Students can watch their tuition at work through a newly installed Web cam designed to track the construction of the Information Sciences and Technology Building.

"It's a wonderful portal to allow people to feel as if they are in the environment," said Charles Hooks, IST manager of network operations, who worked on the ISTcam project.

Rose Pruyne, IST Webmaster and multimedia specialist, said it is intended for anyone interested in the IST building. "Different people are interested in the building for many reasons."

These people include partners and architecture firms involved in the project, as well as alumni and students who simply want to watch the progress of the new building that will span Atherton Street.

Pruyne called the camera's view "a perfect vantage point." There are no obstructions, and Mount Nittany, Old Main and other campus buildings can be seen behind the construction site.

The ISTcam is mounted in the windowsill of a fourth floor classroom of the Earth Sciences and Engineering Building on West Campus.

The camera takes a rapid succession of still shots that looks very close to streaming video if the Web page is refreshed, Pruyne said. To see the next live image, the user must reload the Web page.

The camera is an Axis 2120, the same model as some of the other Web cams on campus. The Alumni Association maintains cameras showing the lower level of the HUB-Robeson Center, the HUB lawn, a shot of Mount Nittany behind the HUB and the sidewalk outside Old Main. Some downtown merchants also have Web cams watching students walk by on College Avenue.

Pruyne said the ISTcam received 440 page views Monday through yesterday afternoon. Judging from e-mail feedback, she said, there is a growing interest in the camera.

Most students walking in view of the construction site yesterday were indifferent to the new camera.

"I'm sure there's an interest for some people," said Trevor Siegfried (senior-electrical engineering).

He said he has visited the Old Main LionCam before, but he will probably only visit the ISTcam if something compels him to do so later.

Michael Brinker (sophomore-mechanical engineering) said he will not visit the ISTcam. He was not bothered about being captured on the camera as a tiny speck.

Hooks said that when the IST building is completed, the camera might be used outside the building or to teach classes. Also, images captured throughout the ISTcam's life could be used to create a small computer video of the building's construction.

The ISTcam can be accessed through the IST Web site (http://ist.psu.edu). The Alumni Association Web cams are visible at www.alumni.psu.edu/hub. Web cameras downtown can be seen at www.statecollege.com.