District Administration Awards Vernier's 'LabQuest' with its 2010 Reader's Choice Top 100 Products Award

BEAVERTON, Ore., Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Vernier Software & Technology's LabQuest handheld data-collection interface has won a District Administration Reader's Choice Top 100 Products Award. Voted as "best-of-class" by District Administrations' readers, the award is given annually for the top 100 K-12 products.

The Top 100 products are chosen in the following categories: Hardware, Software, Internet Books and Materials, and Products used in Facilities. The winning products were determined by the number of nominations received per product, as well as the quality of readers' explanations of their nominations. Over the past six months thousands of products were listed on the District Administration website under New Products. As readers come in contact with or purchase products listed on District Administration's site, they are asked to rate the products with the "5 Star" System.

"This award is important to us because we were nominated by educators, and after 30 years in science education, teachers are still the heart of our business," said David Vernier, co-founder of Vernier and a former physics teacher. "We have been developing data-collection technology for the classroom for almost 30 years and our customers have always been first in mind in development and service. We communicate with teachers regularly during the design of new products and it shows in the end result – robust, useful, and affordable technology for students and science educators."

The LabQuest is a handheld data-collection device that contains six sensor ports, a built-in temperature probe, and a built-in microphone for recording voice annotations. Its applications include a stopwatch, a periodic table, an on-screen keyboard, and a scientific calculator. Users can operate the device either via its buttons or by pressing an accompanying stylus to the touch screen and on-screen keyboard.

LabQuest is splash-proof, can withstand a temperature range of 0 – 70 degrees C, and includes rubber molding for shock absorption, making the device suitable for both the classroom and field studies. The handheld allows students to collect data from more than 65 sensors and view the information as a meter, data table or graph on the color graphic display. The LabQuest has won a variety of other awards for education including: The Worlddidac Award, the AEP Distinguished Achievement Award, Tech & Learning Award of Excellence and the Teacher's Choice Award.

About District Administration

District Administration is a monthly publication covering all of the important topics faced in today's K12 school systems. With a circulation of more than 73,000, District Administration reaches top decision-makers in virtually every school district across the country. Subscribers are district-level leaders in K12 education, including superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum directors, business officers, IT directors and federal funds administrators. www.districtadministration.com.

About Vernier Software & Technology

Vernier Software & Technology has been an innovator of data-collection technology for 30 years and their products can be found in 130 countries. Creating easy-to-use and affordable science interfaces, sensors, and software, their products are used in education from elementary school to college. Vernier helps teachers enhance their science curriculum, increase learning, and build students' critical thinking skills. For more information visit www.vernier.com.

SOURCE Vernier Software & Technology