Proposals

Abstract

Students in Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE) - both undergraduate and graduate - rely heavily on their personal computers due to the nature of their field, particularly outside of their coursework. This often involves examining data and complex systems-driven problems that, in turn, often require a larger visual canvas to navigate. At ISE, the primary goal of our proposal is to address the physical and ergonomic restrictions of a laptop where such systems-driven problems pose a challenge to efficiently explore, both visually and collaboratively speaking. Likewise, students do not necessarily all have the physical space in their personal homes to reasonably address these restrictions. Therefore, we would like to improve our existing student lounges with external monitors and docking stations for the students. These additions open the door for potentially other benefits for students, such as exploring more projects for their career, along with an increase in productivity and collaboration associated with more screen real estate. Rather than purchasing new computers, this cost-saving measure to, instead, acquire external monitors and docking stations - neither of which require additional software or drivers - allow the students to continue using their devices, which they are already more comfortable and familiar with as opposed to a new computer lab, for example. A recent surveyed response specifically expressed a need for "accessible power outlets and secondary monitors".

Access