VC-PERTS is one division of the Virginia Tech Virtual Corporation, a student managed corporate enterprise whose mission is to make better students and a better America through the development of life saving and environmentally beneficial technology.  With the demonstration of a first of its kind Linear Switched Reluctance Propulsion System (LSRP) and a Magnetic Levitation System, Personal Electric Rapid Transit Systems has proven that it is no ordinary organization. Virtual Corporation sets ambitious goals and delivers with a style and level of professionalism that breaks the conventional mold for university research. Instead of working as a small group from similar fields, Virtual Corporation maintains an open door policy to students of all majors, from sophomores to Ph.D.'s. We find that this healthy mix of talents, backgrounds, and ways of looking at the world produces a powerful, energetic organization with a project to thrill everyone.

    VC-PERTS is difficult to classify. On one hand, we are an undergraduate class with a syllabus, professors, and classroom meetings once a week. But Virtual Corporation employees are no ordinary students, and the environment differs from the normal classroom in significant ways. Instead of lectures and tests, most classes are led by student corporate leadership and most presentations are made by students about their ideas and the conclusions they have made from their research!

    In many ways, the Virtual Corporation operates as a real corporation. Members learn how to work with challenging schedules, complicated designs, limited budgets, and most important of all-- each other.

    By developing innovative technology, the result of the Personal Electric Rapid Transit Systems project may be a personal transportation system that is faster, safer, and more cost effective than any existing mode. A comprehensive high-speed ground transportation infrastructure would allow America to reap a rich harvest of benefits. It is the goal of VC-PERTS to develop technology that brings people closer together, expedites industrial productivity, and dramatically reduces the environmental impact of transportation.

    In the United States, transportation is a growing business. In 1994, the average American household spent as much on transportation as food and health care combined. But the daily occurrence of traffic jams and senseless injuries is leaving many Americans wondering if they're getting a level of service worth such a large slice of their hard earned paychecks. That's why the Virginia Tech Virtual Corporation is working so hard to find the solutions America deserves.