Campus Briefs
:: NEWS
DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE HUMANITIES. A recent report from the American Council
of Learned Societies details the need for a comprehensive online infrastructure for the humanities and
social sciences. John Unsworth, dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and chair of ACLS’ Commission on Cyberinfrastructure for the Humanities and Social Sciences,
notes, “The humanities and social sciences have expertise in the many ways that human beings interact with information,
and that expertise is key to getting this new digital infrastructure right.”
ANCIENT ROME IN 3D. The
University of Virginia-Charlottesville’s Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities is developing a real-time 3D
rendering of the City of Rome in A.D. 400. The model is based on IBM’s Cell Broadband Engine, which
speeds up compute-intensive applications such as image processing and simulations.
OPTIMISM IN COMMUNICATIONS TECH. A new survey by the Association for Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education found that higher ed communications departments are confident that they will be able to overcome budget
constraints to implement leading-edge technologies. Respondents (in all, more than 100 communications technology professionals
who attended ACUTA’s Fall Seminars this past October) revealed that technologists at nearly every school are
seriously evaluating technologies such as voice over IP, wireless and cellular, Gigabit Ethernet, and advanced security; 93
percent said they expect to achieve their objectives.
FEDERATED ID MILESTONE. In a major step toward the use
of campus identities to securely access online federal government resources, Internet2 has demonstrated
the interoperability of the Shibboleth federated identity management software with the National Science Foundation’s FastLane online grant administration system.
GOOD NEIGHBOR: Colgate U’s campus
WiFi benefits adjacent downtown Hamilton, NY.
NEIGHBORLY WIFI. In response to the increasingly
digital lifestyle of its students and proliferation of wireless devices on campus, Colgate University (NY)
has built a WiFi network that includes outdoor areas of the campus and extends into areas of downtown
Hamilton, NY, where many of its students live. While the goal wasn’t a pervasive metro network for
Hamilton, the public can log in as guests at no charge in certain areas.
WHO IS J. SMITH? At
Penn State, researchers are using machine learning to resolve ambiguities between authors with similar
names. “It works similarly to the way humans would figure out authors’ identities—by looking at
affiliations, topics, and publications,” says principal researcher C. Lee Giles.
:: PEOPLE
TO ELLIS COLLEGE OF NYIT. David Harpool is joining Ellis College of NYIT, New York Institute of Technology’s
online college for working adults, as provost and chief administrative officer.
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Congratulations to the following schools, selected to receive a Canon REALiS SX6 projector and participate
in CT’s high-resolution projection study: The University of New Orleans College of Engineering;
Pomona College (CA); the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine; and Herkimer County
Community College (NY).
Share your success! We want to know about recent promotions, changes, and hires in your campus technology
community. Forward the individual’s name; title; institution and location information; and any relevant
educational and occupational background to [email protected], with the subject line “Campus Briefs.”