The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine
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October 1995 - Volume 12:1 [Printout | Contents | Search ]
Finding the right resource within Penn's rich array of support services is not always easy. This is particularly true in the volatile computing and networking area: Support organizations are simultaneously assimilating recent developments and anticipating new ones, and no single organization can answer every question. Where do you begin? The School-based support organizations described below are often the best place to start. Their staffs are attuned to the needs of their constituents and their services have been tailored to meet those needs. Even if they don't have an immediate answer, they usually know where to find it. Complementing School support services are the central services offered by Information Systems and Computing (ISC). Turn to the back cover for a listing of the main ISC services and phone numbers. Many campus labs also offer assistance to users. The PennNet Passport, a guide to computing and networking at Penn, contains descriptions of World Wide Web information resources. The FAQ (frequently asked questions) files and other documents available via the World Wide Web provide a wealth of useful information. Finally, hardware and software vendors are often t he best source of information for product-related queries. Many of them have 800 numbers, fax response services, e-mail addresses, bulletin board systems, FTP services, and World Wide Web home pages. Good luck.
Graduate School of EducationThe Graduate School of Education provides support and facilities for students through the computer lab, as well as problem-solving and consultation to faculty and administrators. Instructional support is provided as needed, but is limited to technical help in setting up hardware and software. The computer lab machines have PennNet connections to the Internet. Electronic mail is available on the school network for administrative use. Student e-mail is available for those requesting it through dolphin.upenn.edu.Consulting is available in the lab Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM-PM, for supported platforms - MacOS, DOS, and Windows. Other services include file conver sion between DOS and Macintosh and document scanning. Currently there are three classroom video projection systems with a PennNet connection for instructional use.
Director of Computing Services: John Irwin, 898-2514
Graduate School of Fine ArtsSupport is provided to all School faculty, students, and administrators, as well as to non-GSFA students in GSFA courses. The GSFA Computing Center supports educa tional and research computing for all departments. The Center houses approximately fifty microcomputers, almost all of which provide Ethernet access to PennNet. The Help Desk located within the GSFA Computing Center is the primary point of contact for all end-user support services. Support is provided for a set of standard desktop applications, as well as various analysis and graphics packages.Basic support is provided by work-study students; more specialized software applications are supported by teaching assistants and faculty as part of the regular curriculum. A limited number of introductory classes for beginners are offered in the early fall, and specialized training classes for faculty and administrative staff are provided as needed. Electronic mail is available for all students on dolphin; contact the Help Desk for details. Faculty and staff may obtain e-mail accounts by arrange ment with their department.
End-user support:
Questions regarding policy, resources, scheduling:
School of Arts and SciencesThe School of Arts and Sciences offers a single point of contact for SAS faculty, staff, and students who have a computing question or problem. They can call 573-HELP (573-4357) or send e-mail to 3-help@sas. The question will either be answered then or referred to the appropriate SAS Computing staff member.SAS Computing (SASC) provides electronic mail to all SAS faculty, students, and staff on mail.sas. SASC also provides general support for desktop computing to faculty and staff in the School of Arts and Sciences. That support includes hardware and software troubleshooting, repair and maintenance of SAS desktop computers, technology assessment and planning, and education in current and emerging technologies. SASC also configures and installs new computers provided by the School. A multimedia facility (MMETS) in DRL supports faculty, students, and staff in acquisition of materials on VHS tape, video disc, CD, computer diskette, and other media for use in undergraduate classes. Faculty may use the audio studio to record lectures, interviews, and other course-related events. Limited duplication of audio and video tapes is also available. MMETS has specialized media and computer classrooms that may be reserved by calling 898-4947 or sending e-mail to reserve@ccat.sas. SASC supports public computer labs and departmental clusters. They include Macintosh labs (DRL MMETS, McNeil 104), PC labs (DRL 4N16, DRL MMETS, McNeil 108 & 109), and a NeXT lab (DRL 4E1). High-tech classrooms are maintained in Williams 100, Leidy 10, Stiteler B6, 21, Jaffe, and DRL A-level. SAS Computing offers desktop publishing services. These include image and text scanning services; access to electronic text library through World Wide Web and Gopher; specialized Internet services, including World Wide Web, Gopher, WAIS, and IRC; and electronic seminars on the Internet and electronic publishing. The University Prep Center in Williams 633 offers individual ized service to faculty. SASC maintains a central repository of information about network devices and oversees the design, implementation, and ongoing operation of computer networks and data communications within SAS. SASC staff assist with local area networks and maintain a Novell server for SAS administrative offices. SASC provides support for the operation, mainte nance, and networking of UNIX workstations for faculty and staff in SAS. This support includes hardware and software consulting, aid to faculty and staff in the develop ment of workstation facilities, and system administration support. The computing facility in McNeil provides the Social Science community computing, consulting, and data services. The Undergraduate Data Analysis Laboratories (Rooms 104, 108, 109 McNeil Building) provide a wide range of statistical, spreadsheet, word processing, and Internet services. The Graduate Data Analysis Laboratory (McNeil 303) provides support on operating systems (UNIX and DOS) and software packages (SAS, SPSS, Limdep, TSP, Gauss, GAMS, Aremos, and others).
Please direct questions about any SASC services to: 3-help@sas.upenn.edu or 573-HELP
School of Engineering and Applied ScienceComputing and Educational Technology Services (CETS) provides computing support for instructional and administrative activities within the School. Some indi vidual departments administer research and instructional computing in support of departmental activities. The SEAS Ethernet provides access to all computing facilities within the School and on PennNet.CETS operates Eniac, a group of interdependent Sun computers, which are the principal time-sharing machine used to support course work, electronic mail, and news. Accounts are available to SEAS students, faculty, staff, and those taking SEAS courses requiring the use of Eniac. Portable computer displays are available, by advance reservation, to SEAS faculty for use within most rooms of the Engineering buildings, and fixed displays are available in six classrooms. CETS also maintains seven microcomputer labs for instructional computing, all of which are networked into SEASnet. They include a Mac lab, three IBM PC/compatible labs, and four SPARCstation/X terminal labs (reserved for SEAS students only). A typical student will use Macs, PCs, and Suns, as well as a variety of application software, during his or her undergraduate years. A multimedia student orientation show, "Welcome to the Net," is given at scheduled times during September.
Hotline: 898-4707
School of MedicineThe Offices of Computing & Information Technology provide centralized academic and academic administrative (i.e., non-health care) computing support for the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). Staff members assist UPHS faculty, staff, and students with the installa tion, use, and upgrading of computer hardware and software (primarily Macintosh and IBM/PC compatible machines). Phone consultations and brief visits to the office are free; however, there is an hourly fee for on-site consultations, depending on the service required.Computing & Information Technology also adminis ters over 100 publicly accessible machines located in the Biomedical Library (the School's Microcomputer Center), the Student Commons, and teaching labs in Stemmler Hall. In addition, the staff coordinates connections to the campus network, provides contract programming, assists students and professors in locating existing and developing educational software, and produces a quarterly newsletter, "CIT*News." Also available is a resource center that provides special-purpose equipment and services (such as scanning services and computer projection equipment). Universal electronic mail and related online services for UPHS affiliates are available on a DEC Alpha server. E-mail services offered are Elm and POP/Eudora. In addition, the Medical School Computer Facility's DEC VAX 6410 (soon to be upgraded to a second Alpha server) provides additional services such as programming and statistical packages, GCG and Wisconsin gene sequence manipulation programs, and, for medical students, access to MARC, a clinical course evaluation system.
Offices of Computing & Information Technology
School of NursingComputing support is divided into two spheres faculty/administrative support and student support. In addition, the undergraduate curriculum supports an instructor who is responsible, half time, for computer content integration in the curriculum. The School has two computer labs dedicated to student use and a facility dedicated to research computing. All computer labs are wired to the PennNet network for e-mail, library, and Internet access. Faculty and administrative users are on a Novell network, which provides full PennNet access, shared software and hardware, and electronic mail.Consulting support for students who have course -related computer assignments is provided by staff in the Microcomputer Lab. Training for students is provided in structured sessions scheduled by the course instructor. The lab staff also assist faculty with the integration of computer technology into the curriculum and with the creation of computer-assisted audiovisual materials. Data projection devices, as well as other audiovisual equipment, are available upon request through the Audio-Visual Service Center. Software development in areas of com puter-aided instruction and multimedia production is available through the Instructional Technology Service Center. Administrative and faculty consulting is provided on an as-needed basis and includes the acquisition and use of computer equipment as well as network-related functions.
Director of Faculty and Administrative Computing:
School of Social WorkAlthough the School currently has no structured computing support services, limited help is available in the Computer Lab. The Computer Lab, located in the Caster Building, is open to School of Social Work students whenever the building is openas long as it is not being used for teaching. Faculty and staff have e-mail accounts on caster.ssw. Student e-mail accounts (on dolphin) are available by application in the Computer Lab.
The Wharton SchoolWharton Computing and Information Technology (WCIT) provides computing services to support the faculty, students, and staff of the Wharton School. Some services are available to other members of the University community based on availability or, in some cases, on a cost-recovery basis.WCIT offers a series of two-hour hands-on "short courses" on selected computing topics such as the basics of electronic mail and communications. WCIT short courses are available to University affiliates at a nominal charge. Wharton's microcomputer systems include DOS /Windows computer labs, group workstations throughout the Wharton complex, and teaching stations in many Wharton classrooms. Consulting support for the systems and software used at the Wharton School is available on a walk-in basis, by telephone hotline, and electronically. Supported platforms include DOS/Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX. Electronic mail and communication tools are available to all Wharton students, faculty, and staff. Wharton's School-wide network provides access to host systems, file servers, and to PennNet. All computer lab stations, group workstations, and classroom teaching stations have access to Wharton's local area network and PennNet. Electronic courseware, exercises, and class notes are available for download from the public workstations or by dialing in. The Reprographics unit of WCIT provides duplicating and publishing services. Electronic output services provide hard copy from user-prepared files on a wide range of output devices, including 300 and 600 dot-per -inch laser printers, a digital typesetter, and color printers. Wharton's Classroom Support Services division provides AV equipment and services for conferences, instruction, and research.
Consulting: 898-8600,
School of Veterinary MedicineThe Office of Information Technology provides a single point of contact for faculty, staff, and students who have questions related to computing within the School of Veterinary Medicine. On the Philadelphia campus, call 221-HELP; on the New Bolton Center campus, call HELP. Questions will be answered then or they will be referred to another, more appropriate resource.The School maintains computer labs on the Philadel phia and New Bolton Center campuses. The labs have a mix of Macintoshes and IBM/PC compatibles and are available for use by the School's faculty, staff, and students. For questions regarding policy, resources, and scheduling, contact Mike Provost, Director of Information Technology, 221-2267 (from Philadelphia) or 2267 (from New Bolton Center).
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