Paul Hanson uses a free online voice communication service to stay connected with his students and colleagues around the world. A research scientist at the Center for Limnology at UW-Madison, Hanson said sometimes e-mail just won’t do.
“There are times when you need to have a conversation,” said Hanson, who studies lakes, ponds and streams. “But a long-distance phone call to, say, Thailand can be just too expensive.”
To cut costs while reaching out to faraway scientists, Hanson uses Skype. With more than 100 million customers around the world, this free system is growing in popularity and is as simple to use as your home computer.