The 1990s
1990
Book Exchange Program Created
The BookExchange program was introduced, allowing students to buy and sell used books over the Dartmouth Network effortlessly.
KeyServer Developed
The KeyServer, developed by Denis Devlin and Computing Services, allowed members of the Dartmouth community access to a library of site-licensed commercial software.
Usher Program Used for Dartmouth Events
Hopkins Center began using the Usher program, allowing student ushers to sign up for specific events on line through the Dartmouth College Time-Sharing System (D1). The program makes scheduling and coordination of ushering events faster, easier, and more efficient.
Hanzi Assistant Provided Humanities Aid to Students
Humanities Computing developed Hanzi Assistant, a CD-ROM containing interactive methods for improving students' mastery of the written and oral forms of the 2,500 characters in the Chinese language. Kiewit Computation Center Renovated
The Kiewit Computation Center was renovated, providing a vastly expanded Instructional Center in the basement, carrels in the public clusters, improved laser printer service, and the relocation of the Computer Store from McNutt Hall to Kiewit. Improved Computer Literacy on Campus
Project Frontier and the Computer Peer Consultant programs were designed to improve campus computer literacy and instruct first-year students in functional computing skills, such as word processing, e-mail, and the use of campus informational resources. New Equipment Conserved Energy in Kiewit
Computing Services updated its facilities in Kiewit by installing two VAX 8700 CPUs in the VMS cluster, adding several 1 GB MicroTechnology drives, and purchasing a dual 8mm tape-backup system. The improvements reduced energy consumption, increased the total Kiewit computing cluster rating to 16VUP, and allowed 2 GB to be backed up on a single tape cassette. John Kemeny Honored for Lifetime Achievements
The non-profit organization known as EDUCOM presented John Kemeny with the first annual Louis Robinson Award to recognize a lifetime of innovative achievement and leadership in the advancement of computing in higher education. The Robinson Award was given in memory of an educational advocate at the IBM Corporation, and consisted of $25,000 in cash and $25,000 in IBM equipment and software. Northstar's Crystal Program Won Award
Project Northstar's Crystal program won the "Higher Education Software Award for Distinguished Engineering Software" from the University of Michigan's National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning (NCRIPTAL). Mark Franklin, Richard Jaenicke, and Paul Ammann created Crystal to help physics and chemistry classes make fast, accurate, and easy-to-use representations of crystal cells and lattices using computer graphics.
Interactive Campus Tour Created by Medical School
The Medical School offered prospective students the ability to tour the campus and gain information about the school using an interactive admissions reception program designed by Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine Joseph Henderson, M.D. and written by Matthew Williams '92.
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1991
Campus Buildings Given High-speed Internet Access
All central campus buildings were given the capability of connecting to the Internet by coaxial cable lines that operate at a speed of 10,000,000 bits-per-second. This new network was the culmination of a three-year project; it replaced the phone line network that operated at a mere 19,200 bits-per-second. DCIS System Created by Library and Computing Services
The Library and Computing Services joined together to create the Dartmouth College Information System (DCIS), an information-retrieval system that uses a navigator format to search libraries, indexes, reference materials, and databases. The DCIS Navigator project created new user interfaces, improved database authoring, and facilitated connections to libraries at other institutions using the Internet.
Microelectronics Laboratory in Thayer Helped to Make Advances
The Rippel Electron Microscope Facility refined and improved the digitization of electron micrographs using the innovations by Charles P. Daghlian and Albert Henning of the Microelectronics Laboratory at Thayer School. Working in conjunction with the National Institute of Health, Arlo Reeves of Thayer School modified the Image program to allow for fast fourier transform and rapid sequencing of the digital images. See Dartmouth Electron Microscope Facility. Online MLA Bibliography Created by Dartmouth/Middlebury
The Dartmouth College Library began a cooperative project with Middlebury College to create an online database of the Modern Language Association Bibliography (MLA). The project was supervised by John R. James, the director of collection, development, and bibliographic control at Dartmouth. The MLA bibliography was converted from text to a digital database, then placed on the Dartmouth Library Online System, making it available to users at Dartmouth and Middlebury. Kiewit Instructional Center Dedicated in Memory of Peter Kiewit
The Kiewit Instructional Center was dedicated in memory of Peter Kiewit by Dartmouth's Provost John Strohbehn and Lyn Ziegenbein of the Kiewit Foundation.
Students Required to Own a Computer
The faculty and administration of the College announced that all students entering Dartmouth in September 1991 and beyond would be required to own a personal computer. Provost John Strohbehn explained that the computer requirement "ensures that all computing services and resources are accessible to all students." Checkprint Followed Public Printing Jobs
Checkprint 1.1.1, created by David Gelhar and Joseph Hill, allowed members of the Dartmouth community to search for their print jobs on public printers and obtain an estimated delay on the printer queue. Dartmouth Projects Recognized by EDUCOM
EDUCOM recognized five Dartmouth projects in its "Joe Wyatt Challenge" campaign to celebrate the use of information technologies in higher education:
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1992
Interactive Medical Record Project Assisted Physicians
The Interactive Medical Record project, lead by Edward Shults, M.D., developed a network of HyperCard stacks allowing a physician to hear a radiologist's report while viewing an X-ray image from a computer workstation. (Dartmouth Medicine, Winter 1992) DHMC and Others Created Tools to Modernize Medicine
Dr. Joseph Rosen of the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) worked with engineers and physicians to modernize medicine through the use of computer-aided surgery, virtual reality modeling, and the development of advanced prosthetic limbs that would use a microchip to interact with the nervous system. (Dartmouth Medicine, Summer 1992) InterNews Released by Computing Services
InterNews was released by Computing Services to provide access to 140 Usenet-style newsgroups created exclusively for use by the Dartmouth community. |
1993
Computing Technology Venture Fund Began
The Computing Technology Venture Fund began by a $300,000 gift from Charles G. Moore '65 to support programs that "promote innovative and generalizable uses of computing in direct support of the curriculum." Dartmouth Time-Sharing System Phased Out
The Dartmouth College Time-Sharing System (DCTS or D1) was phased out of existence starting on March 29. Cost and efficiency problems were cited by William "Punch" Taylor who said, "DCTS is a victim of the downsizing trend in the industry. Workstation-class machines now have the computing power of mainframes, and they are much less expensive to purchase and operate." (Interface, July 1993).
NYNEX /Dartmouth Learning Network Created
The NYNEX/Dartmouth Learning Network was created to explore telecommunications innovations and allow the local community access to a network of text, audio, video, and image-based informational resources. The project connected local libraries, schools, and museums to share resources and test experimental communications technology. Faculty Advisory Committee Identified Projects for Funding
The Faculty Advisory Committee for the Computing Technology Venture Fund identified the following projects for funding:
Career Services Announced Leave Term Jobs Database
Dartmouth Career Services announced the availability of a Leave Term Jobs database accessible through the DCIS Navigator. It contained listings of all possible jobs and internships indexed by location, term, job type, and pay. Sudikoff Laboratory Opened
The Sudikoff Laboratory for Computer Science opened after extensive renovations and refurbishing funded by Jeffrey P. Sudikoff '77, his wife Joy Sudikoff, and the Peter Kiewit Foundation. The new facility has offices for 15 faculty members and 26 graduate students, and allows for expanding the laboratory, research, and instructional spaces. See Dartmouth Computer Science. PC-compatible File Transfer Station Installed in Kiewit
Computing Services installed a PC-compatible file-transfer station in Kiewit to accommodate the growing number of personal computer users on campus. |
1994
User Services Division Became Academic Computing
The "User Services" division of Computing Services was reorganized and reborn as "Academic Computing," with three subdivisions: Consulting, UNIX Systems, and Academic Application Development. The mission of Academic Computing was "to provide support to faculty and students in the application of computing technology for research and instruction." (Interface, Winter 1994). See Academic Computing. Math and Computer Science Departments Split
The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science split, creating an independent academic Department of Computer Science in the new Sudikoff building. Online Inventory Item Catalog Made Accessible
The Dartmouth online Inventory Item Catalog was made accessible through the DCIS Navigator to allow staff members to order supplies from the College stockrooms quickly and easily over the campus computing network. Multimedia Academic Projects Room Opened for Faculty
The Multimedia Academic Projects Room opened to the faculty to improve access to multimedia resources for academic instruction and research projects. Health-care Delivery System Available to Northern New England
Dartmouth's C. Everett Koop Institute (CEKI) worked with federal, state, and local officials to create an integrated health-care delivery system for all of northern New England using the Internet. The goal of this medical network was to "promote lifetime learning, outcomes research, and practice guidelines" by making information accessible to health-care providers, educators, and private citizens. (Dartmouth Medicine, Summer 1994) Faculty Advisory Committee Identified Projects for Funding
The Faculty Advisory Committee for the Computing Technology Venture Fund identified the following projects for funding:
Instructional Services Department and Computing Services Merged
The Department of Instructional Services and Computing Services were merged into a single resource for information technology on campus. Director of Computing Services Larry Levine explained that the merger would allow "duplication of effort [to be] avoided, and would [create] a more efficient approach to providing academic support and a wide range of information services. . ." (Interface, Fall 1994). Medical Media Systems Project Began
Assistant Professor of Engineering Steven D. Peiper and Associate Professor of Surgery Joseph M. Rosen began the Medical Media Systems (MMS) project, creating a 3-D graphic representation of the human body or "virtual patient" used in the simulation and application of complex surgical procedures. (Thayer Directions, Fall 1993) Networked Multimedia Project Began
With assistance from the Computing Technology Venture Fund and the Hewlett Packard Corporation, Dartmouth's Academic Computing department began the following "networked multimedia" projects:
Real-time Video Used As Aid for Teaching Physical Science
Professor of Physics Delo Mook pioneered the use of multimedia instruction in the physical sciences through the use of real-time video, computer data analysis, and stop-motion video switching. Professor MOOK compiled a cart of the following instructional tools for use by any interested faculty member: two VCRs, a laser-disk player, a Macintosh Centris 650 computer, a Bernoulli drive, a stereo amplifier, and a video-switching network.
Erasmus Project Created
A cooperative effort between faculty and Library staff created the Erasmus Project — an effort to amass a collection of literary and philosophical texts in an electronic format accessible through the DCIS Navigator. |
1995
Hyperbooks Program Designed
The experimental program Hyperbooks, designed by Espen H. Koht '93 and Matthew O. Williams '92, displayed the complete texts of famous novels as HyperCard stacks. Technology of Cyberspace Created by Thayer School Professor
Engineering 4: The Technology of Cyberspace was created by Thayer School Professor George Cybenko as an introduction to the vocabulary and application of the Internet. (Thayer Directions, Spring 1997) Faculty Advisory Committee Identified Projects for Funding
The Faculty Advisory Committee for the Computing Technology Venture Fund identified the following projects for funding:
Local Internet Service Provider ValleyNet Started
ValleyNet, a local Internet Service Provider, was started by Dartmouth and the Montshire Museum of Science to act as an independent, non-profit corporation providing affordable Internet access to individuals, schools, and businesses in the Upper Valley. See SoVerNet Communications (a.k.a. ValleyNet, Inc.). Administrative Initiative Funded Campus Data Network Upgrade
An administrative initiative provided $2.45 million dollars to upgrade the campus data network by installing fiber-optic communications cable, rewiring most buildings, and providing Ethernet access to many network outlets. Dartmouth College Time Sharing Network Disabled
Computing Services disabled the Dartmouth College Time Sharing network and transferred all central system accounts to other servers.
Student Employment Office Created Jobnet
The Student Employment Office created Jobnet, a database of on- and off-campus employment opportunities available to Dartmouth students through the DCIS Navigator. |
1996
Dartmouth College Joined the World Wide Web
Dartmouth College joined the World Wide Web, devoting the entire www.dartmouth.edu server to "ftp" access for the web, while setting up a second machine called www to service interactive web projects, scripts, and applications beyond basic HTML pages. Dartmouth College Administrative Guide Placed On Line
The Dartmouth College Administrative Guide was placed on the World Wide Web as a comprehensive index of official policy statements, administrative procedures, and College services and facilities. The project began in 1994 under the direction of Katherine Fisher Britton and Betsy McClain, reaching the final stage in 1996 when it was placed on the web and DCIS. Dartmouth Home Page Redesigned
Academic Information Resources (AIR) personnel worked with the Dartmouth Webmaster Group to redesign the Dartmouth home page. AIR continued its contributions to the Dartmouth Internet organization by aiding departments and organizations to develop home pages with the effective use of multimedia on the web.
KClient Program Designed by Graduate Student
A Macintosh version of the network user authentication program KClient was designed by graduate student Jon Howell using the "Kerberos protocol" developed at MIT. CECS Uses Online Database for Research
The Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences (CECS) at the Dartmouth Medical School used computer database technology to research variations in medical care across the nation, publishing its analysis of geographical differences in The Dartmouth Atlas of Healthcare. DCIS Program Placed on the Web
The DCIS program was placed on the World Wide Web to increase accessibility and allow users to simultaneously search multiple indices on line.
InterMapper Sold Commercially
The Dartmouth Software Development group introduced InterMapper to commercial markets as a tool for monitoring and recording the viability of computers within a given network.
Student Information System Project Launched
The Student Information System (SIS) project created a networked database of all student information within the administrative structure of the College using Banner software. The project involved all the graduate programs and would immediately improve the efficiency of the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar, and the Dean of the College. Thayer School Professor Worked with Students to Develop Informant
Thayer School Professor George Cybenko worked with students to develop the Informant, a notification service for the web that uses online search engines to retrieve and update personal information requests. (Thayer Directions, Fall 1996) See Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. Faculty Advisor Committee Identified Projects for Funding
The Faculty Advisory Committee of the Computing Technology Venture Fund recognized the following projects for funding:
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1997
Dartmouth's ORC Transferred to Digital Format
The Dartmouth book of Organization, Regulations, and Courses (ORC) was transferred to a standard digital desktop publishing format. The data and format transfer saved time and money, while simplifying the task of placing the ORC on line. Tuck School Recommended Use of Microsoft Windows
The Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth recommended that all students and faculty use PCs running Microsoft Windows to achieve an academic environment that mirrors the Windows-dominated world of finance. This modernization effort was inspired by the completion of Tuck School's "Whittemore Wing," dedicated to the creation of a flexible, technologically advanced learning space at the business school. See Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Dartmouth Became Charter Member of Internet2
Dartmouth became a charter member of the very-high-speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS) known as Internet2. The project helped academic researchers share data over the Internet quickly and easily using the resources of the federal government, telecommunication firms, and over 100 colleges and universities.
Women In Science Program Began E-mentoring Program
The Women In Science Program (WISP) at Dartmouth began a two-year "E-mentoring" program, allowing students to interact with their mentors using online conversations. WISP hoped that "E-mentoring" would facilitate the sharing of information, ideas, and assistance in a more casual setting than traditional telephone-based mentoring. Tuck School Joined Shared, Global Network of Resources
The Amos Tuck School of Business joined a shared, global network of research and computing resources with the HEC School of Management in France and Oxford University's Templeton College in the United Kingdom. Tuck School continued its globalization efforts by offering an interactive minicourse called "Information Technology Competitive Positioning," giving students the opportunity to use the Internet to be educated by the entire Tuck community. "Through Web conferencing, alumni are given the opportunity to audit the class electronically, give input on lectures, and share real-life examples." Multimedia Collage Compiled
Instructional Services and Academic Computing joined forces to compile a multimedia collage that served as an online portrait of the different personalities that combined to form the Dartmouth community. Multimedia Specialist Sarah Horton hoped that "the collage would create a space where viewers can see and hear from real people, and thereby glimpse the harmonies and paradoxes that make up the spirit of the College." (Interface, Spring 1997). Dartmouth Announced Free Services to Dartmouth Alumni/ae
The College announced the expansion of free, permanent e-mail addresses and personal home pages to all Dartmouth alumni/ae who would like to establish or maintain online activities. Director of Academic Information Resources John Hawkins '69 believed that "no matter how much it costs, it will be worth it ... a lot of people are computer literate, and this [expansion] reinforces Dartmouth's tremendous alumni spirit." (Interface, Spring 1997) Dartmouth Received Two-year Grant
The White House announced that Dartmouth would receive a two-year grant of $350,000 from the National Science Foundation to design, install, and manage the College's partnership in President Clinton's "Next Generation Internet" project (also known as Internet2). Interactive Media Lab Released Instructional Program
The Interactive Media Lab (IML) at the Dartmouth Medical School released "Primary Care of the HIV Patient: A Virtual Clinic," a program designed to instruct healthcare professionals in the best, most empathetic methods of treatment for HIV-positive patients. Joseph Henderson, M.D., designed the program to immerse the user in the care of the virtual patient "Laurie Matthews" on five separate occasions, providing instant feedback about the appropriateness of the user's decisions and the effects of these decisions on the patient's mental and physical health. Thayer School Professor Received Grant from Department of Defense
Thayer School Professor George Cybenko received a five-year grant from the Department of Defense for continuing research in the "ActComm Project: Transportable Agents for Reconfigurable Wireless Networks." (Thayer Directions, Spring 1997). Faculty Advisory Committee Identified Projects for Funding
The Faculty Advisory Committee of the Computing Technology Venture Fund recognized the following projects for funding:
Dartmouth Course Listings Placed On Line
The complete set of Dartmouth course listings was placed on the World Wide Web and DCIS by Registrar Thomas Bickel. See Course Descriptions and Departmental Requirements (ORC) (2007/2008). Ethernet Access Expanded
The campus network upgrade project installed several Category 5 fiber-optic network outlets, expanding Ethernet access to all Dartmouth students, faculty, and staff. The switches and routers for the network upgrade were funded by Stephen Cheheyl '67 and Vahram Erdekian '71 of Bay Networks Inc. |
1998
Faculty Advisory Committee Identified Projects for Funding
The Faculty Advisory Committee of the Computing Technology Venture Fund recognized two projects for funding in 1998: The Composition Center website — Karen Gocsick and An Interactive, Multimedia website for the General Chemistry Laboratory — Sally R. Hair. See RWiT: Student Center for Research, Writing, and Information Technology. Interactive Media Lab Developed Regimental Surgeon
The Interactive Media Lab (IML) at the Dartmouth Medical School, in conjunction with the Distance Learning System (DLS), worked to develop Regimental Surgeon and SimTrauma as training programs for medical technicians in the U.S. military. The programs make extensive use of motion video, computer graphics, and text-based information to evaluate and inform the user during immersive training experiences.
Tuck School Launched New Interactive Education Program
The Tuck School of Business launched a new interactive education program that allowed Japanese executives to take Tuck summer classes using video conferencing. Tuck Professor Vijay Govindarajan says, "as a professor, it is exciting to engage students over a new medium despite the challenges of distance, culture, and technology". iMac Recommended by Dartmouth
The following news brief by Steven Brier appeared in the New York Times (Thursday, Late Edition): "The Apple iMac, to be released August 15, got a vote of approval from Dartmouth College, that placed the computer on its recommended list for incoming students. Dartmouth started recommending that new students have a computer in 1984, and made it a requirement in the fall of 1991. The College was primarily a Macintosh environment, with about 9,000 of the more than 10,000 users already on Macs."
Humanities Research Institute Sponsored Web Ethics Conference
The Dartmouth Humanities Research Institute sponsored "The Tangled Web Conference: Ethical Dilemmas of the Internet." |
1999
Dartmouth Became a Dual Platform Campus
The influence of Windows on Dartmouth continued. Even with Apple's financial recovery via the iMac and improved overall products, global Windows momentum, significantly in critical client applications, continued to drive Computing Services to support and recommend Windows in increasing numbers. Dartmouth became a dual platform campus, although at that time Apple remained the dominant vendor.
Support for Web Publishing
A committee of senior administrators created a report outlining the need for significant new resources for World Wide Web publishing support. The report, the first such high-level acknowledgment of the Internet as a critical communications medium, was awaiting the attention of the to-be hired Vice President for External Relations. Computing Services began development and testing of several new web support initiatives in anticipation of new resources. See Web Services - Design, Development, and Hosting. Baker/Berry Library Project
Planning for Baker/Berry continued regarding the programmatic use of space, library/computing organizational synergies, and work with faculty around future uses of Baker/Berry as a central hub for scholarly information. Re-accreditation Committee, Computing Focus Area Report
The committee's report, chaired by Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, Professor Jamshed Bharucha, outlined an ambitious vision to reassert Dartmouth's leadership in the academic uses of computing. Telephone Services Became Department Within Computing ServicesTelephone Services became a department within Computing Services. Computing Services worked to achieve telephony and data services improvements through the synergy of two like functions operating under one management. The long-range strategic gains were even more significant to Dartmouth as the global voice/data convergence continued. See Computing at Dartmouth. Classroom Improvements
To increase support for faculty using technology in the curriculum, Computing Services, together with the College of Arts & Sciences, Facilities Operations and Management, and the Classroom Subcommittee, created a classroom equipment replacement and maintenance fiscal mechanism tied to the quantity of classroom technology equipment. The subcommittee continues to work to make classroom technology planning a priority item in all major construction and renovation projects. |
