For Immediate Release

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www.simio.com

Sewickley, Pa. -- Simio, a developer of 3D object-oriented simulation software, has awarded a $594,000 grant to the University of Virginia. The school, based in Charlottesville, Va, has the highest graduation rate among public universities. In the 20-year-history of the U.S. News & World Report's Best Schools ranking, the university has never dropped out of the top 25.

The University of Virginia is now one of over a 100 universities worldwide to join Simio's academic program, which offers Simio's 3D modeling software to schools at no charge. Simio Academic Edition is fully capable software with no model size limits and includes discrete and continuous modeling, object library development, and 3D animation.

"The faculty at the University of Virginia is committed to providing the best environment for their students to learn simulation," said Dr. Dennis Pegden, Founder and CEO of Simio. "We are honored to provide them with the best software available to teach their students."

The University of Virginia teaches simulation modeling and analysis in its undergraduate program and graduate programs. Many of the school's undergraduate capstone projects and graduate research projects also apply simulation.

"Simio is the latest addition to our discrete-event simulation software library, which also includes Arena and Automod," University of Virginia Professor of Systems and Information Engineering K. Preston White, Jr., Ph.D. said. "Simio combines many of the best features of these software suites, including ease of use, powerful modeling constructs, and 3D animation. In addition, its object-oriented design makes it extensible. As we come up to speed in Simio, we anticipate incorporating it in our courses and research programs."

Students at the school will be able to model systems using intelligent objects and the software's direct connection to Google's 3D Warehouse -- two features unique to Simio.

The intelligent objects are built by modelers and then may be reused in multiple modeling projects. These objects can be stored in libraries and easily shared. Simio's connection to Google's 3D Warehouse gives access to a free online library of thousands of graphic objects -- providing students with the ability to solve real-world problems in visually-rich environments.

About the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science
Founded in 1836, the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science combines research and educational opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Within the undergraduate programs, courses in engineering, ethics, mathematics, the sciences and the humanities are available to build a strong foundation for careers in engineering and other professions. Its abundant research opportunities complement the curriculum and educate young men and women to become thoughtful leaders in technology and society. At the graduate level, the Engineering School collaborates with the University's highly ranked medical and business schools on interdisciplinary research projects and entrepreneurial initiatives. With a distinguished faculty and a student body of 2,200 undergraduates and 700 graduate students, the Engineering School offers an array of engineering disciplines, including cutting-edge research programs in computer and information science and engineering, bioengineering and nanotechnology, and energy and the environment. For more information, visit www.seas.virginia.edu.

About Simio LLC
Simio LLC is a private company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is dedicated to delivering leading edge solutions for the design, emulation, and scheduling of complex systems.