Faculty who are interested in using computers with the operating system Linux for their courses can reserve computer labs
at 316 Hammond Building and 216 Osmond Building. The Linux labs give faculty, students, and staff the opportunity to work on
a powerful operating system that is quickly being adopted into business, industry, science, education, and government.
The Linux labs’ machines are state-of-the-art high performance computers, set at large desks with 30-inch monitors at each
station to provide students with a natural collaborative work area. The labs also feature a podium computer with projector.
The Linux computer labs can be useful to faculty teaching a variety of subjects. Linux offers benefits such as a high amount
of computing power, a variety of programming languages, and a selection of modeling and calculating software such as Mathematica,
Matlab, Ansys, Abaqus, Comsol, and many others. If faculty need a specific type of software for their course, they can request
it to be added by emailing clc-linux@psu.edu.
The Hammond lab has twenty-four Linux computers and can seat forty students in collaborative work areas, while the Osmond lab
has seventeen computers and can seat thirty-two students. The Faculty can reserve either lab for an entire semester or on an ad-hoc basis.
To help faculty learn more about Linux, ITS Training Services is offering “Getting Started with Unix/Linux” January 10 from
noon to 2:00 p.m. at 23 Willard Building. The training session is being offered as part of the Winter-Fest technology training
week, and enables attendees to acquire a basic understanding of Linux. Visit the ITS Training Web site for details and to
register at http://its.psu.edu/training/.
The Linux labs are maintained by Classroom and Lab Computing, a unit of Teaching and Learning with Technology, in collaboration
with the University Committee on Instructional Facilities. For more information on Linux labs, please visit
http://clc.its.psu.edu/Labs/Linux/.
You can see photos of the Hammond lab here:
http://clc.its.psu.edu/Labs/Linux/hammond.aspx.
To reserve a Linux lab, faculty should contact their departmental scheduling coordinator.