Houston, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/05/2011 -- LANNER, a provider of simulation software proven to maximize performance and optimize resources, is celebrating with academic partner, the Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University-San Marcos following the success of one its students, Saul Villarreal, who took top honors at the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC) conference last month.

Villarreal, an industrial engineering senior, placed first for his research on "Modeling, Analysis and Integration of Distributed Generation Systems in a Semiconductor Wafer Fab" in competition against such universities and laboratories as the University of Notre Dame, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Clemson University, and Florida A&M University.

Working with assistant professors Jesus Jimenez and Tongdan Jin from the Ingram School of Engineering, Villarreal's current research proposes a simulation-based method for designing the optimal configuration that integrates alternative energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar photo-voltaics (PV), into existing power generation systems.

The simulation model comprises a power plant, a wind farm, and a PV-based system. WITNESS simulation language was selected for the modeling effort due to its capabilities in incorporating the randomness associated with wind turbines and PV's into the model.

Congratulating Mr Villarreal on his award, Mandy Tague, Lanner's director of business development, Americas says,

"Process improvement software has to be adaptable to any scenario it's introduced to. WITNESS is used by thousands of subscribers worldwide across a broad range of projects, spanning industry and academia, and we are delighted to hear that WITNESS software has played an important part in Saul Villarreal's success at HENAAC. Lanner applauds both him and his professors at Texas State University-San Marcos School of Engineering."

Lanner, an established global market leader in simulation modeling software and business process management, awarded a gift-in-kind donation of more than $300,000 to the Ingram School of Engineering at Texas State University-San Marcos in 2010.

WITNESS simulation modeling software is used in engineering courses taught at Texas State's Ingram School of Engineering as well as at the school's Center for High Performance Systems (CHiPS), where students and faculty conduct research on production logistics, systems design, semiconductor manufacturing, material handling systems and intelligent transportation systems.

Teaching of WITNESS software began in undergraduate classes in Fall 2010 and is used by students in real-world projects with area companies.

About Lanner's international academic program:
Lanner's international academic program partnering with schools is renowned in the field of simulation worldwide. The partnership program works with over 100 universities worldwide is developing simulation best practice.

WITNESS is used to aid research studies and give a mechanism for recommending improvements to the organizations involved. The use of the industry's leading simulation tool enhances the opportunities for securing projects with the commercial sector.

WITNESS educational packages comprise a combination the following items:

• Licensing- Standalone or Network licenses are available for unlimited size or reduced capacity

• WITNESS implementations. Optimization and Virtual Reality plug-ins are also available.

• Training - Lecturers can be trained to the same level as our commercial customers on our public training courses.

• Software support - Covering Helpdesk support, product upgrades and, this service ensures you have the best tools and skills available.

• Lecturer assistance - Tutorial Guides and Quick Reference booklets are provided for students, assisting the lecturer in the delivery of his or her course.