Ronald D. Kriz, Associate Professor
Engineering Science and Mechanics
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Newtwork Programming Interface Builder (NPIB) is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool that educators and researchers can use to create, maintain, and archive numerous parametric studies based on their legacy computer simulations. With NPIB users can create an interactive and collaborative Web-based working environment. Although NPIB uses standard Java, it is designed so that the community of scientists and engineers can build an NPIB working environment without knowledge of Java programming.
For educators NPIB provides a format that instructors can use to develope interactive modules based on computer simulation legacy codes that students can access and learn across a platform independent Java environment of a Web server. Instructors can more accurately monitor and evaluate students progress.
For researchers NPIB provides a format that scientists and engineers can develope a collaborative environment where participants can submit, monitor, and share computer simulation results running in real-time on a heterogeneous network of different remote-site computers unique to each researcher.