By: Manan Kakkar
The School of Information Studies (iSchool) has built a reputation for being on the cutting edge of new technologies as part of its curriculum and infrastructure. This summer, computer lab upgrades throughout Hinds Hall helped keep this reputation in good standing.
Computers in two of the four iSchool labs underwent major upgrades. 56 computers across the labs now sport solid state drives, and are powered by Intel’s i7 processors.
Roger Merrill, Director of IT Services at the iSchool, explains that the strategy is to upgrade hardware every two years. “This plan lets 4-year undergraduate students play with new computers twice during their time at Syracuse,” he said.
Merrill’s team, led by Instructional Technology Analyst James Powell, spent several days preparing all the machines for students. IT enthusiasts will often tell you that troubleshooting is the fun part and Powell’s team had their fair share.
In order to leverage the hardware upgrade of the lab computers, the iSchool’s servers were also upgraded.
The team’s hard work aside, Powell is also excited about the new interactive (touch screen) displays being installed at the iSchool. “The displays will have a custom built application to navigate through and find information about the iSchool,” explained Powell.