ASU receives Innovative Technology Award

Arizona State University is the recipient of the 2012 Innovative Technology Award from the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU). ITC Systems sponsored the award, which is bestowed to an institution that has introduced a unique technology-based solution to a problem or opportunity.

Laura Ploughe traveled to NACCU’s 19th annual conference in Seattle at the end of April to receive the award. Ploughe is the director of business applications and fiscal control for University Business Services at ASU. Last fall, she was instrumental in an ASU-based pilot with HID Global, a secure-identity technology company. HID Global provided a group of ASU engineering students smartphones enabled with Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities.

Using NFC-equipped smartphones, the students were able to gain physical access to select ASU Tempe Campus buildings. The study results revealed that 22 of the 32 student participants used their smartphones to gain building access 100 percent of the time during the three-week pilot. The pilot was the first of its kind to take place on a university campus in the U.S.

“ASU received this significant technology award from NACCU as a direct result of Laura’s dedication to seeking out new technologies that can benefit ASU community members,” said Ray Jensen, associate vice president of university business services and university sustainability operations officer at ASU. “Her project leadership and coordination with University Housing placed ASU at the forefront of U.S.-based NFC application and research.”

Watch a video that features Ploughe and some of the ASU engineering students who took part in the NFC pilot: http://vimeo.com/31405725. (Password: HID 1).