106 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(11/13/06 5:00am)
Freshmen next year will have an advantage locating their dorm rooms.
University Facilities Services is installing new signs to designate each of the 13 campus residence hall communities.
The signs - which are black with white lettering - include the community name along with the community buildings and the Old Well emblem, said Jim Alty, director of Facilities Services.
"We've been installing them over the last month or so," he said.
Some communities such as Cobb and Carmichael already have signs, which are funded by Housing and Residential Education.
"We're following along with what the campus is doing," said Rick Bradley, assistant director of housing, adding that the signs comply with UNC's new sign standard.
The standard was established by the Task Force on Campus Signage, which began its research in 2002.
"The main thing that the task force accomplished was to identify that we needed to establish a new sign identity for signs across campus" said Jill Coleman, landscape architect for Facilities Planning.
These new-style signs already have been installed at academic buildings along South Columbia Street.
"I think there has been increased interest in helping people find their way around campus," Coleman said.
UNC also installed campus maps near the Morehead Planetarium parking lot and in front of the Student Union on South Road.
Other schools have adopted signage standards similar to UNC's.
N.C. State University instituted a new "hierarchy of signs" in 2000, said Sallie Ricks, former university architect, who oversaw the creation of the NCSU sign system
"We're about 98 percent through," she said. "About every major building has an identification sign."
The hierarchy puts priority on placing signs at NCSU gateways before other locations, she said.
Others such as street markers, accessibility signs and "you are here" signs are lower on the hierarchy.
NCSU's signage was named third best in the nation by Signs of the Times magazine, a national publication about visual communications.
Though UNC's sign system is not complete yet, students have noticed the residence hall signs.
"They're a good idea for visitors," said Sarah Donovan a senior journalism major from Naples, Fla., though she added that she disliked the look of the signs.
"They're too modern for the quad," she complained of the signs in Olde Campus Upper and Lower Quad communities.
Officials said the remaining residence hall signs are expected to be installed within a month.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/27/06 4:00am)
Even the director of technology at Google has trouble working a projector.
"Technology is really tricky," said Craig Silverstein, laughing as he struggled with equipment in front of almost 500 people Thursday night in UNC's Health Sciences Library.
Silverstein was on campus to talk about the innovations that have given Google an edge in the search-engine market.
But he also stressed how the Internet powerhouse has the ability to work closely with libraries despite the company's scale.
Silverstein said Google was first to emphasize organizing search queries by importance. He described the PageRank system, which orders Web pages by their relevance to the search.
He also touched on Google's system for dealing with incorrect spelling.
"Britney Spears was where that really started," Silverstein said. "A lot of people were interested in Britney, but not all of them could spell."
He then explained Google's mission statement: "Organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
He began his explanation with organization, describing the new Google Books feature.
"How long would it take you to scan every book ever published?" Silverstein asked the audience. "Well, we decided to do it, and it's taken quite awhile."
He also highlighted Google Scholar, mentioning the importance of libraries.
"Libraries aren't going away," Silverstein said. "We complement libraries."
He then moved further into Google's mission, touching upon accessibility and usefulness.
Silverstein cited programs such as Google Health, which categorizes medical results, and Google Mobile, which allows people to search from their cell phones.
"The problems are getting harder," he said.
Silverstein closed his speech by showing the crowd a slide of "10 Things Google Has Found Out."
The list included statements such as "Fast is better than slow" and "You can make money without being evil."
Silverstein also participated in a panel discussion led by Paul Jones, a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
He fielded questions about how Google and the Internet violate privacy.
"It's easier to find information," Silverstein said. "That's something as a society we have to deal with."
David Kirk, a doctor at WakeMed in Raleigh and founder of tech-recipes.com, said he can relate the speech to his practice.
"It's important that my patients get the best information humanly possible," he said. "The fact that Google is taking this on is good."
Silverstein said he was pleased to come speak in Chapel Hill.
"When we have the chance to share our thoughts, . it's always worthwhile for us," he said.
"Oh, and we're hiring."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/18/06 4:00am)
While some students are losing sleep over midterms, many of the campus' classrooms finally are getting some much-needed rest.
Information Technology Services is implementing a new program that will save energy and money - about $7,500 per year - by shutting off lights at night in unused classrooms across campus.
The initiative, developed by the ITS Classroom Hotline, will regulate the use of lights in 120 "smart rooms," said Jeremiah Joyner, hotline supervisor.
Smart rooms are those hooked up to the ITS network.
"We're going to finish over Fall Break," Joyner said. "By next Monday it will be in all those rooms."
Between midnight and 6 a.m. the system automatically will shut down lights in all campus smart rooms.
An audio file will play over the classrooms' PA systems three minutes before the lights go out to warn anyone in the room.
"It gives people time to go to the control system and keep the lights on," Joyner said.
Anyone can keep the lights on by selecting a button on most computer screens at the front of all the classrooms.
During the day, when the system is not being used, the lights now will automatically dim by 50 percent.
The program is a great way to save energy on campus, said Joe Schuch, manager of the ITS next generation educational infrastructure.
"Based on a survey of nine 'smart classes,' approximately 40 percent of the rooms had lights left on after 10:30 p.m.," he said.
This program, which took Joyner's team 120 man-hours to implement, aims to remove that waste.
"It is saving much more than it cost because there wasn't any additional equipment we had to purchase," he said.
This is not the first time ITS has helped the University reduce energy costs.
ITS assisted with the installation of the swipe-to-print One Card system during the summer.
The new printing system, which limits the number of pages students can print to 500, has cut paper usage in ITS printing labs.
The University has saved about $200,000 with the new system.
The University is working to increase energy efficiency throughout campus, especially in buildings.
In addition to turning lights off, many rooms have sensors that adjust the temperature when fewer people are in the room.
Schuch said the importance of the "lights off" initiative extends beyond an energy savings.
"This demonstrates that these integrated control systems are also able to deliver clear savings in energy conservation," Schuch said.
"This is only the beginning of what we can begin to do with networkable control systems."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/13/06 4:00am)
Entrepreneurship is a difficult business. Don’t believe it? Well, just ask Alexander Julian, fashion designer and UNC alumnus.
(09/22/06 4:00am)
Alumni Barbara and Pitt Hyde once again have demonstrated their generosity to the University.
The couple donated $5 million this week to a fund that will be used to expand the Academic Leadership Program in the Institute for the Arts and Humanities.
The program will be named after the institute's first director, Ruel W. Tyson.
The gift constitutes the largest single donation the institute has ever received. The couple also donated the funds for the completion of Hyde Hall, located in McCorkle Place.
The leadership program, which began in 2002, prepares faculty members to assume academic and intellectual leadership roles at the University and provides support for those who already are in such positions.
The program will expand the activities offered.
Previously, selected faculty had the opportunity to take time off from UNC to attend a semester-long seminar. They also engaged in leadership training in Greensboro and two overnight retreats that focused on career development.
Madeline Levine, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said she hopes the program will instill a feeling of camaraderie among the faculty.
"This is a tremendous gift to the University and students because of what it will do for the faculty," Levine said.
She also said the program will have positive effects on future students.
"Any investment in faculty is always an investment in students," she said.
The new program will function to give the school faculty a sense of leadership and fellowship with their colleagues that would not be possible in a typical campus setting.
"At a University where people are so busy . this allows for people to find a way for fellowship connected to the University," Levine said.
She added that she hopes the program will become "one more thing that says we care" about the faculty.
She said the program will focus more on retaining faculty than on attracting new members, serving as a "subtle and indirect, and therefore powerful way to add to retention."
She also expressed her gratitude for the Hydes' contribution.
"The Hydes have been extraordinarily generous to the University," Levine said.
In addition to donating funds, Barbara Hyde serves as a member of UNC's Board of Trustees.
The gift counts toward the Carolina First Campaign - a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising campaign with a goal of $2 billion - to support the University's vision of becoming the leading public university.
It is the third multi-million dollar grant given to Carolina First this year.
Tyson, who served as the institute's director since its inception in 1987, stepped down in July.
Levine said it is appropriate to name the new project after Tyson, who is still a professor in the department of religious studies.
"He's been a very important part of the history of the institution," she said.
"He had a vision of this thing not being a small program for six to seven faculty, but something large."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/20/06 4:00am)
UNC graduate students facing the time-consuming task of writing their dissertations found some help Tuesday night.
The Graduate School and the Writing Center presented a two-hour workshop on composition elements for the lengthy essays.
The event was held in the Graduate Student Center on Franklin Street.
The registration-only session was planned to accommodate about 50 students, but ended up with more than 60 registered students.
Kim Abels, director of the Writing Center and one of the event leaders, said the workshop helps students improve their writing habits.
Attendees also learned methods for breaking writer's block and developing healthy work habits.
"Writing is like playing hockey," said Jason Mihalik, a third-year doctoral student in human movement science. "Most of the time it's a smooth game, but every once in a while you get run over by a skate."
Abels broke the writing process into three phases.
First, she recommended researching and brainstorming, then writing drafts and getting feedback. Proofing, citing and editing is the last step.
"I hope to get some help brainstorming on the whole process," Mihalik said.
Other students said they were caught in the doldrums of the middle section.
"I'm a month into the dissertation, and I can't bear to look at the screen," said Josh Astern, a doctoral student in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
Abels said the best approach is to dive right in.
"When it's hard and challenging and difficult, it's all for a good reason," she said. "Decision-making isn't supposed to be easy."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.