search articles:     from the issue of April 26, 2007         'UNL Alert' application will be available for emergency updates  BY SARA PIPHER, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS University Communications and the UNL Police Department are developing a new computer-driven emergency alert system. "UNL Alert" will be a downloadable computer application that supplies up-to-date information on emergencies affecting faculty, staff and students. The application is being tested, and will be released in May. The alert, which can be downloaded onto any Macintosh or personal computer, will run in the background of a computer until the university faces an emergency situation. At that point, campus police will activate the alert with pertinent information to keep users current on issues of concern. The police will utilize a Common Alerting Protocol to update UNL Alert. The CAP will enable them to plug in relevant information, including a geographic location for the alert, the time of the warning's onset and expiration, and a description of what actions to take. Possible scenarios for use include severe weather, fires and other emergencies. The alert will only be used to announce extreme emergencies. "This is for unexpected emergencies, those emergencies we can't predict or prepare for," said Brett Bieber, interactive media and web developer, and one of the architects of UNL Alert. "The most important thing this does is get immediate information from the police sent out to the campus community." No other universities use a CAP system, although similar applications are utilized by the National Weather Service and by the Amber Alert operators. University Communications staff said that not only will the UNL Alert be useful to individuals on campus, it can also be downloaded by students' parents, the media and local residents. The alert will appear as a small "N" logo on a user's computer. If an alert is issued, the application will notify users visually and audibly. UNL Alert will be available for download online within the next several weeks. GO TO: ISSUE OF APRIL 26 NEWS HEADLINES FOR APRIL 26 Va.Tech attack ripples across UNL Confucius Institute Launched Degree completion program students to start in the fall 'UNL Alert' application will be available for emergency updates Collaboration creates DVD, materials on responsible research conduct Elementary school visit expands into 'Nuestra Familia, Nuestra Universidad' Plant scientists uncover immune system clues Scarlet Opinion 732792S37007X