Category: Computer Lab Updates

Approximately 220 new HP Z2 computers will be installed during this Fall term, in the following CAEN student computer labs and learning centers:

• Duderstadt Center
• IOE G610
• NAME 134
• Pierpont B521

The new computers will have the following specifications:

• Combination of Small and Mini Form Factor case sizes
• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700 6C 65W
• RAM: 16 GB (2×8 GB) DDR4 2666 NECC
• Graphics: GFX NVIDIA Quadro 4 GB P1000 mDP(4)
• Disk: SSD 512 GB Z Turbo Drive 2280 TLC

Approximately 20 HP Z38c 37.5” LED monitors (the largest individual displays in a CAEN Lab so far) will be installed as they arrive over the Fall term in:

• Duderstadt Center
• FXB B085

There have been some changes to two popular CAEN student computer labs this year.

The newly renovated EECS 4440 computer lab is now a multi-use facility. It is a 36-seat flexible active learning classroom, that features five multi-seat collaborative stations with CAEN computers. The collaborative stations are available for drop-in use by students when the facility is not being used for course instruction.

The Duderstadt Center 3rd floor (Southwest area) is undergoing a large renovation, which is expected to be completed by October 5. This space will have new furniture, featuring sit/stand benching, as well as collaborative tables. It will also include 50 new CAEN lab computers, and areas for charging personal laptops and devices.

The CAEN Shapiro Lab will be expanded from 42 to 56 computers as soon as possible during the Winter term. This change will likely happen before Spring Break – we are currently waiting on the installation of more work tables and a network switch. We are also evaluating other possible Shapiro Lab enhancements for the future, including new furniture and chair upgrades.

250 new HP Z240 computers have been installed into the following CAEN computers labs and learning centers for start of the Fall 2017 term:

• Beyster 1637
• Chrysler 273
• Duderstadt Center 3S
• Duderstadt Center 3SW
• EECS 2331
• FXB B085
• GGBL 2502
• GGBL 2517
• Shapiro B100

The new computers have the following specifications:

• Small Form Factor (SFF) design
• CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6 GHz (up to 4.2 GHz) 8M 4C SFF CPU
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4-2400 nECC (2×8 GB) Unbuffered RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro P600 2 GB GDDR5
• Disk: Samsung NVMe 512 PCIe SSD

Approximately 75 Samsung CH890 Series C34H890WJN 34” LED monitors (3440 x 1440 WQHD) will be deployed separately into the following locations when they arrive later in September/October:

• EECS 1230
• EECS 4440
• FXB B085
• Duderstadt Center

GFL 224 has re-opened as both a College of Engineering 50-seat flexible classroom and a CAEN collaborative-style lab. The 12 collaborative stations can be used when the facility is not reserved for classroom use.

The CAEN lab in GFL 224 originally opened a number of years ago to primarily provide a location for the Mechanical Engineering (ME) department to teach several of their design courses in a computer lab setting. When it wasn’t reserved for classroom use, it was available as a traditional CAEN lab and the computers were set up in an individual-oriented seating style. The ME design courses were then moved from GFL 224 to the recently renovated G.G. Brown building in the Fall. Once that happened, the College Administration reviewed the function of GFL 224 and the facility was changed to what it is today to better serve the College needs.

Due to positive student feedback, CAEN is adding ten more 34” curved LED monitors (Samsung model S34E790C) on computers in the Duderstadt Center and Beyster 1695. These monitors offer more screen real estate with a resolution of 3440×1440 (QHD).

The following is a summary of all the locations where these monitors are currently installed:

• (4) Duderstadt Center 2SW
• (2) Duderstadt Center 3NE
• (4) Beyster 1695
• (12) GGBL 2570
• (2) EECS 1230

The CAEN lab in the Gorguze Family Laboratory (GFL) room 224 reopened on Friday, December 2. This student computer lab has been closed since July 2016 to undergo room and technology renovations, and features a new layout geared toward College of Engineering (CoE) group-based learning and instruction.

CAEN partnered with Cindy Finelli, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a Engineering Education Research faculty member to design the space. Now complete, the lab represents CAEN’s first generation of a hybrid CoE classroom / CAEN collaborative lab design. As a reservable CoE classroom, the furniture can be reconfigured to accommodate a variety of classroom teaching styles and a common A/V projection across all the monitors. As a CAEN collaborative lab, the furniture accommodates variable student group sizes, with groups controlling their individual monitor and A/V projection. Each monitor also has a built-in computer running the CAEN Lab Software Environment.

315 new HP Z240 computers have been installed into the following CAEN Labs for start of the Fall 2016 term:

• Beyster 1620
• Beyster 1695
• EECS 1230
• EECS 4440
• GFL 224
• GGBL 2570
• LBME 1310
• SRB 2230
• Duderstadt Center LLC, 2E, 3SW

These computers have the following specifications:

• Small Form Factor (SFF) design
• CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1240v5 3.5 GHz
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4-2133 nECC
• Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro K620 2 GB
• Disk: 1 TB SSD

In addition, CAEN has deployed limited numbers of Samsung 34” curved LED monitors (model S34E790C) on the new computers installed in GGBL 2570 and EECS 1230.

These monitors offer more screen real estate with a resolution of 3440×1440 (QHD). You are encouraged to try these new monitors and give CAEN feedback on them. If these larger monitors prove useful to students, CAEN will increase the numbers of these units and expand them into other CAEN student computer labs.

For lab changes, the CAEN Lab in GFL 224 is nearing the end of an extensive renovation. It is expected to open later in September. It will be remodeled as a reservable instructional classroom / computer lab. The room will be equipped with 11 desktop computers and 11 55” 4K displays lining the room. When not reserved, the lab will open for general walk-in and collaborative (group) work.

Digital capture whiteboards are now available in the following CAEN student computer labs and learning centers:

• Beyster 1695
• G.G. Brown 2570
• EECS 1222

These particular models (SMART kapp) are on movable carts, and use regular dry erase markers. They were chosen based on their mobility, ease of use, and functionality. They interact with smartphones and other personal devices to share and capture drawings. These whiteboards require electrical power to fully function in case one is relocated within the room.

More information on using these digital capture whiteboards can be found on the CAEN Knowledge Base. This deployment is considered a pilot. If these whiteboards prove useful to students, CAEN will increase the numbers and expand them into other CAEN student computer labs and learning centers.

Saved digital image vs. SMART whiteboard writing