WOODS HOLE, MA – May 17, 2004 – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) flagship, the Ronald H. Brown, left the port of Woods Hole, MA last week to begin what will be a 17-day expedition to explore the New England Seamount Chain.  From May 8th through May 25th, the expedition, supported by the NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration, will journey out to the “Mountains in the Sea” that lie to the southeast of Georges Bank in the Atlantic Ocean.  As the dive team explores the peaks and valleys of these underwater mountains, students worldwide will be able to witness it all firsthand thanks to VBrick Systems, Inc. (www.VBrick.com).  VBrick Systems, the premier provider of digital video solutions, has provided their innovative video appliances to expand the reach of the expedition so that live exploration footage is available as it happens to educators and students worldwide. 

The expedition will take place along the chain of seamounts that stretch for over 500 miles and feature underwater peaks that rise 12,000 feet from the seafloor.  A team consisting of technicians and educators, and led by scientists from the University of Connecticut and the University of Maine will dive on the mountains’ features with a pair of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) owned and operated by Mystic Aquarium and the Institute for Exploration in Mystic, CT.  The ROVs will send images of the ancient deep sea volcanoes up to the ship and over a satellite system provided by the EDS Corporation to shore.  VBrick Systems’ video solutions have enabled the expedition’s crew to stream this live video from the ROVs to the World Wide Web and to the Internet2, giving students and educators alike the chance to immerse themselves virtually into the excitement of live exploration and discovery.

“While we made great advances with last year’s expedition, there is still much to be learned,” said Ivar Babb, University of Connecticut’s National Undersea Research Center Director.  “We strongly believe that the excitement and adventure of this expedition should not be limited to a select few.  That is why we are glad to partner with VBrick Systems to utilize their technology and the Internet so that everyone who is interested can be involved.”

Working in conjunction with the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Education Network, VBrick has implemented a website (