CT Briefs

• 08/01/08

:: NEWS

GOING SUPER GREEN. A new supercomputer deployed at Purdue University (IN) is expected to provide energy savings on the order of 75 to 80 percent. All told, the SiCortex 5832 will use only about one-fortieth the power of “traditional” supercomputers, hopes Gerry McCartney, VP for IT and CIO at Purdue. The machine’s processors draw just 600 milliwatts of power each, about the same power requirement as a cell phone or small flashlight. By comparison, a standard supercomputer contains thousands of processors that each require about 25 watts (25,000 milliwatts) of energy. “The electricity needs of supercomputers and the associated cooling can sometimes limit the amount of science that can be done,” McCartney says. “This is an experimental machine in the sense that we are just now learning how to use it to make real scientific discoveries.”

FOOTHILL CC BOLSTERS E-MAIL SECURITY. If you have an anti-spam and antivirus protection system in place, but are still flooded with user complaints, what do you do? To increase the effectiveness of its firewall, Foothill-DeAnza Community College District (CA) installed the Abaca E-Mail Protection Gateway EPG 3000 and ReceiverNet Premium Service. Explains Foothill IT Director Chien Shih, “Instead of scanning for patterns, [the Abaca solution] examines the relationships between people who exchange e-mail. When something out of the ordinary happens, it checks for spam.” Read more here.

CONSTITUENT CARE. At Del Mar College (TX), new support for student services, enrollment, and financial aid is among the highlights of a move to Datatel Colleague. The school’s plan to create enhanced web-based, self-service capabilities for constituents also benefits staff through the solution’s financial management, human resources, and institutional advancement components. Additionally, Del Mar will deploy Datatel’s Active- Campus Portal, a workgroup collaboration system built on Microsoft SharePoint. Says CIO August Alfonso, “By acquiring Colleague, the college is geared to provide advanced technology and a personalized, compelling user experience for students, faculty, and employees.”

SECURITY CRASH COURSE. Dartmouth College’s (NH) Institute for Security Technology Studies has launched a new twoweek course in computer security, aimed at introducing the basics of public key infrastructure (PKI), vulnerability assessment, and network analysis tools. The course is a component of ISTS’ Secure Information Systems Mentoring and Training program, designed to help students gain practical computer security expertise. “There is an urgent need to bring students up to speed in these topics,” says Tom Candon, associate director of ISTS. “The network security field needs professionals with hands-on training in secure systems, but only a few colleges or universities have these programs.” Read more here.

A HEALTHY NEW DEGREE ONLINE. Western Governors University (online), recognized for its established degree programs, has recently added a new bachelor of science degree in health informatics. The degree combines health care with IT, preparing graduates to design, develop, and operate health information systems. Read more here.

:: PEOPLE

DIVERSITY DEAN JOINS IU. On Aug. 1, Maureen Biggers began her post as assistant dean for diversity and education at the Indiana University School of Informatics. Throughout her career, Biggers has worked extensively in programs and research projects relevant to the inclusion of women and minorities in computing and technology. She also serves actively in the leadership of several national diversity initiatives, including the NSF’s Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance for the Advancement of African-American Researchers in Computing and the National Center for Women & Information Technology. Biggers has held academic and studentfocused roles at several universities, most recently at Georgia Tech’s College of Computing.