(Posted May 11, 2006)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The Future Technical Professionals Club, a Juniata College student club focusing on information technology, created a Web-site and database application that will enable the Huntingdon County Emergency Management Agency to track individuals with disabilities in order to offer rescue services in an emergency.

The site and application, which was designed primarily by Adam Bergstein, a senior from Altoona, Pa. studying information technology, was developed through a grant written by the county's Emergency Management Agency.

The site, which is hosted by a Juniata College server is: http://public.juniata.edu/hcema. The site features a registration page that allows any resident with disabilities to register with the county. Once registered, the information is automatically entered into a database and collated by municipality where emergency services professionals can access the information to notify disabled residents of emergency situations.

The database has registered disabled residents from more than 40 boroughs and townships in Huntingdon County, as well as residents from seven other counties in the surrounding region.

"Eventually the county would like the database and Web application to be expanded to offer notifications by text messaging or GIS locaters that can give emergency personnel directions to specific homes," explains Bergstein who graduated from Juniata May 13 and now works as a software development engineer at Link Computer Co. in Bellwood, Pa.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.