VisionNet enables rural Montana students to question scientists, astronaut via video conference

Students from Belt schools got the opportunity to take a field trip Monday afternoon and watch the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis — and they didn’t even have to leave Cascade County.

Visiting the Great Falls-based Vision Net http://www.vision.net, the students were able hold a video conference with top NASA scientists and an astronaut live from Cape Canaveral, Fla., right before watching the space shuttle launch.

"Space has always interested me," said Drew Irvine, a sophomore at Belt High School.

Rob Ferris, CEO of Vision Net http://www.vision.net , said the company works extensively with rural schools to provide opportunities for students to take distance learning classes via their network. Often times, rural schools don’t have access to all of the opportunities some of the bigger districts do, so Vision Net works with those schools to provide links to, as an example, a Spanish class in another community.

Now, he said, the company is trying to open its doors to schools looking for visual field trips.

By KRISTEN CATES • Tribune Staff Writer

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