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Thinking Outside the Circle
October 20, 2009
Engaging today’s technology-driven students is the starting point for successful learning. The Faculty of Engineering at McMaster understands this and is committed to providing an outstanding teaching and learning experience that will engage all its students.
A high-tech engineering laboratory in the new Engineering and Technology Building perfectly demonstrates this commitment.
Shaped as an ellipse, the lab is one of only four of its type in existence in North America. Modelled after similar facilities at Queen’s University and Rensselaer Polytechnic (Troy, N.Y.), it was designed by Dundas-based Vermeulenhind Architects.
The room has two tiers around its perimeter; the outer ring is slightly raised. Each tier includes passive monitors that provide students with graphics or instructions from the lecturer, and workstations on which students will do their actual labs. The room can accommodate 55 students at a time.
The 28 passive monitors are each shared between two students and, while viewing the display, they face the instructor who is standing in the centre of the room. To work on assignments, students turn round and use their individual workstations. The instructor has full view of all the stations and can easily assess how the lab is progressing, or if a student is struggling.
“In a traditional lab, it is often difficult for the students to see the instructor and for the instructor to get the attention of all students at the same time,” explains Dr. Spencer Smith, Director of Engineering 1. “Those problems won’t exist here.”
The instructor’s podium, at the room’s centre, incorporates high-tech, audio-visual equipment including a Sympodium Interactive Pen Display screen ( by SMART Technologies), a document camera (eliminating the need for transparencies), and a docking station for the instructor’s own laptop. Despite excellent acoustics, the ceiling is dotted with speakers and a wireless microphone is available.
Both a circle and an ellipse focus attention on the central point. However, Douglas Oliver of Vermeulenhind Architects notes that a circular design would take up more area than an ellipse, since a circle’s ratio of perimeter to area is relatively small. A circular room would not have accommodated the same number of students and workstations, he adds. Mr. Oliver explains that the firm incorporated an inventive twist – tilting the room about eight degrees off the perpendicular. As a result, the walls are not straight up and down, but lean slightly – making the room appear much more dynamic.
McMaster has a common Level 1 that all first-year engineering students take. Year 1 students in the engineering design and graphics course and the engineering computation course will have priority access to the lab.
“This lab introduces students to cutting-edge technology,” Dr. Smith says. “It highlights the Faculty’s commitment to providing the best computers and the most up-to-date technology for its students.” This is especially important for Year 1 students, he adds. “We want them to be inspired and challenged by all that engineering offers as a discipline and as a career.”
The lab operates on a server-based computing model, whereby the student uses a simplified thin client device in the lab to access a high-performance compute node in a server room located in the basement. This results in a considerable reduction in heat, noise, space requirement, and overall power consumed.
These small devices – the IBM CP20 thin client – communicate with the workstation blade servers via a high-speed remote display protocol called PC-over-IP, developed by Teradici of British Columbia. As the thin clients have no moving parts, the lifespan is considerably longer than that of a conventional workstation, typically 9 to 10 years. While the lab’s computer equipment is worth an estimated $500,000, the savings to the University in terms of lower costs of management, power, repair, and replacement over the extended lifespan (versus traditional workstations) will far exceed this estimate.
There are benefits to a server-based computing model from an IT perspective, as well. Michael Curwin, Faculty IT Manager, says that since the operating system is run from the blade server, it is cheaper and quicker to update. Rather than have to install a new OS on dozens of individual computers, it is installed once on the server. The same is true for adding and deleting software programs. “It makes for better course management and equipment maintenance, more efficient use of staff time, and costs less.”
Future modification will create an even more flexible Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) lab, where one blade server will host multiple student virtual desktops. This means labs can be customized by curriculum at a lower cost. Rather than having to provide several labs with dedicated software for specific applications, there could be one lab with individual servers loaded with specialized software that can be accessed by any number of users.
”VDI is gaining momentum as an efficient and effective way to offer computational resources,” says Dr. Smith. “This is the technology that many of our engineering students will likely use in their future workplaces.”
The IBM BladeCenter HC10 workstation blade servers, thin clients, and monitors were all installed and configured by BlueRange Technology of Oakville, Ontario. As an IBM and VMware business partner and full-service systems integrator, BlueRange provided the complete solution from consultation to installation with its local presence providing on-site systems engineering, training, and hands-on experience.
“We are proud to have been a part of this project,” says BlueRange VP Donn Bullock. “Leveraging our expertise and investment, it gave us the opportunity to contribute to the community as well as work with a leader in education. McMaster University is a phenomenal organization. It understands the needs of students, and it has the drive and commitment to provide the cutting-edge technology that engineering students require.”
An innovative lab, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to excellence in student learning … Mac Engineering takes its students into the future – today.
