Transitioning from Traditional

CEAT is making computer labs mobile for students

PICTURE A BASEMENT ROOM FULL OF AGING BUT WORKING PCS, WITH A COUPLE OF WORKHORSE LASER PRINTERS AND A BIRD’S NEST OF ETHERNET CABLES. THIS IS THE SCENE OF THE TRADITIONAL MODEL OF A UNIVERSITY COMPUTER LAB, CONTAINING EQUIPMENT PURCHASED BY THE UNIVERSITY THAT RESIDES IN A FIXED, CENTRALIZED LOCATION.

In contrast, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology is transitioning to the model of a mobile lab: a virtual facility untethered to any specific location.

“Students equipped with a variety of mobile computing devices such as laptops, tablets and even phones can form their own ‘lab’ anywhere they find a reliable Wi-Fi connection,” says CEAT IT manager David Eller. “CEAT will continue to provide spaces such as the Student Excellence Center that feature high-speed wireless connections and publicly accessible printers, but students can just as easily work from dorm rooms, industry conferences or field research stations.”

Expanding the concept of a workspace will empower students to determine the work environment best suited to their needs.

“Unlike the traditional lab model, where students are compelled to work in certain facilities during certain hours, the mobile lab model removes constraints of time and space, freeing students to be productive and creative at any time or place,” says Eller. “Latenight brainstorms can come to immediate fruition by simply rolling out of bed and grabbing a laptop. In addition, students with physical limitations are free to work in the environment best suited for their needs.”

Transitioning away from the traditional lab model frees the college to make more targeted investments in student success. Funds formerly dedicated to university-owned computers, which are utilized during only part of the year, can now be allocated to CEAT-specific facilities and equipment such as the new Undergraduate Laboratory Building.

In order to facilitate a smooth transition to the mobile lab model, CEAT and CEAT IT will offer a variety of resources and solutions. CEAT has negotiated a deal with Dell and OrangeTech to provide high-performance mobile computers at a reasonable cost to students and negotiated with several software vendors such as Autodesk and ANSYS to offer discounted, and even free, software.

“In addition, CEAT IT will offer face-toface support in both the CEAT IT office and the Student Excellence Center,” says Eller. “Printers and high-speed networks will remain readily available to students throughout CEAT facilities.”

CEAT IT is also evaluating virtual desktop infrastructure as a means of offering high-performance computing to students. With this technology, students would be able to connect a consumer-grade laptop, or even a tablet computer, to a virtualized high-performance workstation to run processor and memory-intensive applications such as simulations.