College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences 2010-2011 ETF
Report
Jo-Ann Cohen, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Peter Evans, Director of Computing and Information Systems
Section 1. Categorized ETF Expenditure Summary (Total: $1,591,937)
a. Personnel: $384,223.41
Salary
Benefits
Total
% of Expenditures
Staff
274,047.70
71,942.96
345,990.66
21.73%
Aggregate Salary
Aggregate Benefits
Total
% of Total ETF
312,039.45
72,183.96
384,223.41
24.14%
Students
37,991.75
241
37,991.75
2.4%
b. IT infrastructure, equipment and services (computing labs, networking, etc.):
$636,109.69
Includes: conversion of Harrelson G100 into a 43-seat collaborative
learning/mini-SCALE-UP classroom/laboratory, upgrade of the teaching
technology in Harrelson G108, addition of two collaborative spaces (one in
DAB120 funded by PAMS and one in the Jordan Hall Natural Resources Library
funded by PAMS and CNR), upgraded machines in DAB120 and 315, Jordan
1111 and 5314 and SAS 2103 (141 computers in total), and upgrade of the PAMS
Beowulf cluster with new ROCKS control software and additional compute
nodes.
c. Non-IT infrastructure, equipment (experimental labs, wet labs, etc.): $472,002.29
d. Facilities (repairs and renovations, furniture, etc.): $28,237.43
e. Discipline/instructional related field trips, professional development/experiences,
travel, conferences, services, etc.: $13,040.74
Note that the vast majority of these funds was spent by the Department of Marine,
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences on their required field experiences (for their
undergraduate majors).
f. Miscellaneous: $58,323.45
Includes: upgrades for DAB124 as well as other expenditures. Note: DAB124
was renovated with a combination of ETF funds (used for the new teaching
technology suite) and other funds (for the room renovation).
Section 3 contains additional details of the college’s expenditures. Details for individual
departments and units are available from the College upon request.
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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Section 2. Justification/Purpose of Expenditures–Strategic Overview
New and/or Transformative Initiatives
(i) 43-seat Collaborative Learning/Mini-SCALE-UP Classroom/Laboratory: The College
converted Harrelson G100 into a 43-seat collaborative learning/mini-SCALE-UP classroom/lab
for use primarily in upper-level majors courses. ETF funds were used to purchase computers and
instructional technology for the facility; other funds were used to cover the costs of room
renovation. Note that by shifting some of the smaller classes from Harrelson G108 to G100, we
are able to use G108 more efficiently and effectively. So, for example, we were able to provide
teaching slots in G108 for biology courses.
(ii) DAB124: ETF funds were used for a major upgrade in instructional technology; other
funding sources were used for room renovations.
(iii) Mathematics- Inverted Pendulum Lab: The Department used ETF funding to add an
inverted pendulum experiment to the instructional laboratory that is used in MA241, MA325,
MA341, MA401, MA430, MA501, MA502, MA/OR531, MA532, MA/BMA573,
MA/BMA574, and MA/OR731. The inverted pendulum experiment gives students the ability to
change parameters that influence the dynamics of the challenges. In more advanced courses,
students can streamline the implementation of the control theory of their choices since the
complete mathematical model and system parameters of the experiment are provided by the
manufacturer. This experiment offers students a cutting-edge, real world application of ordinary
differential equations, a fundamental topic in mathematics. A wide range of students (freshmen
to graduate students) across campus will use the new inverted pendulum experiment in the lab.
We expect approximately 1,850 students/semester to make use of the equipment.
(iv) Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences- Equipment for MEA100 and MEA210 Labs:
The Department used ETF funding to purchase computer equipment for an existing wet-lab used
in MEA100 (Earth System Science: Exploring the Connections) and MEA210 (Oceanography
Lab). The new equipment allows students to perform modeling experiments based on actual
experimental data and allows for more enhanced data analysis exercises that provide better
training and preparation for more advanced courses. The equipment is used in each of the
weekly labs in all of the sections (18 sections) of MEA100 and MEA210 that are offered during
the academic year. The total number of students using the equipment during the academic year
is approximately 432.
(v) Chemistry- Lab Equipment for CH222 and 224: The Department purchased a new
MIDAC infrared spectrometer (and associated software) for the labs (CH222 and 224) in the
organic chemistry service sequence. Students learn the theory of how light interacts with matter,
but the laboratory setting allows them to collect IR spectra and visualize the patterns
(“fingerprints”) in the infrared region of the spectrum that correspond to the functional groups
present in the compounds they synthesize. The interplay between theory and experiment, and the
familiarization with a very common laboratory (spectroscopic) technique is central to the organic
chemistry laboratory. Approximately 1,000 sophomores from disciplines across campus use the
equipment each semester (in approximately 80% of their labs).
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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(vi) Physics- PY452: The Physics Department completed the Education and Research
Laboratory (EaRL) this past year. This new clean laboratory will give physics majors experience
in using cutting-edge technical equipment that is very broadly used and that they are likely to use
in their future careers. Funding for the clean room was provided from non-ETF sources as well.
(vii) Statistics- ‘WinBugs’: The demand on the department’s WinBugs system grew to
overwhelm its capacity, and so the Department expanded its system with three more servers.
The ‘WinBugs’ software, which implements MCMC methodology for Bayesian Analysis, is
essential for two important courses (ST740 and a new doctoral course), and for a number of
doctoral students working on Bayesian Analysis.
Note: Other initiatives are included in the reports contained in the appendices.
Actions Taken to Improve Efficiency/Return on ETF Investments
PAMS evaluates the use of ETF funds relative to the existing needs each year. The committees
within the College that deal with computing and teaching are consulted to ensure that projects
are aligned with the priorities of the faculty and deans. The students within the College are
consulted through representatives on the PAMS Council and other committees.
The College has, for many years, examined requests from departments to determine if there are
common requirements for equipment that would be better purchased and supported centrally.
The PAMS HPC is one such example. The cluster was established to enable PAMS to focus
resources in a single facility, thereby providing economies of scale in terms of power, UPS,
networking, backup, support, and the machines themselves. This has been a very effective and
efficient use of college level resources and we expanded the cluster this year using ETF funds.
We note that we also decided to use a portion of our state funding this year to provide additional
support for the university cluster.
Unmet ETF-Eligible Needs
PAMS has many unmet needs and those needs will continue to grow, particularly given
enrollment increases and declining state budgets. We list some of the one-time and continuing
needs within the departments and College that have been identified and have not been addressed.
Note that additional departmental unmet needs are contained in the departmental narratives that
are included as appendices at the end of this document.
1. Continuing Funding Needs
(i) Computer Testing Facility: The College is partnering with DELTA on a computer testing
facility in Cox Hall. We do not expect that this facility will meet the demand our departments
have for electronic testing, particularly for testing in our large classes.
(ii) Chemistry: The Department has ongoing unmet needs for personnel support, chemicals and
other consumables associated with running hands-on labs for its majors and for students across
campus.
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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(iii) Physics: The Physics Tutorial Center is primarily used by students taking PY211/212 and
PY205/208. Combined enrollment in these four courses has increased by over 500 students per
year since the 05-06 academic year. The increase in enrollment has increased the demand for
tutorial services and the Department would like to hire support staff to cover the Center when
most of the TAs are in class, thereby allowing the Center to operate more hours each day. (The
staff member could also train TAs and administer make-up tests. This would help to eliminate
some of the scheduling conflicts that arise between students and instructors.)
2. One-Time Funding Needs
Note that some of the one-time needs identified below require additional continuing funds to
replace/upgrade equipment on a regular cycle.
(i) Mathematics: The Department would like to upgrade several classrooms with recording
equipment to allow faculty to record their lectures and post them on-line.
(ii) Chemistry: The Department of Chemistry has numerous unmet needs, both in infrastructure
and equipment for laboratories. The Department is also developing new labs for some of the
sections in the general chemistry and organic chemistry sequences, labs that may require
different instrumentation than what is currently available in FOX labs.
(iii) Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: In the past, the Department identified
significant needs for its geology courses and those needs remain unmet.
(iv) Statistics: Computing facilities are critically important for statistics majors. As demands
for computing have continued to rise, The Department has been limited by space in its ability to
handle the increasing demands of its graduate students and to provide some accessibility for its
undergraduate students. Although the Department expanded its computing facilities in moving
to SAS Hall, these facilities are often at capacity.
Assessment of Impact of ETF Investments on Student Learning
According to UPA data, PAMS had 231 faculty members in Fall 2010 (11.1% of the total
university faculty) and generated 154,765 credit hours in Fall 2010-Spring 2011 (19% of the
total for the University). In addition to providing upper-level courses for our majors, PAMS
provides critical gateway instruction to students across campus. In fact, almost 95 percent of
100-200 level instruction in the College is for students outside of PAMS.
Hands-on activities are essential to the learning of science. All of our departments have labs
associated with their courses (either for additional credit hours or integrated within the courses).
Many of these labs use non-IT equipment and supplies and many have a direct computer-related
component. Several of our departments also offer walk-in tutorial services to enhance learning
for majors as well as for other students across campus. The ETF funding that the College
receives from the University is critical to ensuring that students at NC State have the type of high
quality learning environment that the state should expect from its flagship STEM university.
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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PAMS’ commitment to providing high quality instruction in both undergraduate and graduate
gateway/service courses has led the departments to hire faculty whose scholarly expertise is in
the teaching and learning of PAMS disciplines. The research of several of the existing group is
focused on the effect of technology (for example, the effect of the use of clickers) on the
enhancement of learning. The results of their research have played, and will continue to play, a
key role in the choice of technologies that our faculty adopt in their classes.
We note that in addition, meetings with student leaders on college-level student committees,
meetings with faculty and staff who serve on college-wide computing and teaching committees,
and discussions with the departmental administrations within the College are all part of the
process the College uses to evaluate the effectiveness of ETF investments.
Planning and Review Processes
The college-level review committee consists of leaders from college-level student clubs, the
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (chair), the Associate Dean for Administration and the
PAMS Director of Computing and Information Systems. The committee solicits input from
students and departments as well as from college-wide computing and teaching committees to
inform its decisions concerning the need for new equipment or new facilities, the need for
replacing equipment in existing labs, the need for modifying lab facilities and opportunities for
redirecting existing funding to higher priority initiatives. The College engages in an
evaluation/prioritization process at the end of each academic year as well as in early spring. In
addition, informal discussions continue throughout the fiscal year.
Our customary practice is to seek and evaluate new funding requests from departments and
programs in late summer and again in early spring and to ask that all departments/units review
and evaluate their expenditures and priorities at the end of each academic year. Individual
departments and programs have established review processes involving faculty, students and
staff. Those processes are described in the appendices.
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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Section 3. Itemized List of Expenditures by Account Code for the College of Physical and
Mathematical Sciences
Categorized ETF Expenditure Summary as of June 30, 2011
Professional Support
Acc.
51112
51119
51219
51270
51311
51319
51410
51450
51811
51813
51821
51830
51871
Description
Grad Res
Assistant
Epa Reg -all
Other
Spa-reg.
Salaries
SPA Longevity
Grad. Teaching
Asst.
EPA Teach-all
Other
Non-Student
Regular Wage
Student
Regular Wage
Social Security
Federal Health
Ins
State
Retirement
Medical
Insurance
TIAA Optional
Ret
Faculty
Others
StudentWorker
IT
Non-IT
Staff
Infrastr.
Infrastr.
Other/
Facilities
1,136.07
Travel
Misc.
Total
1,136.07
51,150.00
51,150.00
184,015.65
184,015.65
3,083.51
3,083.51
5,163.90
5,163.90
34,438.54
34,438.54
1,360.00
1,360.00
31,691.78
31,691.78
2,101.09
14,212.87
195.32
16,509.28
491.39
3,323.80
45.68
3,860.87
1,626.72
25,039.80
25,039.80
18,896.80
20,523.52
2,355.60
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
2,355.60
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51873
51891
52300
52301
52400
52510
52590
52600
Optional
Retirement Plan
Staff Benefits
Educational
Supply
Athletic
Medical
52874
52900
Other Supply
52821
52823
52824
52826
52850
52870
52872
226.96
1,866.60
1,801.33
2,028.29
233,367.66
233,367.66
Repair Supplies
Gasoline/Diesel
Fuel
Other Motor
Veh Supplies
Office Supply
Data Processing
Supplies
Other
Computer
Software
<$5,000
PC Software
Purch <$5,000
Server Software
Purch <$5,000
External Dev
Software
<$5,000
Other EquipVoice
Comm<$5,000
Other DP
Equipment
<$5,000
Video
Transmiss
Equip <$5,000
PC & Printer
Purch<$5,000
52650
1,866.60
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
5.86
5.86
699.36
699.36
2,209.37
2,209.37
126.29
126.29
106,736.20
106,736.20
204.76
204.76
37,384.14
37,384.14
6,691.77
6,691.77
11,563.25
11,563.25
1,489.20
1,489.20
4,792.92
4,792.92
18,348.11
18,348.11
9,644.00
9,644.00
502,699.34
502,699.34
41,653.18
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41,653.18
53810
In-State
TransportationGround
In-State
SubsistenceLodging
In State
Subsistencemeals
In-State Oth Tvl
(tips/tele)
Out Of State
Trans-Air
Out Of State
Trans-Ground
Out Of State
Sub-Lodging
Out Of State
SubsistenceMeals
Out Of State
Oth TvlTips/Tel
Board/nonemp
Travel - Sub
Printing and
Binding
Repairs
Bldg/gnds
Repairs -Other
Computer
Equip
Repairs -PCs
and Printers
Repairs And
Maint-oth Eq
Freight And
Express
Administrative
Services
Computer/Data
Process Svs
53903
Parking Fees
53112
53114
53115
53116
53121
53122
53124
53125
53126
53144
53400
53510
53540
53544
53550
53600
53616
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
2,057.73
2,057.73
377.00
377.00
213.25
213.25
10.04
10.04
664.20
664.20
1,742.79
1,742.79
1,030.65
1,030.65
457.75
457.75
326.83
326.83
200.00
200.00
14,831.64
27,610.43
14,831.64
27,610.43
3,124.00
3,124.00
381.11
381.11
1,158.33
1,158.33
544.42
544.42
39.99
39.99
2,736.00
2,736.00
60.00
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60.00
53929
54310
54320
54350
54437
54438
54511
54920
55110
55221
55310
55320
55575
Service
Agreementsother
Rent of Oth
Equip-Mtr Veh
Rent/LeaseVoice Comm
Equip.
Rent of Oth
Equip-Other
Maint Agrmt PC Software
Maint
Agreement Server Software
Insurance Property
1,629.00
600.00
600.00
145.44
145.44
3,024.84
Subscriptions
Office
EquipmentFurniture
Other
Computer
Software
>$5,000
Educ EquipClassroom/Libr
ary
Educ Equipscientific/medica
l
Server
Equipment
>$5,000
Total Costs
1,629.00
3,024.84
14,144.83
14,144.83
6,597.88
6,597.88
390.00
390.00
99.00
99.00
627.00
627.00
2,535.00
2,535.00
4,211.44
4,211.44
129,111.09
129,111.09
9,416.50
43,106.90
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
303,124.76
37,991.75
636,109.69
9,416.50
472,002.28
28,237.43
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13,040.74
58,323.45
1,591,937.00
Appendix A: College-Level Efforts
Examples of specific efforts undertaken at the college-level this year include:








Renovation of Harrelson G100
Installation of enhanced instructional technology for Harrelson G108 and installation of
additional 52” LCDs for better viewing by students
Support for the PAMS HPC software continued with license renewals for compilers, OS,
and backup software
ESRI support was continued
Addition of two collaborative spaces: one in DAB120 funded by PAMS and one in the
Jordan Hall Natural Resources Library funded by PAMS and CNR
Upgrade of machines in DAB120 and 315, Jordan1111 and 5214, and SAS2103
Upgrade of the PAMS Beowulf cluster with new ROCKS control software and additional
compute nodes
New technology for DAB124
Appendix B: Department/Unit Summaries
All of the units’ ETF expenditures are included in the consolidated PAMS expenditure summary
contained in Section 3 above.
Department of Chemistry
Justification/Purpose of Expenditures
New Initiatives
The largest single expenditure was $76,000 for a circular dichroism spectropolarimeter to study
optically active chiral molecules. This instrument will be used for the upper division,
measurements labs in the BS Chemistry curriculum.
For the organic chemistry (200-level) labs in Fox Hall, a new MIDAC infrared spectrometer was
purchased for $22,000. This replaces an older, broken one of the same type.
Another large expenditure for the 400-level synthesis labs was the purchase of a Gas
Chromatograph. This augments the other characterization techniques the students have been
using in these labs to study such things as the effect of substituting substituents in a catalyst and
the kinetics of various reactions.
The smallest special (non-supply) purchase was software required to make the Fourier Transform
Infrared Spectrometer functional, allowing students to learn more advanced measurement
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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techniques in the upper division BS chemistry labs. The old software required extensive user
set-up and post-data collection processing, all of which has been ameliorated by the purchase of
this software. The students can now focus on the principles rather than instrument set up. They
can now study, for example, the specular reflection of coatings, thin films, and common products
such as pharmaceuticals.
Among the other lab/educational supplies that were purchased with ETF funding were
chemicals, glassware, and replacement equipment such as pH meters and balances.
Continuing Initiatives
The Department continues to support the Chemistry Tutorial Center, chemistry demonstrations,
and intensive use of WebAssign for the delivery of course materials in all of the general
chemistry lecture courses (textbook and homework) and in computational chemistry. There were
over 3,000 visits of students to the Tutorial Center during this past academic year.
Actions Taken to Improve Efficiency and Return on ETF Investments
The Chemistry Department continues to use ETF funding for laboratory supplies, but all labs are
on a micro-scale to minimize chemical purchases, chemical storage and waste disposal. The
replacement of the 9-year old all-in-one computers in Fox Labs made a tremendous difference in
the efficiency of collecting and analyzing data for students as well as saving valuable staff labor.
Unmet ETF-eligible Needs
The Department of Chemistry has numerous unmet needs, both in infrastructure and equipment
for the laboratories. We are also developing new, more rigorous laboratories for our new
Science and Engineering sections of the general chemistry and organic chemistry sequences, labs
that may require different instrumentation than what is currently available in FOX labs.
This is in addition to the ongoing need for TA support, chemicals and other consumables
associated with running hands-on labs.
Some specific needs are:
1) Centrifuges for general chemistry labs
The centrifuges in this lab are more than 10 years old and all 25 of them need replacing. Total
cost: $12,500.
2) Analytical teaching lab equipment in Dabney (CH315)
Two HPLC. Estimated cost $52,000. Currently, too many students share one instrument.
3) Upper division majors labs in Dabney
Equipment including 2 rotavaps, Kugelrorh, and a Parr hydrogenator, and repair of the LCQ Duo
spectrometer in the Mass Spectrometry Facility. Also, equipment related to the FT-IR software
purchase that would allow imaging materials over larger areas, FT-Raman spectroscopy and
nanosecond spectroscopy. Total cost estimate: $55,000.
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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Assessment of Impact of ETF Investments on Student Learning
The ETF funding allows our laboratory courses to proceed. As chemistry is an experimental
science, providing adequate hands-on learning is essential.
Planning and Review Process
An ad-hoc ETF committee convenes to review the requests that have not yet been met and to
prioritize them. The committee receives input concerning student feedback (both formal and
informal) on the general and organic lab programs from the FOX Lab Directors. Data is also
collected on the usage of the Chemistry Tutorial Center in FOX Labs.
Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospherics Sciences
Justification/Purpose of the Expenditures for Academic Year 20010-2011
A. Instructional-related field experiences, including marine cruises, day- and weekend-field
trips, and geology summer field camp, form a major component of MEAS course work.
Accordingly, last year approximately 1,600 students participated in field activities in partial
fulfillment of their course credits. Expenses in this area make up about 6% of the total dollars
spent. The largest part of these expenses is in way of serving the students who are in MEAS
beginning laboratory classes with field exercises that round out their experiences.
B. IT infrastructure expenses account for nearly 71% of the expenditures as MEAS required new
wet-laboratory fitting of laptops, server and storage units for meteorological labs, special PC and
printer needs, and new laptops for MEA110 beginning geology labs, a service course that by far
has the greatest student enrollment in MEAS.
C. Non-IT infrastructure accounts for slightly over 11% of the expenditures. This includes
purchases of items ranging from the smallest replacements of lab expendables, to minor
equipment for operating and initiating new laboratory exercises, to special software to operate
laboratory and field exercises.
D. Other: The remaining 12% or so of expenditures is accounted for by Professional (SPA)
support staff salary and benefits, current services, and fixed charges.
Impact of ETF on Student Learning
ETF allocations to the Department are critical for serving geology, marine, and atmospheric
students at undergraduate and graduate levels. Each of the three disciplines offers students
outdoor and indoor-laboratory experiences -- teaching environments all of which must
continually be funded to enable the Department to offer effective and modern education to more
than 2,500 students/year. The largest numbers of students are in 100-level classes and many of
those students are taking MEAS classes in partial fulfillment of GEP natural science
requirements.
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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Examples of items essential to sustaining quality educational environments for MEAS students
include maps, rock/mineral samples, laptop computers for displays, analyses, real-time data
streaming, and visual mapping of radar, and supplies and small equipment to facilitate marine
cruises and chemical laboratories. Fuel and transportation expenses, too, are essential to running
field/marine trips and outdoor lab exercises.
Planning, Review, and Allocation Processes
Early each fall semester (late August/early September) faculty members and IT staff submit their
budgets for their essential needs for the academic year to an eight-member MEAS committee.
This committee is composed of five faculty members, one IT member, and an undergraduate and
graduate student. The committee is adamant about student representation to represent the class,
lab and field needs of the student body, whether the students are in MEAS or from elsewhere on
campus and visiting MEAS for their GEP requirements.
The ETF allocations are made to faculty members and IT staff after the committee reviews each
request and agrees that it is justified. There are always requests for more funds than available,
and the review process is long and arduous so that the outcome is for money prudently spent.
The Department accountant then takes on the responsibility to allocate and record the requests
from each MEAS faculty/staff member to spend his/her allotment for the academic year.
Department of Mathematics
Justification/Purpose of the Expenditures for Academic Year 2010-2011
The salary portion of the department’s ETF allocation was used to partially cover the salaries of
the Systems Manager, the Multimedia Center Coordinator as well as for Maple consultants and
other tutorial center staff who worked in the Mathematics Tutorial Center. During the academic
year 2010-2011, the Department purchased 8 iMac computers for graduate student offices.
New and/or Transformative Initiatives this Past Year Undertaken with ETF Funds
To continue to develop the innovative and valuable experimental teaching modules, the
Department was provided with additional ETF funding to add an inverted pendulum experiment
to the instructional laboratory. The inverted pendulum experiment will give students the ability
to change parameters that will influence the dynamics of the challenges. In more advanced
courses, students can streamline the implementation of the control theory of their choices since
the complete mathematical model and system parameters of the experiment are provided by the
manufacturer. This experiment will offer students a cutting-edge, real world application of
ordinary differential equations, a fundamental topic in mathematics. Indeed, students perk up
when they can apply the mathematics that they have learned. It will serve as a lively
demonstration of applications of differential equations for students in MA241, MA325, MA341,
and MA401. In addition, it can be used as special projects for students in MA430, MA501,
MA502, MA/OR531, MA532, MA/BMA573, MA/BMA574, and MA/OR731.
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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The Department was also provided with additional funding to fully equip SAS4201 with video
conferencing capability. Having the capability for broadcasting courses live will be of help to
our current students and, in addition, could help the Department with its recruitment of
underrepresented students from other programs to its doctoral programs.
The Department received one-time ETF funding to replace one of the two mobile laptop carts
with 35 new state-of-the-art 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops. This gives faculty more flexibility in
incorporating computer hands-on sessions into their teaching.
Actions Taken to Improve Efficiency/Return on ETF Investments
In the future, we will coordinate with faculty and administrators from other mathematics
departments in the UNC system to co-teach some of our innovative course offerings using the
video conferencing capability that was set-up in SAS4201 with this year’s ETF funding.
As of this year, the Department has almost completely replaced all computers that are accessible
by students with iMac computers capable of running multiple operating systems. This will
provide a user-friendlier environment to a large pool of student users.
Assessment of Impact of ETF Investments on Student Learning
The mobile laptop carts are used by all students (from freshmen to graduate students) who take
mathematics courses for access to the internet to look up reference materials, for access to
professors’ on-line notes, for group work or collaborative learning, and for laptop-based
demonstrations and computations.
The instructional laboratory with hands-on experiments guides students towards research and/or
internships. The department’s experience with teaching mathematics courses augmented with
real-world mathematics applications is overwhelming positive.
Unmet ETF Needs
If new ETF funding were available, the Department would upgrade several classrooms with
recording equipment that would allow faculty to record their lectures and post them on-line. This
would allow students the ability to watch the lectures at their own leisure. In particular, students
who missed class would have a chance to catch up with other students.
Planning and Review Process
The department’s ETF committee consists of members of the Computing Committee, the
department head, the associate head, the system administrator, and a student (-last year a
graduate student served as a student representative on the ETF committee).
PAMS 2010-2011 ETF Summary
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Department of Physics
The Physics Department teaches about 5,000 students per academic year in laboratories. The
Department offers laboratory experiences to every student who enrolls in an introductory physics
or astronomy course. The Department also has a Lecture Demonstration Facility, which serves
instructors with apparatus, audiovisual equipment and computer projection systems and which
provides support for all introductory courses.
Justification/Purpose of Expenditures
New or Transformative Initiatives Undertaken with ETF
PY452: The Physics Department completed the Education and Research Laboratory (EaRL) this
past year. This new clean laboratory will be used by physics majors to study in an active
research laboratory environment.
The general theme of EaRL is to expose the students to cutting-edge equipment that is very
broadly used (these instruments are so common they are almost the multimeters of cutting-edge
research), giving them 1) experience in using any technical instrument and 2) specifically,
experience in instruments that they are likely to see their future careers.
ETF funds were used to obtain computers, laboratory electronic equipment, electronic
components and software that is not available in university computing laboratories. Note that the
clean room was funded by non-ETF sources as well.
Actions Taken to Improve Efficiency/Return on ETF Expenditures
Whenever possible, equipment is purchased that is compatible with existing equipment. This
allows the Physics Department to continue using existing equipment with upgrades, rather than
purchasing complete sets of equipment. The Physics Department funds a portion of a full time
IT technician with ETF funds. This technician is devoted to maintenance and repair of the IT
equipment used in instruction. When new equipment is purchased, long term cost of
replacement is considered, which occasionally results in equipment with a higher initial cost, but
lower long term cost in comparison to cheaper equipment, being purchased.
Unmet ETF-eligible Needs
The Physics Tutorial Center is primarily used by students taking PY211/212 and PY205/208.
Combined enrollment in these four courses has increased by over 500 students per year since the
05-06 academic year. This increased enrollment has increased the demand for tutorial services.
The Physics Department would like additional funds to hire support staff. This staff member
would help cover the Center when most TAs are in class. This would allow the Center to operate
more hours each day. (The staff member could also train TAs and administer make-up tests
which would help to eliminate some of the scheduling conflicts that arise between students and
instructors.)
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This position once existed in the Physics Department and was very successful. Due to budgetary
reasons the position could not be sustained. The quality of physics tutoring has suffered as a
result.
Assessment of Impact of ETF Investments on Student Learning
ETF funds significantly impact every one of the over 5,000 students each academic year who
take a 100/200 level physics course. ETF is essential to the functioning of all of the
undergraduate physics labs in the Department: Conceptual Physics PY131, Physics for Engineers
and Scientists PY205/208, College Physics PY211/212, Physics for physics majors
PY201/202/203, astronomy labs PY125, as well as the upper division physics lab PY452. ETF is
used for the purchase of computers and interface devices required to have modern, up-to-date
laboratory exercises for physics students. It also supports all non-computer equipment used in
labs, and all lab supplies. Additionally, ETF allows the labs and programs to be professionally
developed and overseen by covering part of the salaries of the personnel supervising those
activities mentioned above, and covering part of an SPA staff IT person who maintains all the IT
equipment in those labs.
Planning and Review Process for ETF Expenditures
The Physics Department solicits budget requests and justifications from each of the faculty
responsible for ETF supported activities each fall. After all requests have been submitted and
converted to a standard format, generally all faculty involved meet with student representatives,
typically the president of the Society of Physics Students (undergraduate physics majors) and the
president of the Graduate Physics Student Association. Proposals are presented and discussed by
the faculty and the student representatives, and priorities for the requests are set by consensus of
all present. This prioritized list is then presented to the Department Head for review and
approval. When ETF funds are allocated to the Department, the Department Head sets budgets
for each ETF supported activity based on the priorities set. Each faculty member with an ETF
budget is responsible for purchasing the needed equipment and supplies. The Assistant
Department Head is the primary approving authority for all expenditure requests from all ETF
budgets, monitors compliance with ETF purchasing guidelines, monitors all ETF budgets, and
keeps records of material and equipment purchased by cost and category.
Department of Statistics
New Initiatives/Efficiency
The Department implemented the new Active Directory file system to replace the AFS (aka ‘K:’)
system for student files. The Department began in Fall 2010 and the initial aim to slowly move
its 100 undergrads and 150 grad students from AFS was abandoned when its AFS backup system
developed problems. The Department quickly moved the students to the new system and is
extremely pleased with the performance.
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Last year, the Department moved back to rack-mounted servers to support the software system
‘WinBugs.’ Again, the demand on this system grew to overwhelm its capacity, and so the
Department expanded its system with three more servers. The ‘WinBugs’ software, which
implements MCMC methodology for Bayesian Analysis, is essential for two important courses
(ST 740 and a new doctoral course), and for a number of doctoral students working on Bayesian
Analysis.
Unmet Eligible ETF Needs/Impact of ETF
The computing facilities provided to the students in the Department are critically important tools
for teaching, learning, and research. As demands for computing have continued to rise, the
Department has been limited by space in its ability to handle the increasing demands of graduate
students and provide some accessibility for undergrads. Although the Department expanded its
computing facilities in moving to SAS Hall, these facilities are often at capacity and so the
faculty are considering other ways to meet the needs of their students.
Planning and Review
Each year, with the preparation of this annual report, and then in September, with the initial
departmental allocation, the department's plans for ETF facilities are examined and revised,
involving the Systems Administrator, his supervisor, the department head, and a student
representative.
Department of Statistics – Three-Year Plan
The Department faces the constant need to update its Intel-based machines. With 58 machines in
student labs and 28 in SICL, using a three-year projected useful lifetime, the Department needs
to replace approximately 30 PCs each year. The new facilities include two large display
monitors in SICL as well as two display systems (PC+ monitor) each in the tutorial room and in
the Statistics Commons.
Projected ETF Expenditures for 2011-12
* Purchase/replace 30 PCs (SAS 1107 -- SICL)(more expensive due to size restrictions)
* Replace an ETF Lab printer this year (with a six-year lifetime)
* Replace a Display Monitor this year (with a four-year lifetime)
* Continuing funding fraction of SysAdmin and Tech Support Analyst
* License fees
* Printer supplies and maintenance
Projected ETF Expenditures for 2012-13
* Purchase/replace 25 PCs (BoM)
* Replace ‘WinBugs’ Servers
* Replace StatCrunch Server
* Replace Lab printer
* Continuing funding fraction of SysAdmin and Tech Support Analyst
* License fees
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* Printer supplies and maintenance
Projected ETF Expenditures for 2013-14
* Replace 38 PCs & laptops (SAS 5285 and 4213)
* Replace one ‘WinBugs’ server
* Continuing funding fraction of SysAdmin and Tech Support Analyst
* License fees
* Printer supplies and maintenance
Overview of Department of Statistics ETF Facilities
Through the support of ETF funds, the Department provides and maintains the Statistics
Instructional Computer Laboratory (SICL)(SAS1107), three large ETF Computer Labs (one
shared with undergraduates)(SAS 285, BoM, SAS4213), a shared ETF ‘WinBugs’ system, a
server supporting statistical software (StatCrunch) for undergraduate service courses, and a
centralized Active Directory file system. In their current configurations, the three Computer
Labs consist of 62 computer workstations. Two ETF Lab printers are maintained to serve each
Lab.
Bioinformatics Graduate Program
Justification/Purpose of Expenditures this Past Year
This year the Bioinformatics Graduate Program was initially allocated $10,000 in ETF from
PAMS and later was allocated another $10,000 (a pre-allocation for 2011-2012). The program
used the funds to purchase the following items:
(1) Some computers for BI students. Note: the major purchase for the BI student computers was
also made from our NIH Bioinformatics training grant.
(2) A backup server for the program: Used to backup files for some computers.
(3) A projector and mounting kit: Used for the program conference room associated with the
move of the program from Centennial Campus to the main campus.
(4) In partnership with the university’s OIT’s Virtual Computing Lab (VCL), we purchased a
server with two Intel E7520 quad-core processors, 256GB memory, Fibre Channel HBA, four
Gigabit Ethernet ports, and two 10Gb Ethernet ports. OIT HPC provided the matching fund for
the purchase.
Justification: The Bioinformatics Research Center (BRC) and the Bioinformatics Graduate
Program had previously purchased many IBM Blade clusters using an NSF bioinformatics
equipment grant and put them in the HPC. Those clusters had been providing the main
computation power for bioinformatics students. However, the clusters purchased quite a few
years ago do not have enough memory and storage space for the massive next-generation
sequence data coming out from the new sequence technology. This new server provides enough
memory for data analysis of the next-generation sequence data. The need for increasing storage
space is still yet to be met.
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New and/or Transformative Initiatives this Past Year Undertaken with ETF Funds
The main initiative was the purchase of the high memory server in partnership with OIT.
Another major initiative was our decision to build a separate IBM Blade clusters server in the
BRC server room for the bioinformatics students to experiment with a variety of things in
developing and testing programs and tools with full-control of the clusters. We have used some
funds from this year’s NIH Bioinformatics Training grant to purchase some basic components of
the clusters and will continue to allocate some funds from the training grant each year to add
more components to the clusters, as the IBM Blade clusters are scalable.
Actions Taken to Improve Efficiency/Return on ETF Investments
(1) While meeting the basic need of providing each student with a PC, we invest in high-end
computing equipment to meet the demand of heavy-duty computations, particularly from the
next-generation sequence data.
(2) We pool different resources together (ETF, Training Grants and matching funds from OIT) to
make strategic investments on major initiatives to meet the new demand and challenges for
analyzing massive bioinformatics data from the new technology.
Assessment of Impact of ETF Investments on Student Learning
These new initiatives provide the necessary conditions for students to learn and do research in
new bioinformatics tools that deal with massive amounts of bioinformatics data from the new
technology, particularly the next-generation sequence technology, beyond the regular and routine
analysis and simulations.
Unmet ETF Needs
We have a need for a large amount of storage space for the servers for the massive amount of
bioinformatics data.
Planning and Review Process
The ETF committee included Alison Motsinger (chair), Stan Martin, and Zhao-Bang Zeng. The
program faculty consulted with bioinformatics graduate students concerning ETF needs on a
regular basis.
Biomathematics Graduate Program
Funding from PAMS was used to purchase iMac computers and a memory upgrade for one of
these machines for our computer laboratory. These purchases totaled $10,000.
The core biomathematics (BMA) graduate courses have a strong computational component,
making extensive use of computer exercises. This is designed to develop the computational
skills that will be required in the students’ later research. The availability of high quality
computing resources within BMA graduate student offices and in our computer lab encourages
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the use of these sites as the students’ primary work venue, promoting an interactive and
collaborative learning environment.
ETF funds were used to expand the computing facilities provided for BMA students in Cox Hall.
In response to student requests, we purchased Apple Mac systems. This continues our long-term
aim of providing a mixed computing environment (PC/Mac/Linux) that accommodates the broad
range of software packages and types utilized by our student body.
The computer lab provides a space where our students can work in collaboration. Having
cutting-edge machines in this location increases the utility of this facility for our students. In
response to student requests, we are making machines available for remote login, providing the
ability for our students to run intensive simulations within a familiar graphical environment.
In the immediate future our ETF expenditures will be directed towards upgrading existing
machines and obtaining a single high-powered machine to act as a server to act as a more
efficient and flexible platform for delivering applications to terminals in our networked lab. The
increasing student use of the web as an information resource, web-based applications (e.g.
webmail) and virtual computing facilities (VCL) allows the continued productive use of some of
our older machines.
Planning and Student Feedback Processes
An email questionnaire is circulated annually to all BMA students to gauge their computing
needs. Feedback is sought on a regular basis, both by email and by face-to-face discussions. The
majority of this year’s purchasing decisions were made in direct response to student requests.
Operations Research Graduate Program
All funds ($9,728 out of the $10,000 PAMS allocation) were spent on IT infrastructure,
equipment and services (computing labs, networking, etc.) including:
(i) 8 CPI - High Level Desktop – Optiplex 980 Minitower
(ii) 16 2 GB Dell Certified Replacement Memory Module for Dell Optiplex 980
(iii) 8 ViewSonic VG2428WM 24-in Widescreen Black LCD Monitor w/Height Adjustable
Stand.
New and/or Transformative Initiatives Undertaken with ETF
PAMS ETF funds were used to purchase computers to upgrade student labs In SAS and Daniels
Halls.
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Efforts to Increase/Maximize the Value of ETF Expenditures
Decisions on computer equipment purchased with ETF funds are made so that individual
components can be easily upgraded in the future.
Evaluation of Effectiveness
The program uses student feedback.
Assessment of the Impact of ETF Investments on Student Learning
ETF purchases directly impact all 70 OR students and augment their computer support for
individual student research, teaching assignments and all OR classes.
Review Process and Level of Student Participation
The program uses personal communication with its students.
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