I.T. Times - September 1995 Inside IT

Volume 4. No 1

Information Technology News of the University of California, Davis

September 1995

Inside IT
September 1995

Instructor Turned Matchmaker

People plus information equals potential. Make that unlimited potential.

This is the equation - or philosophy, mind you - that has plunged Information Technology's Tim Leehane into the depths of technological resources at UC Davis.

And it is the philosophy that has Leehane playing consultant one moment and matchmaker the next.

Many faculty and staff have met Leehane in the computer lab, where as an instructor he has guided them through the ins and outs of e-mail, wordprocessing, the World Wide Web, and a host of other software applications.

This summer, as coordinator of the Technology Support Pilot Program, Leehane has been helping 21 departments integrate technology into both day-to-day operations and long-term plans.

UC Davis, like the rest of the world, is in the midst of a technological explosion, and campus departments are full of questions and hungry for answers.

"People want answers faster than ever, and they want to be in touch with the people who have the answers," says Leehane. "The Technology Support Program (TSP) will address these needs by giving every department on campus an individual I.T. representative, who will provide personal assistance to that department's support person.".

"Sometimes, that assistance will be matching the department with an expert on campus who can provide the answers and solutions."

With technology advancing so rapidly, one lesson has become very clear. No one individual or organization can hold all the answers. But as the technology leader on campus, I.T. can facilitate technical growth by acting as an information clearinghouse - or technological matchmaker.

So while the number of technical networks on campus mushrooms, TSP coordinator Tim Leehane will be seeing that information flows through the personal networks, as well.

Oracle Manager Put to the Test

Oracle database manager, Tim Olesen, recently spent two days in New Jersey working with Educational Testing Services (ETS) to develop a certification exam for Oracle database administrators. ETS is a national certification organization that specializes in educational testing and produces such exams as the SAT and GRE. As a result of his efforts, Olesen will become one of the first certified Oracle database administrators.

Art Annex Storehouse Closes

In August, Information Technology discontinued direct sales of computer parts and accessories to the campus through its Art Annex Computer Storehouse.

Campus customers may purchase computer cables, network adapter cards, and other popular computer accessories through the UCD Bookstore, Central Storehouse, local businesses, or mail order catalogs.

Rapidly changing technologies, overlapping campus inventories, and declining sales, all influenced I.T.'s decision to close the Art Annex Storehouse.

"Vendors are offering customers complete computer packages, and departments are purchasing computers which come bundled with network adapters, modems and upgraded memory options. This coupled with the proliferation of convenient mail order service is eliminating the need for an I.T.-supported computer store," says Denny Gagne, who managed the storehouse for Information Technology.

"Our sales were down 50 percent during the 1994-95 year, and we saw that trend continuing," Gagne says. For information call 752-5137 or send e-mail to dfgagne@ucdavis.edu.

Have a High-tech Headache? Call Now for CPR

Despite all the downsizing, resizing, and outsourcing that has gone on in Information Technology, of one thing you can be sure - Computer & Printer Repair (otherwise known as the Apple Service Center) is alive and well. Like an anchor in a sea of change, it is still located in the same place, Art Annex, and has the same working hours, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 - 5 p.m.

The name is slightly different - Computer & Printer Repair - I.T. - CPR for short. As an Authorized Apple Service Provider Plus, I.T. - CPR specializes in the repair of Macintosh computers and Apple printers. The center also repairs and conditions many models of Hewlett Packard printers.

Further information is available at http://itcpr.ucdavis.edu on the World Wide Web. Call 752-7762.

I.T.s Very Own Globe Trotter

As part of the I.T.-ANSA group (Advanced Networked & Scientific Applications), Paul Grant's job is to help support academic computing on campus. That's a mission that has taken him literally all over the map. During the past year, for instance, he has helped develop a new minor on campus in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Analysis - which means using computers to perform spatial analysis on geographic data and display the results visually.

Grant's role has been to handle the lab portion of the classes, teaching students to use the GIS software, Arc/Info, while Wes Wallender from Hydrologic Science and Dick Plant from Agronomy teach the lecture portion. For Spring Quarter they added an Advanced GIS class - uncharted territory that required Grant to develop his own textual material. He also lectures on GIS to classes in Hydrologic Science, Computer Science, and Landscape Architecture. In addition, he has been instrumental in evaluating software on campus, including X Windows emulators - a software windowing system for PCs - and scientific visualization packages, software designed to present scientific data visually.

This spring Grant's contributions in helping to proliferate GIS on campus were recognized with a $500 Scientific Development Award - money he immediately put to good use by attending a conference put on by Environmental Systems Research Institute, the developers of ARC/Info.

Says Grant, "My biggest satisfaction is working with the people. I enjoy helping them solve problems on the computer, getting their research moving forward and devising instructional material and seeing how they work for the students. I have high regard for the students here; they're pretty amazing people - they're just really interested in learning."