This is the July 2006 newsletter of the ITC Research Computing Support Group. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the information presented here, please contact the ITC Research Computing Support Group via e-mail to Res-Consult@virginia.edu, or at the Research Computing Support Center (RCSC), 244 Wilson Hall, 243-8800. The RCSC is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Contents
The Research Computing Support Center is moving out of Wilson Hall and into Alderman and Brown libraries!
On Monday, July 17, part of the ITC Research Computing Support staff (Katherine Holcomb and Ed Hall) and RCSC moved to the Brown Science and Engineering Library (BSEL) in Clark Hall. Come August, we'll be offering advanced science and engineering research computing support from the new Research Computing Lab in the Brown Science and Engineering Library. We (ITC Research Computing Support staff) will be working with the Brown Library Digital Services group in newly renovated space that creates the new Research Computing Lab in the Brown Library in Clark Hall. The Research Computing Lab provides spaces to work on collaborative projects, high-end computer workstations, scanning equipment, and expertise in one convenient location in Brown Library. As with the Scholars' Lab in Alderman, this lab is designed to put more services in one location by integrating Library and ITC staff and services. Come mid-August, you can call us at the Research Computing Lab by dialing 243-8799, or as always, emailing us at Res-Consult@Virginia.edu.
On August 7 and 8, the Research Computing Support Center in Wilson Hall will close so it and the rest of the Research Computing Support staff (Kathy Gerber and Nancy Kechner) and Center can move to the new Scholars' Lab in Alderman 419 on the 4th floor (Alderman's West Wing on the main entrance floor). In this newly renovated spacious and sunlit room, the ITC Research Computing Support staff will be working with the Digital Research and Instructional Services (DRIS) group to provide advanced science and humanities research and instructional support. The Research Computing Support Center is joining with the Alderman Library's GeoStat and EText Centers to create this new public computing facility called the Scholars' Lab. Offering 4,000 square feet of new public space, the Scholars' Lab has comfortable and flexible seating, spaces to work on collaborative projects, high-end computer workstations, scanning equipment, and specialized software for OCR, text manipulation, GIS, and statistical analysis. In addition, the GIS electronic classroom will be located adjacent to the Scholars' Lab. Come August 9, you can call us at the Scholars' Lab by dialing 243-8800, or as always, emailing us at Res-Consult@Virginia.edu.
Our move in August will complete our transition of the Research Computing Support Center (RCSC) out of Wilson Hall. We'll be offering the same services we do now, plus many more new ones, in two different places, both of which we hope are more conveniently located for you. In addition, some of our services will be available for longer hours than in the past.
Why move? Both the new Research Computing Labin Brown Library and the Scholars' Lab in Alderman provide newly renovated space, computers, tools, and expertise for faculty and students to work with digital resources and cutting-edge technology. Staffed jointly by the Library and ITC-Research Computing Support, these two labs are designed to facilitate collaborative relationships and enable new forms of scholarship. These new areas in Brown and Alderman libraries are intended as "magnets" that draw scholars and scientists of widely varied backgrounds and abilities into new collaborative relationships with each other and with experts in the Library and ITC.
If you have questions or concerns about any of these exciting new collaborations, please contact Tim Tolson, Manager of ITC Research Computing Support at TTolson@Virginia.edu or 243-6592, Carol Hunter, Director of Brown Library at CHunter@Virginia.edu or 924-6727, or Mike Furlough, Director of Digital Research and Instructional Services at Furlough@Virginia.edu or 924-3169.
The following research computing software was upgraded for
the Fall 2006 semester in all ITC Labs and Classrooms:
For a complete listing of all software available in the ITC
labs and classrooms, please visit
Please contact the ITC Research Computing Support Center by
emailing Res-Consult@virginia.edu
or telephoning 243-8800 if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for
other upgrades.
ITC has licensed the Origin Pro (http://www.originlab.com) graphing and
data-analysis software package under a site license for the University.
Faculty, staff, and students may install this package on
either U.Va.-owned or personally-owned computers. Once installed, the
license to use the software is perpetual, but only those users who
remain affiliated with the University can obtain upgrades under our site
license.
Origin's main strength is publication-quality graphics, but it also
provides basic statistical capabilities, a C compiler, and the NAG
numerical library. The Pro version also offers a peak-fitting module
and a COM builder.
The software is available for Windows only. It may be downloaded from
the Licensing Database (http://web.virginia.edu/rescomp) along with the
licensing codes required to install it. If downloading is not
convenient, CDs may still be picked up at the Research Computing Support
Center in Wilson 244 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Research Computing Support Center is pleased to announce
that AMOS 6 is now available for installation. AMOS is a
powerful and easy-to-use structural equation modeling (SEM)
software program. Researchers can use SEM software to
create more realistic models than if they used standard
multivariate statistics or multiple regression models
alone. Using SEM software like AMOS, you specify, estimate,
assess, and present your model in an intuitive path diagram
to show hypothesized relationships among variables. This is
the latest upgrade of the AMOS package from SPSS and
replaces AMOS 5. The package will be available on ITC and
Library lab computers starting in the Fall 2006 semester.
AMOS 6 is available by download from the Research Computing
Support Licensing Database at
for faculty and staff use only in the Charlottesville area. Questions
regarding AMOS may be directed to the Research Computing
Support Center, 244 Wilson Hall, by telephoning 243-8800, or
emailing Res-Consult@virginia.edu
The following packages are now available for download
through the ITC Research Computing Support Licensing
Database (located at http://web.virginia.edu/rescomp):
These programs were previously available only on CD, but
may now be downloaded from the ITC Research Computing
Support Licensing Database
(http://web.virginia.edu/rescomp). CDs are still
available for U.Va. faculty, staff, and students who are
unable to download the program files. Since users have to
log in to the ITC Research Computing Support Licensing
Database to access the program files, this assures that only U.Va.-affilated
users have access to these downloads.
If users have difficulty downloading these programs, or
have any questions regarding these downloadable program
files, you may contact the Research Computing Support
Center, 244 Wilson Hall; the phone number is (434) 243-8800
and email may be sent to Res-Consult@virginia.edu
ITC has obtained a trial 10-user network license for the Matlab SimBiology
Toolbox version 2.0 that will last though September 30, 2006. The SimBiology
toolbox extends MATLAB with tools for modeling, simulating, and analyzing
biochemical pathways. SimBiology lets you simulate a model using stochastic
or deterministic solvers and analyze your pathway with tools such as
parameter estimation and sensitivity analysis. For more information, see
the Web page at
and note the
"Demos and Webinars" link. This toolbox complements MathWork's other
offering in computational biology, the Bioinformatics Toolbox, which ITC
currently licenses.
Users can add version 2.0 of the SimBiology Toolbox to their existing
(and required) Matlab 7.2 installation (for Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux)
by licensing and downloading it from the ITC licensing database at
It will also be available for Linux
machines that mount the Matlab installation from the Unix server jeeves.itc.
People who are interested in having the SimBiology Toolbox become part of
U.Va.'s Matlab site license should contact the Research Computing Support
Group at Res-Consult@Virginia.edu.
General information about the availability of Matlab at U.Va. can be found on
the Web page at
The Research Computing Support Center is pleased to
announce that AdobeFonts 2 for the Macintosh are now available for
installation. The Office of University Relations has
purchased a limited number of licenses of the custom Adobe
fonts used in the University logo. This version of Adobe
fonts include the Caslon, Caslon Expert, and Myriad MM
font families, and is designed to install and work on Mac
OS X, including OS 10.4, "Tiger."
Do you need these fonts? Probably not. There is no need to
get the fonts if you are downloading the University logo
or one of the prepared electronic letterhead files for the
various units from the U.Va. logo web site at
The files located there are all "locked-down" graphic files
that work just fine without the fonts and are considered
new art. The people who likely would want to use these
fonts are people who are creating things like web sites,
brochures, signs, forms, etc., for which they would like
the words on those things to be in the same fonts as the
University signature for the sake of style consistency.
However, please be aware that using these fonts means the
documents are not portable; you cannot send an
electronic version to someone else and have them print it
out with these fonts. This includes using these fonts in
Web pages, as the fonts used on a Web page have to exist on
the computer that views the Web page, not just the one that
created it.
So, for example, in the case of someone creating a fax
cover sheet with the University logo, they should just
download the logo and use any font they like for the "to,
from," etc., without any need to get these special Adobe
fonts. Someone creating a departmental brochure for printed
distribution who wants to use the same fonts as the new
University logo, would need to register a license and
download the fonts in order to print the brochure text in
these fonts.
AdobeFonts 2 for Mac are available for download from the
Research Computing Support Licensing Database
at
The Research Computing Support Group does not provide extensive support
for Adobe Fonts, but if you have questions regarding the
download or installation of AdobeFonts 2 for Mac you may
ask the staff at the Research Computing Support Center. Please phone (434) 243-8800 or email
Res-Consult@virginia.edu.
If you have questions or concerns about needing or using
these Adobe Fonts, please contact the Office of University
Relations at 924-7116.
The software downloads available from ITC's Software Central
(http://www.itc.virginia.edu/central) for Macintosh systems running
OS X, versions 10.1.5 and lower, will be removed from Software Central on
August 1, 2006. ITC is no longer providing user support or testing
versions of new software on this platform.
ITC Software Central provides members of the University of Virginia
community site-licensed software. Software for Windows 2000 and XP and
Macintosh OS X versions 10.2.8 and higher will still be available for
downloading.
If you have questions regarding this change, please contact the ITC
Help Desk at 924-3731 during posted hours or email
consult@virginia.edu.
In a continuing effort to ensure the security of the U.Va.
network, unsecure telnet connections to blue.unix will not
be allowed effective August 15, 2006. Users may connect
using SecureCRT or another secure telnet product. SecureCRT
version 5.1.1 is available for download free to U.Va. faculty, staff and
students from ITC's Software
Central
and provides data encryption and secure login capabilities;
to find out more, please visit ITC's SecureCRT information site at:
If you have questions regarding this change, please contact the ITC
Help Desk at 924-3731 during posted hours or send email to
consult@virginia.edu.
Information Technology and Communication's (ITC)
Research Computing Support (RCS) is now accepting
applications for student research computing consultant.
The positions can start as soon as suitable candidates
are found. It is expected that the students hired will
start this summer and work at least through this
academic year (2006-2007). ITC-RCSC provides support for
a wide variety of statistical, mathematical, scientific,
and visualization software programs across a wide
spectrum of computer platforms. Please see our web site
at
for a listing of the software package and breadth of
support and services offered by the ITC RCSC.
To qualify for the position you must have a good
working knowledge of at least one of the primary
statistical, scientific, or mathematical packages we
support and familiarity with at least one other software
package.
The primary software packages are: SPSS, Matlab,
SAS, Mathematica, Maple, S-Plus, and Stata. The most
competitive candidates should have some working knowledge with
more than one software package. In addition, you should
be experienced using at least one of the computer systems
below:
The research computing consultant is responsible for
helping users successfully run their research software
programs and understand the output generated.
The position offers a research or quantitatively
oriented graduate student exposure to a wide variety of
scientific computing and statistical analysis projects
and a broad assortment of research projects from many
departments in the University and extensive experience
using computers for data analysis and computational
science.
Students interested in applying for a position should
complete the application online at:
Please make sure you check the box "Research/Statistical
Computing Support" to indicate you are applying for this
consultant position.
If you have questions or concerns about this position,
please feel free to contact the ITC Research Computing
Support Coordinator, Nancy Kechner, by sending
electronic mail to nek8n@Virginia.EDU or by telephone at
243-8800.
Applications will be accepted until the positions are
filled. Apply as soon as possible. (AA/EOE)
The Wolfram Education Group has begun offering free online
seminars to Mathematica customers worldwide. Taught by
experienced Wolfram Research staff, presentations are given
twice weekly. The seminar series began with S10: A Technical
Overview of Mathematica located at
For a list of dates and to enroll, visit:
Further information on how to access and use Mathematica can be
found on the Research Computing Services Web page at
General questions concerning the use of Mathematica should be
directed to the ITC Research Computing Support Center;
email us at Res-consult@virginia.edu
or call 243-8800.
SAS Institute has many exciting SAS users group events planned for
2006 and beyond - and they want to keep you up-to-date on the activities
that will interest you most. To help them do that, please visit and log
in with your existing SAS profile or create a new one at
As an added bonus, if you update/create your profile
by June 30, your name will be placed in a drawing for a complimentary
2006 Users Group Conference registration - a $400 value!
Stay informed and enjoy the unique opportunities for
networking, learning and professional development that only
SAS users group events can offer. For your convenience, here
are some of the 2006/2007 Regional/National U.S. Users Group
conferences schedule:
Northeast SAS Users Group (NESUG)
Southeast SAS Users Group (SESUG)
SAS Global Forum (formerly SUGI)
We look forward to seeing you at one of these upcoming
events! Michael H. Smith, SAS Users Group Support, Manager Please encourage your colleagues to subscribe to our Research Computing
mail list today!
Fall 2006 Software Offerings in ITC and Library Computers
Origin Pro Software Available for Distribution
AMOS 6 Now Available
http://www.web.virginia.edu/rescomp Research Software Now Available for Download
Matlab SimBiology 2.0 Toolbox Available for Trial Use
http://www.mathworks.com/products/simbiology/
http://www.web.virginia.edu/rescomp/
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/matlab/Adobe Fonts Version 2 for Macintosh Now Available
http://www.virginia.edu/uvalogo/
http://web.virginia.edu/rescompSymantec AntiVirus Software Vulnerability
Windows computer users of Symantec AntiVirus version 10.0.x need to
download the latest version of this software with its accompanying
patches to protect against a serious vulnerability. Until you update
your software, your machine may be susceptible to potential worm
attacks. Please go to the alert box at http://www.itc.virginia.edu or http://www.itc.virginia.edu/helpdesk and follow the instructions. If you have questions, please call the
ITC Help Desk at 4-3731 (on Grounds) or 924-3731 (off Grounds), Monday-Friday,
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Note: If your machine is managed by others (HSCS) or is
part of a department network, this task may need to be performed by the
local administrator.
Retirement of Mac OS X 10.1.5 (and lower) Offerings from Software
Central on August 1
Terminating Unsecure Telnet Connections to ITC UNIX Hosts
Effective August 15
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/helpdesk/softwaredocs/securecrt/
Events and Announcements..........
Immediate Opening for Research Computing Student Consultants
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/researchers/service.html
An applicant must be a student who possesses the
maturity and social skills needed to work closely with a
variety of computer users, ranging from undergraduates to
senior faculty and from novice to experienced users and
the computer skills to work on a variety of computers and
software programs.
http://web.virginia.edu/labcon/applications/labconapp.aspMathematica Free Online Seminars
http://www.wolfram.com/weg/seminars
http://www.wolfram.com/weg/calendar
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/research/mathematica/Stay Informed About SAS Users Group Activities!
http://sems.sas.com/bess/get?id=559.1:-n81zun:ey2&RZNVY=gswg@ivetvavn.rqh&nccvq=5344
Next conference: Sept. 17-20, Philadelphia
Next conference: Oct. 8-10, Atlanta
Next conference: April 16-19, 2007, Orlando
Now is the time to encourage your colleagues and students to join us and learn
about research computing support at U.Va. We only send out an e-mail once or
twice a month to this mail list. Anyone can subscribe to this "itc-research"
mail list via the Web page at:
http://list.mail.virginia.edu/mailman/listinfo/itc-research
