Technology Showcase Highlights Latest Products

The Technology Showcase, located in room 119 of the Science Center, is a multimedia haven available to all students at the College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), as well as to Harvard faculty.

Funded primarily by the Barker Foundation, along with a grant by the Intel Corporation, the Technology Showcase provides access to cutting edge multimedia equipment free of charge. This gives students who otherwise would not be able to purchase or use such expensive machinery the opportunity to work on involved, long-term audio and video multimedia projects--or to simply create a web page, said the Director of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Computer Services (FASCS), Franklin M. Steen.

Although a small room, which FASCS wishes to expand because of the high demand level for its technology, the Technology Showcase contains computer equipment capable of both film and paper scanning, a CD-Rom burner for copying material onto a CD, a DVD disk for film and various other technological gadgets.

Since the equipment in room 119 is constantly being updated to remain abreast of emerging technology, the oldest hardware only dates back three months and much of the equipment is even newer than that.

The Showcase offers general office hours, when there are both professional and student assistants available to advise students on equipment use, and key card access is also available--although key card access still denies student entry into the Technology Showcase between midnight and 7 a.m. on most days.

The History

The idea for the Technology Showcase originated with Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, H.T. Kung, who spoke with the Barker Foundation about the concept of creating such a room at Harvard.

In 1995, the Technology Showcase was established, using Barker funds to pay for the purchase of new equipment, as well as for the student help within the room.

The computers themselves are chosen by a group of students who make recommendations on what the Showcase should offer. Since then, the room has "evolved over time as a place where people can use more advanced technology for things," explains Steen.

Steen says the showcase is intended for, and used by, a wide range of academic disciplines.

"It isn't just science or just arts people," he says. "Today, everyone wants more dynamic web pages, and with multimedia, that's what they can do in this room."

In fact, creating web pages is an essential component of the showcase. Many teaching fellows are trained there to create web pages for the courses they teach. Students also take advantage of the superior equipment.

However, Steen says that while the staff is more than willing to help people learn how to use the equipment, students cannot drop off projects to be done by the staff. Since there is no charge to use the equipment, students must complete the projects themselves. "This is a self operated lab," Steen explains.

The room is open year round, although hours with staff assistance are reduced during intercessions and the summer, since the showcase is primarily student run.