Gateway Lab
FY 1994 $39,000 |
School of Engineering and Applied Science
|
Project Description and Goals: The Gateway Lab
is a state-of-the art multimedia facility in the School of Engineering
and Applied Science. Gateway was established in 1994 as part of Columbia’s
work with the National Science Foundation’s Gateway Coalition, a ten-institution
consortium devoted to the reform of undergraduate engineering education.
The Lab is a major tool in SEAS’ education reform efforts and focuses on
incorporating multimedia technology into the engineering curriculum. The
Lab’s current infrastructure, valued at more than $40 million, includes
45 Unix-based Silicon Graphics Indy machines and a variety of advanced
imaging software capable of handling multiple applications, including 3-D
modeling, animation, and engineering design. The Lab also houses an Onyx
supercomputer for high-end applications. These acquisitions were achieved
through a number of high-level good will transactions with industry. SEAS
faculty and faculty from other schools are able to utilize the Lab to aid
research requiring advanced modeling and design tools. Users to date have
included the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Art History and
Archaeology, the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation,
and the School of the Arts. Additionally, the Lab supports users from other
universities, high schools, and industry for a variety of activities, including
introductory multimedia courses, workshops, and symposia.
Status and Accomplishments
FY 1994 & FY 1995: First year funding of approximately
$176,000 from the NSF Gateway Coalition supported the Gateway Lab’s design
and curriculum planning efforts. To support the initial Lab infrastructure,
AT&T contributed $125,000 for the acquisition of 20 PCs. Late into
1994, contributions from the Strategic Initiative Fund and other Columbia
University investments supported the acquisition of 45 SGI workstations
and the Onyx supercomputer. The Lab was formally designated in November
of 1994. In FY 1995, the Lab focused on the development of courses and
user programs, including the following activities:
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In FY 1995, the Lab instituted its principal course, "Computers
in Engineering," as a required SEAS freshman course; the course is now
in its second year. Four additional courses were developed for the departments
of mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and industrial engineering.
The Departments of Chemistry and Computer Science in GSAS also developed
Lab-based courses.
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The Lab collaborated in a Columbia University proposal to
the National Science Foundation for designation as an Engineering Research
Center. The proposal is for an advanced image transmission testbed, with
the Lab as a node on the testbed’s ATM network.
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SEAS employed the Lab in establishing a series of free multimedia
courses for SEAS alumni. Donations from the Alumni Association to the Lab
now total approximately $40,000.
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Several industry affiliations were developed, resulting in
software and hardware contributions to the Lab. Microsoft contributed $4,000
for the development of a special course for people in industry and utilized
the Lab for a one-day workshop. To date, several million dollars worth
of software has been contributed from a variety of makers, including Alias,
Softimage, Biosym, and I-DEAS. Both the Lab itself and students’ work has
been used by media and film companies, and several companies have offered
to provide graduate apprenticeships. The Image Group, a film company, employed
one SEAS student using the Lab to render an animation segment for a TV.
movie. Other SEAS students have also participated in the development of
animation segments for media companies.
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The Lab collaborated with the Department of Chemistry on
another NSF-supported project called Gateway EDISON. The goal of this collaborative
effort is to develop standards for transparent pedagogical interactions
between engineering and the physical sciences. For more information, see
the "Chemistry Classroom for the Future" project under the Virtual Information
Initiative.
FY 1996: To date, The Lab has received over $500,000
from the NSF Gateway Coalition. In the fall of 1995, a mini-site visit
was conducted by the NSF. NSF’s report stated that the Gateway Lab was
an exemplary effort and that other schools should follow the Lab’s lead
in multimedia instructional design. Gateway Coalition funding will continue
through FY 1997. Some of the Lab’s NSF funding has been allocated to other
schools and departments of Columbia University, including the Institute
for Learning Technologies for evaluation work and the Building Technologies
Program in Architecture, Planning, and Preservation to support development
of joint civil/mechanical/architecture learning modules.
FY 1997: The Gateway Laboratory was renamed the
Botwinick Gateway Laboratory in honor of an SEAS alumnus, E. Botwinick,
who gave $1 million to maintain the Lab as the premier multimedia facility
in SEAS. During the past year, the number of courses (now 12) using the
unique visualization capabilities of the Botwinick Gateway Lab continue
to grow. A significant step was the opening of a new section of the sophomore
level graphics course. The course is also open to undergraduates outside
of SEAS. Significant numbers of Columbia College students are enrolled
in the freshman Gateway course. The Lab has been connected to the Columbia
Video Net so that all 40 SGI workstations can receive live video courses.
Based upon the existing freshman Gateway course, the NSF awarded a $100,000
grant to SEAS in partnership with Teachers College for the development
and evaluation of on-line freshman engineering design modules utilizing
multimedia technologies such as the Web and Java. Modules from electrical
and mechanical engineering have been developed. A grant of $50,000 to the
Lab from the Alumni Association of SEAS has resulted in the purchase of
a high-end workstation enabling students to easily output their work onto
video tape. The Gateway Coalition, now in its fifth year, will be funded
for another five-year period for approximately $15 million to be shared
among seven institutions.
Project Leader: Morton Friedman, Vice Dean,
School of Engineering and Applied Science