia Tech's College of Computing (CoC) conducts a Virtual Ground Breaking ceremony featuring the new Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building. The event will follow the Thomas E. Noonan Distinguished Lecture on Information Security, which Klaus will deliver April 1st at 2:30 p.m. in the LeCraw Auditorium. Innovative augmented reality technology developed by CoC faculty and Georgia Tech's Interactive Media Technology Center (IMTC) will make the old building "disappear" as the new building is virtually constructed on the site. 3-D special effects and virtual models of the Georgia Tech campus will be used as Chris Klaus, the building's namesake and benefactor, wearing a head-mounted display set, puts the newly constructed building in place. A fly-through of the new facility will also be demonstrated.

The Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building will be located in the heart of the Georgia Tech campus and will house some of the most advanced computing labs and innovative educational technology in the world. The building will also include a substantial number of environmental and sustainable features with the goal of achieving the prestigious LEED Silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Environmentally friendly features include creative use of the six-acre urban campus site to preserve over 50 percent of the site as green space, a storm water collection system to provide water for irrigation, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, and extensive use of recyclable materials.

Klaus is founder and chief technology officer of Internet Security Systems, Inc. (ISS), a leading global provider of information protection solutions that secure IT infrastructure and defend key online assets from attack and misuse. Klaus started the company in his dorm room at Georgia Tech, and in 2000 at the age of 26, Klaus donated $15 million to Georgia Tech for a new advanced computing building. The gift made him one of the Biggest Donors of 2000 according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The donation is one of the largest gifts in university history and is by far the largest gift from anyone from Klaus' generation.

Klaus founded Internet Security Systems in 1994 to help corporations and organizations around the world safeguard their critical data from the ever-growing number of network security vulnerabilities and threats. Prior to founding Internet Security Systems, Klaus developed Internet Security Systems' first software program and flagship product, Internet Scanner, an industry first, while attending the Georgia Institute of Technology. Klaus is widely regarded as one of the worl's foremost security experts and remains actively involved as the key technology visionary at Internet Security Systems, providing strategic direction and technical expertise to the continued development of the company's information protection solutions.

The annual Noonan Lecture was established to honor Georgia Tech Alumnus Thomas E. Noonan for his many contributions to the College of Computing and to the field of information security. Tom Noonan is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of ISS. ISS has soared under Noonan's leadership with over 1,200 employees, operating in 22 countries with annual revenue of nearly $250 million. Noonan's management style and vision have been recognized by industry leading publications and associations including Forbes, Business Week and Fortune magazine. He was Ernst and Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 1999 and was recently appointed by President Bush to the newly formed National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), as part of homeland defense. Noonan chairs the College of Computing's Advisory Board and holds a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.

To view the virtual ground breaking live using streaming real video, visit www.cc.gatech.edu/noonan/klaus.html on April 1st at 2:30 p.m.