CORPORATE EXPERIENCE 
 

Education Statistics Services Institute Network (ESSIN) 2012-2016
The Education Statistics Services Institute Network (ESSIN) is a series of contracts that support the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education. The current round of contracts was awarded in late 2011 to begin in January 2012. Avar was awarded three tasks as prime contractor.
-  Tasks 1 & 2: Statistical Standards Program Support
These tasks provide various statistical support services to NCES in the areas of publication review, data disclosure, and special studies. Review of NCES publications covers reports written by NCES staff or contractors based on data collections sponsored by NCES, including national universe surveys of elementary and secondary education (the Common Core of Data) and of higher education (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System [IPEDS]), the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), periodic surveys, and longitudinal studies. Review also includes compendium publications such as Condition of Education. Review activities include initial technical reviews for accuracy and compliance with NCES standards and publications format, and compliance review after revision by authors. Avar and its subcontractors also contribute new material and updates to the NCES Handbook of Statistical Methods; and monitor the use of NCES data in professional journals, education association Websites, Congressional testimony, and proposed or enacted legislation. In support of NCES confidentiality and disclosure policies, we review disclosure risk avoidance plans, apply statistical methods such as perturbation to NCES data sets prior to public use, and monitor contractor security clearance documentation. The National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) is also a subcontractor for these tasks. Contact person: Marilyn M. Seastrom, (202) 502-7303.
-  Task 4: Elementary and Secondary Longitudinal Support
In this task, the Avar team supports three large-scale longitudinal studies of elementary and secondary education: the National Education Longitudinal Study of 8th graders (NELS:88), the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), and the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). All three studies are currently in various follow-up stages. Support activities vary from year to year and include producing and reviewing questionnaires and assessment instruments; producing and checking sampling plans and data collection strategies; evaluating field test procedures and surveys; reviewing Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance packages and data collection activities; conducting non-response bias analysis and quality control checks; developing composite statistics and weights; producing data files and documentation; training users in the use of longitudinal data bases; and compiling annotated bibliographies of publications using data from the three surveys. Contact person: Laura LoGerfo, (202) 502-7402.

The Native American Center for Excellence (NACE) - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), HHS
NACE is a national resource center for Native and non-Native audiences throughout the United States to address Native American substance abuse prevention and related behavioral health issues. NACE provides onsite and offsite training and technical assistance and online information resources via its website at http://nace.samhsa.gov NACE is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Under a five-year contract with SAMHSA, Avar is currently operating and managing NACE and providing various technical assistance to the American Indian communities. Tasks include: (1) convening expert panel meetings, (2) training and technical assistance and consultation, (3) identifying and developing innovative and evidence-based programs, practices, and policies to prevent and identify substance abuse in native american communities, (4) data collection and analysis, (5) information dissemination, (6) hosting and managing the NACE website and other IT support, (7) conducting program evaluations, and (8) conference planning and meeting logistics. Contact Person: Josefine Haynes-Battle, 240-276-2563.

2011-2014 Annual Survey of Refugees -- Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of Health and Human Services
To follow up and assess the refugees' adjustment to the United States, a telephone survey of approximately 2,500 refugee households and 5,000 individuals has been conducted every year since 1970s to collect data on the status of their English proficiency, education, employment, income, self sufficiency, and use of available government programs. Some of the issues are addressed at the individual level while others at the household level. Each cohort of the sampled refugees is followed up for 5 years, and each year a new cohort is added to the sample while an old cohort retires. Avar is currently under a four-year contract with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to conduct the 2001-2014 Annual Survey of Refugees. Specific tasks include (1) assist ORR in each year's sampling design, (2) tracing the sampled refugees on an ongoing basis, (3) collecting survey data via the internet and computer assisted telephone interviews in over a dozen languages, (4) processing survey data, (5) creating cross-sectional and longitudinal data files at both individual level and household level, (6) performing basic and post-stratification weighting, (7) conducting cross-sectional and longitudinal data analyses, (8) presenting analysis results in appropriate graphics, and (9) preparing the "Economic Adjustment" section of ORR's Annual Report to Congress, which can be accessed on the ORR website via http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/data/arc.htm. Contact person: Pete Torres, 202-401-4736.

Survey of 2010 Census Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) Program Participants – U.S. Bureau of Census
To prepare for each decennial census, the Geography Division of the U.S. Bureau of the Census sends its records of housing unit addresses to local governments (cities, counties, minor civil divisions) for review, correction, and updating. The Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) Program is a partnership the Census Bureau established under the Census Address List Improvement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-430). It utilizes the local knowledge of the tribal, state and local governments to improve the accuracy and completeness of the address list by having the relevant government agencies review and update their portion of the Census Address List prior to each census. Census 2000 was the first one that benefited from this effort and a survey was conducted of the LUCA participants thereafter to collect their feedback. Avar is currently supporting a survey of approximately 11,000 local governments that participated in updating addresses for the 2010 census. Avar's responsibilities include: (1) reviewing a draft questionnaire prepared by the division and suggesting revisions in wording, format, and content to improve the validity and reliability of the questionnaire; (2) creating a database to manage and record responses to five different versions of the questionnaire, (3) receiving and processing paper and electronic responses from the local governments, (4) editing the survey data, (5) creating survey data files, (6) analyzing the data, (7) presenting a draft report to the division, and (8) developing a final report in accordance with client comments. Contact Person: Ethel Taylor, 301-763-8439.

U.S. Consumer Expenditure Records Study – U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Consumer Expenditure Quarterly Interview Survey (CEQ) is a monthly survey developed and conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to capture continuous information about the current buying habits of American consumers. Since the CEQ is a long, complex survey requiring a high level of burden for the respondent, the Census Bureau and the BLS are concerned that the CEQ might be subject to various forms of measurement errors because of underreporting. To investigate and reduce underreporting of household expenditures in the CEQ, the Census Bureau is conducting a qualitative study - U.S. Consumer Expenditure Records Study to explore to what extent measurement error is a problem as well as to investigate the use of respondent records to reduce error. One hundred two-part interviews will be conducted using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) in participants’ homes. In the first interview participants will complete nine sections of the existing CEQ instrument and answer a short debriefing protocol about their experience with the CEQ. The second interview will focus on matching the self-reported expenditures from the first interview with records provided by the participants. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be analyzed from the first and second interviews and will be integrated into the final report. Preliminary briefing, final briefing, and final report will be provided to the client. As a subcontractor with RTI International for this project, Avar provides qualitative analysis for the study and assists in developing the interview protocols and the analysis report. Contact person: Emily (McFarlane) Geisen, 919-541-6566.

Research and Development 2014: Assessment, Planning, and Analysis – U.S. Bureau of Census
As the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy, the Census Bureau needs to stay abreast of the latest statistical, methodological, and technological advances. Under this five-year multiple-award IDIQ contract, Avar will provide the Census Bureau with research and development support and services in six (6) sub-areas: survey planning, cost and workload modeling, survey assessment, survey management assistance, technical analyses, and technology assessment. Contact Person: Kristee Camilletti, 301-763-2870

The State of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) -- Maryland Department of Transportation
To ensure compliance with constitutional mandates and M/WBE best practices, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) conducts a series of studies to examine the past and current status of M/WBEs in the State’s geographic and product markets for contracting and procurement, to provide the evidentiary record necessary for the State’s consideration of whether to implement renewed M/WBE policies that comply with the requirements of the courts, and to assess the extent to which previous efforts have assisted M/WBEs to participate on a fair basis in the State’s contracting and procurement activity. Under a subcontract with RK&K, LLC, Avar provides statistical consultation to MDOT with regard to the design and results of these studies. Specific tasks include (1) advising MDOT on general principles, statistical issues, and methodologies involved in setting goals for MBE/DBE participation; (2) advising MDOT on the usefulness of various databases for calculation of MBE/DBE availability and perform preliminary data analyses as needed; (3) assisting MDOT in computing MBE/DBE availability figures and making appropriate adjustments of such figures; (4) advising MDOT staff on any statistical or issues that may arise in connection with the MBE Disparity Study; and (5) providing assistance in litigation related matters. Contact person: Richelle Thomas, 410-865-1242.

Technical Assistance for the Young Parents Demonstration Grant (Round 2) – Employment Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor
Funded by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Pilot, Demonstration and Research funds, ETA’s Young Parents Demonstration (YPD) program is designed to add enhancement services to existing education/training programs that target young parents or serve a broader population of youth that includes young parents. A randomization design is employed to systematically evaluate the added value of the enhancement strategies or service components. Program participants are randomly assigned to a “bump-up” experiment group in which they will receive the additional services or a “control” group in which they will receive the existing services offered by the original program. Avar is currently under a contract with ETA to provide technical assistance to Round 2 YPD grantees to ensure that the evaluation design is rigorously implemented. The project team has: (1) planned and convened grantee conferences, meetings, workshops, and training sessions; (2) conducted site visits and on-site training to grantees across the country; (3) managed travel and meeting arrangements; (4) conducted online training via Webnar; (5) developed and managed an on-line Participant Tracking System (PTS) to collect and monitor program participant information and facilitate the random assignment; (6) developed and managed a data quality control system to monitor random assignment build-up, analyze data completeness and accuracy, and produce weekly reports to ETA, the evaluation team, and the grantees; (7) conducted weekly conference calls with grantees to resolve issues as they occur; (8) developed training materials and data collection forms; (9) managed/shared project documents via SharePoint; and (10) established a toll-free help hotline. Contact Person: Gloribel Nieves-Cartagena, 202-693-2771.

Review of Exchange Alumni Coordination – U.S. Department of State
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. State Department fosters mutual understanding and respect between the United States and other countries through international educational, professional and cultural exchanges and programs. ECA exchange alumni play a key role in multiplying and sustaining exchange benefits, and fostering mutual understanding in their home countries. A growing number of DOS Posts overseas (i.e., embassies and consulates) have designated full- or part-time Alumni Coordinators to promote greater contact and cooperation among host country alumni of US-sponsored exchange programs. Under a contract with ECA, Avar has recently completed an 18-month review to examine the functions of the designated alumni coordinators and the implementation process of the State Department’s overseas exchange alumni coordination, identify best practices, and recommend future strategies. The study was implemented in two phases. Phase 1 served as a pilot study to conduct preliminary research on alumni programming and coordination in preparation for the main study in Phase 2. Phase 1 consisted of numerous in-depth interviews with the ECA staff at different levels and two overseas site visits (Nepal and Russia) during which the study team conducted interviews with the Post staff, meetings with alumni association leaders, and focus groups discussions with alumni individuals. Based on information collected from Phase 1, Phase 2 launched two additional site visits (Colombia and Vietnam) and two web-based global surveys, one of all the DOS overseas Posts regarding their exchange alumni coordination and the other of all the established exchange alumni associations around the world. The survey operations, each lasting 6-7 weeks, consisted of e-mailing an advance notice one week prior to the surveys and an ECA cover letter at the time of the survey; posting questionnaire on a secured website, and conducting a number of e-mail non-response prompting. The entire study involved extensive effort in designing, developing, and testing/re-testing of different types of data collection instruments (e.g., survey questionnaires, interview protocols, and focus group discussion guides); conducting quantitative and qualitative data analyses; developing reports for each phase and each site visit; and producing a camera-ready final study report including graphic presentations of statistical results and overall graphic design of the report layout (covers, content arrangement, etc.). All of these activities were conducted in house by the project team. The final study report has been published and distributed within ECA. Entitled “Review of the Role of Alumni Coordinators,” it can be accessed at the DOS website http://exchanges.state.gov/programevaluations/completed.html. Avar also managed all its overseas travel arrangements and visa applications. Contact person: James B. Shambaugh, 202-692-6321.

Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Monitoring and Coordination – Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) was developed in 1990 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor priority health risk behaviors such as tobacco use, unhealthy dietary behaviors, physical inactivity, alcohol & other drug use, sexual behavior/ STD’S/ HIV/AIDS/ unintended pregnancies, and violence/injury. Maryland began conducting the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in 2005. Students in grades 9-12 are surveyed in the spring of odd years. Under a multi-year contract with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Avar has coordinated the sampling and data collection activities of the 2009 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), monitored its data analyses, interpreted data analysis results, participated in the design and development of the final report, performed in-depth analyses regarding significant issues; and will participate in presentations/testimonies to the Maryland Board of Education. Avar is currently conducting the same activities for the 2011 YRBS. Contact person: Richard Scott, 410-767-0288.

Development of a National Online Library of Healthcare Services Datasets and Databases - Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ)
With the increasing costs of health care, it has become more important than ever to use health services efficiently, yet care and information about care is often collected and delivered in isolation without coordination across sites or providers of care. Funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ), this is a project to comprehensively inventory all health care data collection initiatives (e.g., administrative datasets, survey data, distributed datasets) in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, as well as other specific geographic areas of particular interest (e.g., health planning areas, multi-state regions); and to provide guidance to the AHRQ on the potential synergy across such initiatives and how the data and information that they collect and maintain might be used to inform Federal, state and local health care policymakers, clinicians and consumers. As a subcontractor with Econometrica, Inc., Avar has designed and developed an online inventory of all the relevant datasets. It consists of a back-end relational database that interfaces with a website portal to enable both public and security-protected online search and data access. The back-end relational database contains a description of each of the healthcare service datasets, name of the funding agency/organization, location of the dataset, name and contact information of the managing agency/organization, as well as the format of each key data element. The front-end portal presents itself on a well-designed website that allows users to search by keywords and apply multiple filters on a variety of criteria to obtain information in accordance with their designated level of access. Using the search result, the user may choose to visit the actual dataset, export what they found, and save, share or modify their search. The system was built in compliance with NIST Special Publication 800 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Contact person: Dr. Richard Hilton, 301-657-1035.

U.S. Participation in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2011 – U. S. Department of Education
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education supports a variety of international activities to collect and report data on education in the United States and other countries. These include TIMSS, PIRLS, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). TIMSS is an international assessment that focuses on the mathematics and science knowledge and skill of fourth-and eighth-graders while PIRLS is an international assessment that focuses on the reading knowledge and skills of fourth-grade students. NAEP is a U.S. national assessment that measures fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students; performance in reading, mathematics, and science. All three assessments are conducted regularly to allow the monitoring of student outcomes over time. Westat, Inc. is contracted with NCES to implement the U.S. participation in TIMSS and PIRLS. As a subcontractor to Westat, Avar is responsible for conducting a comparison study of NAEP, TIMSS, and PIRLS in terms of their goals, frameworks, and cognitive items. This study will result in two working papers, one comparing TIMSS with NAEP on mathematics and science at the 4th and 8th grade levels and the other comparing PIRLS with NAEP on reading at the 4th grade level. To accomplish this task, Avar will conduct several activities, including (1) a review of the NAEP, TIMSS, and PIRLS frameworks, (2) convening a meeting of external experts to review the items in the three tests, (3) performing analyses of the reading passages in PIRLS and NAEP, and (4) providing summary statistics and analysis of the outcomes of these reviews and comparison. Avar is also responsible for producing the released item sets of TIMSS and PIRLS and disseminating them to the U.S. public via a web portal, CDs/DVDs, and print media. The items sets will be in two formats: one with each release item accompanied by its associated scoring guide and statistics on the percentage of students in the participating countries that correctly answered the item; and the other with items alone without the scoring guide and statistics. Contact person: David Kastberg, 301-294-3811.

Transfer, Host, and Manage the Web-Based Transforming Church Index (TCI) Survey – TAG Consulting
Developed by Kevin Graham Ford and funded by TAG Consulting, the TCI survey is one of the most influential congregational surveys and assessment tools in the United States and around the world. It is an on-going web-based survey for different congregations to assess their needs for improvement by collecting opinions from their members using a multi-dimensional development index. Approximately 10,000 congregational members participate in the survey every year and the survey database currently contains data from over 50,000 respondents. The instrument consists of 15 function areas which are organized under five major domains/key indicators. Survey results are automatically generated in terms of mean scores, median scores, overall composite score, standard deviations, percentages, and presented in bar graphs, stars, and arrows. Domain and composite scores of each congregation are automatically compared to those of the national norm. Data are also reported about the characteristics of the respondents, the top and bottom scores, and the overall composite scores of the various subgroups. Under a long-term contract with TAG Consulting, Avar has successfully transferred the entire web-based survey software applications, survey databases, records, and other associated software applications from TAG’s old Citrix server to Avar’s multi-platform server without interrupting the survey operation. Avar’s multi-platform server is running on the latest version of Windows 2008 64bit server edition operating system. It features a 2.6Ghz dual-core Opteron processor, with 4024MB memory, 450GB expandable storage, and directs up to 100Mb of web traffic per second. All data are backed up automatically on a daily basis and protected by Cisco external firewall solution on top of the server’s own firewall. The web server sports a dedicated SSL certificate with 256-bit encryption for conducting Internet transactions of sensitive information with confidence. We are currently hosting the TCI survey; providing survey management, IT services, and statistical support; and conducting customized survey programming, data analysis, and report writing to meet additional needs of the clients. Contact person: Mr. Kevin Ford, 703-352-0660 ext 201.

Data Collection Support and Analytic Report Development – Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC)
The Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) is required by law to analyze and report on health care utilization and spending in Maryland. To support these activities, the MHCC has developed the Maryland Medical Care Data Base (MCDB), which contains information on health professional services and prescription drugs provided to Maryland residents. Each year, all the healthcare providers and prescription drug providers in Maryland will submit their service records to MCDB. As a subcontractor with the Social & Scientific Systems (SSS), Inc., Avar provides SAS programming and statistical analysis support in collecting, processing, validating, editing, analyzing, and reporting these data on an annual basis. The annual reports include: Report on State Health Care Expenditures for Maryland residents, Report on Practitioner Payments and Utilization, and Report on prescription drug spending in the State. All reports provide comparisons of the Maryland spending and utilization patterns and trends with those in neighboring states and the national. Contact person: Katrina Hedlesky, 301-628-3210.

2006-2010 Annual Surveys of Refugees -- Office of Refugee Resettlement, Department of Health and Human Services
To follow up and assess the refugees' adjustment to the United States, a telephone survey of approximately 2,500 refugee households and 5,000 individuals has been conducted every year since 1990s to collect data on the status of their English proficiency, education, employment, income, self sufficiency, and use of available government programs. Some of the issues are addressed at the individual level while others at the household level. Each cohort of the sampled refugees is followed up for 5 years, and each year a new cohort is added to the sample while an old cohort retires. Under a consulting agreement with DB Consulting Group, Inc., over the past four iterations since 2006, Avar has been responsible for constructing the sampling frame; editing, cleaning, validating, and weighting the survey data; performing data imputation where necessary; creating cross-sectional and longitudinal datasets; furnishing documentation for the data files; conducting both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical techniques; producing graphic presentations; and participating in the preparation of the ORR Annual Report to the Congress, which can be accessed on the ORR website via http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/data/arc.htm. Data validation/processing involves logic checks to identify out-of-range values and data elements inconsistent with the design format; internal consistency tests of key measures; identification of outliers; and cross-validation of key variables with baseline data, with other similar studies, or with known population statistics (Census, etc.). Contact person: Ms. Rebekah Brown, 301-589-3955.

Evaluation of the “Communities Choosing” Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program – Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), this is a multi-year program implemented in the San Francisco middle schools. The multi-year evaluation was conducted by the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Avar was contracted with UC Berkeley to perform statistical analysis of the pre- and post intervention survey data and prepare the quantitative analysis report. Contact person: Dr. Sukari Ivester, 510-643-3366.

Evaluation of the Effect of Increased State Aid to Local School Systems through the Bridge To Excellence Act -- Maryland State Department of Education
Under the Bridge To Excellence Act in 2003-04, each local school system in Maryland developed and started implementing a five-year comprehensive Master Plan outlining the goals, objectives, and strategies for improving student achievement and meeting Maryland’s performance standards. The State funding for education was increased to finance the initiative. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) awarded a contract to MGT of America, along with REDA International Inc., to conduct a comprehensive review and evaluation of the effect of increased state aid to local school systems on student, school, and school system performance. Under an agreement with the MGT/REDA team, Avar was responsible for editing and weighting the survey data collected from the school principals and Master Plan committee members, performing statistical analyses to address the relevant evaluation questions, and assisting in the preparation of the survey report. Contact person: Dr. Jerry Ciesla, 850-386-3191.

Professional Development Impact Study (Reading) -- U.S. Department of Education
Under the No Child Left Behind legislation, the U.S. Department of Education contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), along with MDRC, Sopris West and REDA International, to conduct a five-year quasi-experimental study to assess the impact of professional development on reading instruction and student achievement. The study is focused on second grade teachers who are already using popular scientifically based reading programs: Open Court Reading or Houghton-Mifflin’s Nation’s Choice or Legacy of Literacy. Under a consulting agreement with the AIR/REDA team, Avar participated in classroom observations to identify the difference in teaching instructions between teachers in the experimental and control groups as well their behavioral change over time. Contact person: Dr. Stephanie Cronen, 202-403-5368.

Study of Rural Egypt 2005 -- Chemonics International
Sponsored by the Chenomics International and the University of Utah, it was part of a 4-decade longitudinal study of the social, economic, and political changes in rural Egypt. Five surveys were conducted respectively of Egyptian rural households, farmers, women, village council members, and district agencies. Under a consulting agreement with REDA International, Avar was responsible for data cleaning, data management, data analysis, and consultation in statistical modeling and interpreting the analysis results. Data management techniques included merging and transposing datasets, computing and recoding variables, creating scales, and integrating multi-level data into an analysis database. Statistical techniques included frequency analysis, mean comparison, cross-tabulation, scaling, factor analysis, regression, and multi-level analysis. Contact person: Dr. James B. Mayfield, 801-673-4405.

Web-Based Database and Data Collection for the Mulan Foundation
The Mulan Foundation is a non-profit performing art organization devoted to promoting the Sino-US cultural exchange in Chinese and Western classic music. Avar Consulting’s IT specialists developed the foundation’s online data management and collection mechanism to collect customer contact information and conduct financial data transaction. An online customer survey was also conducted by the Avar team to collect data for the foundation on market needs and customer satisfaction. Using Access in the Microsoft Windows environment, data collected via the website were stored automatically into an Access database on a secured server and retrieved to produce customized summary reports as needed. Contact person: Dr. Patrick Lu, 240-606-5039.

Server Hosting and Management
TAG is an organizational consulting firm based in Virginia. It uses a multi-functional virtual desktop to connect all its partners, staff, and consultants across the country via internet. This virtual desktop also supports PDA accessible corporate e-mails, three (3) online surveys, and several online data analysis and reporting tools. Avar is hosing this entire virtual desktop on our multi-platform server which is running on the latest version of Windows 2008 64bit server edition operating system. It features a 2.6Ghz dual-core Opteron processor, with 4024MB memory, 450GB expandable storage, and directs up to 100Mb of web traffic per second. All data are backed up automatically on a daily basis and protected by Cisco external firewall solution on top of the server’s own firewall. The web server sports a dedicated SSL certificate with 256-bit encryption for conducting Internet transactions of sensitive information with confidence. and Avar is responsible for providing hosting, maintenance, and technical support services for all its functions. Contact person: Ms. Karen Robbins, 703-352-0660.