Mitch Fox/The Hoya UIS employee Charles Gerli (COL ’06) and Bo Li (GRD ’03) make use of new university technology at the UIS Help Desk in St. Mary’s.

Georgetown University Information Services instituted a number of technology changes over the summer, including the installation of a wireless network system and the opening of the St. ary’s Technology Center on Reservoir Road.

A wireless network system is now available in the ICC, Sellinger Lounge, St. Mary’s Technology Center, Lauinger and Dahlgren libraries and the second and fourth floor of the Reiss building, UIS Director Beth Ann Bergsmark said. The system, which transmits data using radio waves, will allow computers with wireless network cards to connect to the Internet without hooking up to a data jack.

“It’s mostly intended for situations when data jacks aren’t available or are difficult to install,” UIS Technical Writer Devlan Nocera said. UIS considers the system “an excellent addition to the [existing] wired network,” as opposed to a replacement, Bergsmark said.

The biology department was one of the first to use the new technology one year ago. Students received laptops with wireless network cards and were able to move about the room and assemble in groups without losing their Internet connection. Students attempting to study in places such as Sellinger Lounge will now be able to access the Internet without worrying about trying to find a free data jack.

The greater number of users there are, however, the slower the system may work, UIS administrators caution. “Wireless network is a shared resource,” Nocera said. Students are advised not to download large files or streaming video using the wireless network.

UIS also cautions students about network security. Over a wireless network, non-encrypted data may be intercepted as it travels through the air. Applications such as Access+, GUMail and Blackboard all use Secure Socket Layer encryption, which jumbles data to prevent intercepted messages from being read; applications such as Microsoft’s Hotmail do not, Bergsmark said.

In addition to setting up a new wireless system, UIS installed more than 100 new computers across campus and upgraded the operating systems to Windows XP. The old computers in ICC were all connected to one server, meaning that server problems would affect all the computers. The new iMacs, Bergsmark said, connect individually to the network and also include optical mice, solving the problem of mouse ball theft that plagued the computer terminals last year. The computer terminal in Sellinger Lounge had been requested by GUSA, she said. The old computers were donated to a charitable cause.

UIS also changed its location over the summer, moving from the New North building to the newly renovated St. Mary’s Technology Center on Reservoir Road. The new space houses Hoya Computing, which facilitates computer sales to students and staff; expanded space for the UIS Service Desk for technology help; and a 24-hour computer lab for students.

Six new high-technology classrooms were added, which include “smart” instructor podiums with advanced audio-visual capabilities. Two new technology training rooms – one with 24 seats, the other with 15 – will provide individual hands-on student stations. In addition, the School of Nursing and Health Studies now has access to a high-tech simulation lab and a computer lab with special software.

The university also established a second, identical Internet connection that increases bandwidth capability from 45 megabits to 1,000 megabits and protects against unexpected Internet outages.

Printing services have changed as well. Students should now use a GOCard instead of the old Debitek card to print in the libraries and in UIS computer labs.