Name:
High Capacity Design & Computing Lab - Broward
FiscalYear:
2014
Audience:
Arts & Letters, College of
Submitter:
Lewter, Brad
Budget Manager:
Dimaggio, Kathleen M.
Project Manager:
Lewter, Bradley Paul
Dept. Chair:
Williams, David C.
Local IT:
N/A
Dean:
Johnson, Linda K.
Facilities:
N/A
OIT:
Bagdonas, Joseph A.
Year 1:
$ 43,175.00
Year 2:
$ 0.00
Year 3:
$ 0.00
Total:
$ 43,175.00
The goal of this proposal
is to fund the upgrade and standardization of the high-capacity lab utilized by
the Film, Video, & New Media (FVNM) BA, the Multimedia Journalism (MMJ) BA,
and the Media, Technology, & Entertainment (MTEN) MFA. This
initiative will implement much needed improvements to the computing capacity of
our facilities to create a multi use lab that is state-of-the-art and
competitive with similar regional programs.
FVNM, MMJ, and MTEN exist
within The School of Communications and Multimedia, the largest school in the
D. F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and one of the largest in the
University. The current lab features 25 Apple MacPro machines purchased
between 2007 and 2009. While some of these machines are still useful within our
School and may be repurposed, these older computers no longer represent the
current state of technology utilized in professional and academic production
settings and many have trouble running critical software. Replacing them
would serve our undergraduate and graduate students’ research needs and could
enhance the visibility and desirability of our programs.
This proposal seeks funds
for 25 iMac workstations to replace these aging machines. These workstations
will integrate seamlessly with the other iMac labs housed on the Davie
campus. Maintaining consistency in the type of workstations used in each
lab affords numerous advantages. The software image developed and funded
under a joint TechFee grant between the Dept. of Art & Art History, the
School of Communication & Multimedia Studies, & the School of Architecture
can be deployed on the new machines without modification or
customization. Thus, instructors can rely on the same hardware and
software environments no matter the lab they are assigned.
While being housed in one
lab, the processing power of these iMac workstations will be utilized further
through the implementation of a distributed network renderer. Initially
through the deployment of Autodesk BackBurner, students will be able to harness
all available workstations in our Davie Campus facilities including the newly
upgraded, high-capacity lab. This combined processing power will allow
graduate and undergraduate students to render time-based digital works in a
quick and efficient manner. This will also position us favorably against
competitive programs in the state and region. Through previous tech fee
initiatives we have established the viability of software license sharing and
server access between campuses and hope to expand those capabilities to
cross-campus distributed rendering with this proposal.
Specifically regarding broader benefits, the Media, Technology and Entertainment MFA was chartered in partnership with the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Graduate students in the program take topical elective courses in Engineering and Computer Science that supplement the New Media theory and practice they receive in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies. Enhancing this lab helps to create a well-equipped meeting and studio workspace in which graduate students in MTEN and Engineering can collaborate. By upgrading this lab as a key component of a distributed rendering system, we also open the possibility for remote utilization by students and researchers in the College of Engineering and Computer Science on the Boca Campus. Strengthening these partnerships serves to bolster the University’s investment in STEM programs and initiatives.
The upgraded high-capacity lab will also allow us to continue hosting our required Practicum courses at higher capacities for students in the Film, Video & New Media and Multimedia Journalism programs. These courses serve as a curricular sequence capstone and in recent years have been bottlenecks in which sections are filled quickly during registration. In response, we have raised caps beyond the 18 seat maximums we maintain in the rest of our studio courses. We currently have enough machines to serve practicum courses for spring 2015, but with the current rate of machine failure and the general obsolescence of the workstations in the lab, we will likely not be able to maintain these capacities into the future. By revitalizing this lab we will continue to be able to offer Practicum courses at higher capacities, alleviating curricular bottle-necks and facilitating higher student graduation rates.
The ultimate goal of this proposal is to give FVNM, MMJ and MTEN students the benefit of working with an industry-standard environment, and to increase their access to a full-feature digital production studio for film, video, broadcast/multimedia journalism, animation, game design, and other technical and creative applications that require extensive computing power.
In accordance with Goal 1 of the Strategic Plan, the proposed upgrades to the graduate lab will serve to greatly “enhance the educational experience” of both graduate and undergraduate students in the School of Communication and Multimedia studies. A flagship computer lab for research and creative activity will serve to attract the best qualified students by offering facilities that are strongly competitive with regional and national Tier 1 and 2 research institutions. In addition, the proposal will help to “expand Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) initiatives”. The proposal matches the State’s proposed growth in STEM disciplines and training, as the BA in Multimedia Studies and the MFA in Media, Technology and Entertainment are formally included in the SUS catalog of STEM degrees, and are two of the very few contributions to STEM training found in the College of Arts and Letters.
In line with Goal 2 of the Strategic Plan,
Multimedia Studies continues to focus on “inspiring research, scholarship and
creative activity,” and the proposed use of technology fees matches the State
of Florida’s commitment of fiscal resources to meet the need for trained
professionals in advanced technology.
Following a key strategy of this goal, this proposal will help to “maintain
and strengthen the necessary facilities, equipment, and staff support in
colleges for faculty and researchers to engage in research, scholarship, and
creative activity.” The School’s programs
provide both academic research opportunities and career training in diverse
high-wage technology sectors. Improving the quality and capacity of our
computing hardware allows us to be competitive with state and regional programs
and attract strong candidates to our programs.
Following Goal 3, this proposal is a
critical part of “increasing FAU’s Community engagement” through “enriching the
educational and cultural experiences for students, faculty and the surrounding
communities.” Following strategies A.8 and B.3 of this goal, the proposal
would help to “expand opportunities for experiential learning” by training
students on the industry standard of high-end graphics technology in
preparation for internships and public and private sector jobs. Additionally,
the upgraded lab would better “leverage FAU’s presence and engagement in the
community to foster private-public partnerships” by creating an impressive
studio in which graduate and undergraduate students can meet with outside
public, private and community members interested in collaboration, internships,
and research opportunities with SCMS students.
(25) 27” iMac
3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel i5
workstations
+ standard peripherals & applecare
service contract
$45,450
TOTAL: $45,450
|
|
N/A. All software is managed through the Broward
Visual Desktop Image shared between the Department of Visual Arts and Art
History, the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies, and the School
of Architecture. |
Broward Technology Service
(OIT) and the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies |
| Fiscal Year 1 | Fiscal Year 2 | Fiscal Year 3 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware One-Time | $ 43,175.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 43,175.00 |
| Hardware Recurring | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Software One-time | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Software Recurring | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Personnel One-time | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Personnel Recurring | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Other One-time | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Other Recurring | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Totals | $ 43,175.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 43,175.00 |
| Filename | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|
| bLewter_appleQuote_11_14_CORRECTED.pdf | 65,546b | CORRECTED quote for 25 iMacs. |