Projects Gallery

Future Engineers Website

Future Engineering is a website providing information to high school students about what it means to be an Engineer. This website offers virtual tours of the labs, video interviews with alumni, online polls, online building tour registration and calendar, as well as plenty of interesting information for all youth ages. The site was launched in October 2006 and has been a strong support for the MSU College of Engineering ever since.

Division of Engineering Computing Services

Division of Engineering Computing Services (DECS) is the IT unit in  the College of Engineering. The 2007 redesign of DECS website offers a fresh new look and easier access to information about the wide range of services that DECS provides. The website has many Web 2.0 features such as a dynamic project gallery, a software search application, embedded login to your EGR account, and categories and tagged content throughout the site.

Inverse Problems Website

In 2007, DECS worked with members of the organizing committee of the Inverse Problems Conference to provide a website.  In previous years they took submissions and review via email.  DECS created an online paper submission and registration for the conference.  DECS was able to improve the submission process by allowing presenters to submit papers online and administrators to review these submissions.  This year will mark the second year DECS has hosted the site.

NSF Grant Websites

DECS worked with Rigoberto Burgueno to design and develop two websites. The projects were for two NSF grants, Earthquake Components of Structural Walls (ECSW) and Reinforced Bio Composites (RBC). Very similar in nature both sites are based on the Drupal CMS framework, which allows Dr. Burgueno and his students to easily maintain the site.

NDEL Website

Nondestructive Evaluation Lab is a Lab in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.The goals of the site are to provide a fresh look and easier navigation. DECS went through a full reconstruction of the content layout, and a full graphic redesign. The site was very well received by the Dean and the other members of the lab.

GIMS

The Graduate Information Management System is used by the college to acquire data on prospective graduate students. This year DECS worked closely with graduate school advisors and secretaries to enhance the software to fit their needs. Some of the enhancements during the last include a more robust reporting tool, the ability to scan documents directly to the database, color coding and quick application filters.

Alum-Net

Alum-Net is the College of Engineering's new alumni social network! The purpose of the site is to keep Engineering alumni in contact with one another, with the college and with fellow professionals. The College of Engineering hopes to keep alumni coming back to campus and enriching current students' experiences with their own.

Search Committee Websites

Over the past year, DECS has created, setup, and programmed customization and changes for and maintained websites for filling several positions around the EGR College and MSU campus. These include websites for The College of Engineering Dean Search, The Director of Experiential Education, Energy Faculty, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair Search and more.

Financial Management Package (FMP)

The Financial Management Package (FMP) is a web-based application for streamlining university accounting for departments. It has been tailored for Michigan State University to provide account and sub-account transaction tracking; various fiscal reports; payroll tracking for faculty, staff, and graduate students; budgeting; and ledger reconciling. It also has user level permissions to allow department administrators to manage their own users. It can run from any web browser supporting Java.

WorkLife MSU

DECS worked with the office of the Provost & the office of Inclusion to produce a site that provides resources to prospective, incoming and dual career faculty & staff. The project performance was exceptional, because the site was started and completed within the summer semester '07. Some development highlights are the drop-open categories for resource links, and the Snap! pop-up windows. Enjoy!

Center for ACTT

Advanced Cutting Tool Technology is a Research Center that is a collaboration between MSU & Georgia Tech University. The main goal of the center is to support the industry with scientific methods and research so that new processes and technology can be produced for cutting tools. This is an informational site that will promote the development of this center, and provide information for sponsors and involved parties.

WLAN at CVRC

Phase I of the wireless networking in the Composite Vechicle Research Center (CVRC) at 2727 Alliance drive is complete. A wireless survey had been completed of the office wings. The wireless network was installed shortly after the survey was received. The CVRC office areas, MSU Foundation office areas, and the CVRC lab area have WI-FI coverage.

Faculty Activity Information System (FAIS)

Faculty Activity Information System (FAIS) is an on-line tool to submit, review, and process the annual report of faculty load, activities, achievements, and plans. FAIS has been released and is now in use. A second and third phase of the application will include the addition of an on-line Form D, and the Academic advisors and specialists annual evaluation form.

A/C Upgrades to Engineering Labs

The air conditioning units in the computing labs were upgraded this summer. The old floor units were removed and new units were installed in the ceilings. With better temperature control and quieter units, the labs are much more comfortable for everyone!

2200 Lab Renovation

2200 has historically been a Unix lab. December 2007 this lab will be converted to a PC lab. Once converted to a PC lab, the space will go through a continued evaluation and conversion process to evolve this space into a student group/instructor supportive collaborative environment. Cameras will be mounted in the space to provide the equipment for video recording and podcasting. New designs and tools will be created and/or added to establish a new working model for the instructional/public labs.

Calendaring

After evaluating various calendaring packages, comparing costs and features, DECS found a suitable calendaring package for the college. It has numerous features, allows us to incorporate unique DECS developed features, and it is affordable. This calendaring package will offer access from anywhere in the world, no longer limiting use to within the College of Engineering networks. It will be compatible with a much larger number of platforms, provide a good web interface, and the ability to work with many software clients. Development is nearing completion on an additional module to allow scheduling of adviser appointments by students. The Calendar server is currently installed in a testing state and incorporation of a new major version release has begun.

Printing Architecture

The central printing architecture and system were upgraded to conform to the computing model which is currently being implemented in engineering. This model incorporates redundancy, fail-over, higher capacity, disaster recovery, ease of use and ease of maintenance. This new system was launched into production October 2007.

Thirteen Twenty

This summer a computer lab was converted into a new high-tech workspace. This space was designed and created to provide a lab better suited for working in groups, student collaboration and presentations. Thirteen Twenty comes complete with Smart-board, copy center, meeting tables w/plug-ins for laptops, comfort seating, and cable TV! Thirteen Twenty is the room name and it is on the first floor just across from the north entrance. Look for the sign right above the door!

Database Server Replication

DECS is undertaking a project to provide replicated database servers. This means any data stored in any of the many database at DECS such as FMP or GIMS will be safe from server failure and replicated realtime, so data will not be lost even if less than a second old! This will complement the existing nightly full backups of data that are also stored for safekeeping.

Human Health Affairs

The office for the Associate Provost for Human Health Affairs at Michigan State University was created to promote activities and advancements in the Colleges of Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine and Nursing, as well as provide oversight for clinical practice (MSU HealthTeam) and for Olin Student Health Center. DECS facilitated the creation of a web presence for the new office and the site was launched spring 2008. A unique feature of the website is an interactive map showing over fifty of the MSU teaching sites throughout Michigan and the United States.

Design Program

This website is a new addition to the College of Engineering's Design Program. DECS worked with the program coordinator to put the initial site together. The site showcases an image gallery of previous Design Day events, event faculty and coordinators, sponsor details, and information about the program.

Destination Survey

A Destination Survey was developed by DECS in coordination with the College of Engineering Career Services Office and the College of Business. The survey gathers exit and career path information from graduating students. The Destination Survey allows department career coordinators easy access to exit data, career placement information, and various statistics. Several other departments on campus are also using this survey. This application has a feature that does an excellent job demonstrating how well students are obtaining employment from companies all over the United States and the world.

NSEL Website

A new site for Neural Systems Engineering Laboratory (NSEL) was launched May 2008. The site features all the latest publications along with profiles for each member of the lab.

Lobby Maps

An interactive, touch-screen application is being developed by DECS. This application will be a location/mapping tool which will assist visitors in finding rooms and personnel. Developing this internally not only has saved money but will allow engineering to have a very customizable application that can provide much more than the current products on the market.

Terminal Services

DECS is working to provide terminal services to its users which would make engineering applications and software available beyond the confines of the Engineering Building. Terminal services will make software available to faculty, staff, and students remotely.

College of Engineering Website

The College of Engineering launched a new website on August 23, 2008; intended to highlight three main focal points for the college: Design Intensive Education, Residential Experience, and Leading Edge Research. It also prominently features the college's faculty members, displaying their portraits, research interests, current publications, and scholarly achievements. A college-wide calendar of events was also implemented, displaying daily activities for and by the entire engineering community. Check it out!

College of Engineering Library

DECS staff worked with campus library personnel to create group meeting "pods" in several areas of the Engineering Library.

NetApp Cluster

More terabytes for everyone! The new NetApp cluster is up and running. Setup as a storage cluster, this configuration will ensure reliability and guarantee uptime, making any hardware failures more transparent and reducing visibility of maintenance upgrades. This new cluster will allow DECS to meet the storage needs of faculty, staff, students, and researchers. In addition, data is properly protected with many offline and online layers of protection. Migration is complete for all volumes. Progress continues by migrating traditional Unix NFS storage to the NetApp cluster to improve features, speed, and availability. 

Linux Cluster

New servers were added to the Linux cluster! These additional servers will represent a 400% increase in processors and a 200% increase in memory which will allow for execution of larger computational jobs and represent a large increase to job capacity. The six servers which were added are Sun Fire x4150 Dual Quad Core 2.33 GHz Xeon systems.

Tape Library

A new tape library is in production on the data backup server to prepare for current and future needs to backup and restore large amounts of data in a reasonable window of time. The new tape drives operate several times faster than the previous tape system. The new backup tapes have four times the capacity while retaining backwards compatibility for reading older tapes. The new backup tapes also cost less per megabyte than the older tapes! Performance measurements indicate a single 2.8 Terabyte volume can be backed up to three tapes in just over six hours which is approximately 130 megabytes per second. Two streams can be fed to both new tape drives for a total rate exceeding 200 megabytes per second.

New Mail Server

DECS has completed moving engineering faculty and staff to the new e-mail system. This represents over seventy-five percent of daily e-mail users. The next phase of the project will be migrating students to the new e-mail system as efficiently as possible. DECS will still perform migrations upon request if a user visits the DECS Support Office; room 1325EB.

Recently, DECS increased the coverage of hourly snapshot backups from one day, to over three days of hour by hour recovery of any e-mail stored on the new e-mail system.

The new mail server utilizes software that provides a scalable design and enables DECS to easily add servers to handle additional loads, if required. A distributed storage backend is used to avoid being a single storage performance bottleneck. The design using Dovecot IMAP and Postfix SMTP promises to hold value and performance for years to come. During the design stage we strove to maximize compatibility with existing e-mail setups and performance features such as server side index caching and server side full text search engines.

Web Server

The central engineering web server went through a complete hardware and software upgrade. Flexibility for users and the increased need by users to be able to easily create websites, write the necessary code for execution, and develop the security mechanisms that can be implemented by users at many levels, influenced the selection, design, and installation of the new college web server. Users will notice an improved response time, more efficient handling of large applications and manipulation of data, ease of site implementation and maintenance, as well as increased storage, software capabilities and a significant improvement for web applications to be uploaded/upgraded by users.

SquirrelMail

As an added benefit to the mail server upgrade, the performance of Squirrel Mail (now Flying Squirrel Mail), the web client software currently available in engineering, has improved significantly.

Web & Development Server Upgrades

The number and size of database driven applications has increased, largely due to the number of web/data driven applications: Financial Management Package (FMP), Graduate Information Management System (GIMS), engineering space database, Faculty Activity Information System (FAIS), Alum-net, Destination Survey, Engineering Academic Search (EAS), online faculty profiles, numerous websites and the need to have a development/test/production environment available for college programmers/developers. The database, application, development, and web servers have been upgraded and expanded to become a set of integrated systems. These upgrades provide increased system reliability, stability, and security. There are systems dedicated to the development, testing, implementation, and the final production of each application.

Computer Lab Sound Systems

In order to make instruction in the DECS supported computer labs easier, ceiling speakers and a wireless microphone system will be installed in each lab. This new system will allow sound to be sent from the instructor's computer station to the ceiling speakers; this is especially helpful when showing a video on the projector. The sound systems will be in place and ready for use by fall 2008.

WLAN at MBI

DECS is installing the EGR Wi-Fi 802.11g and 802.11b wireless at the MBI building on Collins Road. The entire building will be covered with wireless access. A wireless coverage survey has been conducted and equipment ordering and preparation has begun.

Wilson Computer Lab

To support the Engineering Residential experience, an engineering computer lab was installed in Wilson Hall. The computer lab provides the technology resources for the EGR 100 and 102 classes. The lab has been equipped with new furniture, high-end technology, and access to all of engineering technology resources.

Updates to Samba Servers

DECS has completed installation for two redundant, load balanced Samba servers. The Samba servers provide file sharing access to College of Engineering computer systems. Using the engineering Virtual Private Network (VPN), these systems can be accessed anywhere on campus or off campus. The server software was upgraded to improve speed and reliability.

New Router and Firewall for Engineering Research Complex (ERC and ERC South)

DECS will be installing a new router at the Engineering Research Complex (ERC). This will coincide with the new Firewall system for ERC as well. The new router will offer future access to 10 Gigabit networking technology in addition to better resiliency against failure. The new router contains redundant management modules; one module is always in a standby mode ready to begin operation if any problems occur with the primary module.

Server Power Conservation

After consolidating resources and installing updated technology, DECS has retired over twenty servers in an effort to reduce power consumption. The conservation efforts have reduced power consumption by several kilowatts. This reduction in power has enabled DECS to invest in additional Uninterruptible Power Supplies with greater capacity. Investing in additional Uninterruptible Power Supplies allows DECS to provide better protection against abnormal power situations.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Website

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering launched a new website on October 21, 2008. With many intriguing graphics and photos, the new site encompasses a more user-friendly appeal, while highlighting the department's faculty and their nine research areas. Check out the new site to see all of the possibilities available in a growing, research-centered, student-oriented department.

MSU Counseling and Mental Health Resources

As an important resource for all members of the MSU Community, a new MSU Counseling and Mental Health Resources website was launched on October, 27, 2008. The new website highlights campus counseling centers, clinics, and mental health programs. The site lists the various units, who they serve in the community, and a brief description of their services. Quick links, contacts, and hotline numbers are also easily found along the right side bar.

Mechanical Engineering Website 2008

The Mechanical Engineering website has been redesigned. This new design, with rich contrasting colors, incorporates elements of the College of Engineering's new website, with a main page flash feature highlighting key research initiatives and various student design programs. The new website also emphasizes detailed faculty profiles, a wide array of department and college events, and a thorough news listing of the department’s achievements.

MSU Commencement

The MSU Commencement website has a new look! Now with bold colorful photo banners, stylized menus, rotating feature images, and lots of great commencement photos throughout. It also highlights their webcast archives, commencement speakers, and frequently asked parking and shuttle information. Check it out!

MSU Clinical and Transitional Sciences Institute

DECS launched a new website for MSU's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute on January 19, 2009. DECS worked with the MSU CTSI team to develop the navigation and website design. The MSU CTSI website was coded for a content management system (CMS) which allows for ease of website maintenance. The new website features research highlights, resources for researchers, sponsors and patients, along with current news.

MSU Test Preparation Consortium

On February 26, 2009 DECS launched a new website for the MSU Test Preparation Consortium. The new website highlights the various learning services offered by the MSU Test Office. Services provided by the MSU Test Office include the Learning Resources Center, Writing Center, Main Library, English Language Center Special Courses, Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, Career Services Network, and Academic Advisors.

ADAPP-ADVANCE

The ADAPP-ADVANCE website serves as a conduit to constituencies across the institution concerned with how MSU recruits, retains, and advances the highest quality and most diverse faculty possible.

DECS created the website design; working closely with the project director on the content and functionality of the content management system. The website highlights the group's projects, principal investigators and their related publications, and resources.

CPATH

The CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education (CPATH) Community website hosts the family of projects funded by the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).  DECS worked with the National Science Foundation to showcase these projects and create a community based website where all members of a project team can participate.  The website allows Principal Investigators (PIs) and project members to create and post content as well as share resources, publications, and videos with the CPATH community and with the public.

The Gerstacker Foundation Entrepreneurial Grant

The objective of the Gerstacker Foundation Entrepreneurial Grant project was to design and develop an informational website for MSU students regarding the Gerstacker grant. The Gerstacker website allows students to complete their application online, and allows grant reviewers to view applications online. The website was released to students at the beginning of fall semester 2009.

Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)

DECS web development team worked with the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) team to design a layout and develop content for their website. This website was developed using the Drupal content management system (CMS) which allows users to easily manage and maintain their website. The website highlights various programs that GATE offers to students. Features of the website include a photo gallery, events calendar, videos, and faculty/staff profiles. The project was launched on October 30, 2009.

TSP∙2

In partnership with the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP), DECS assisted the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) with designing a new website. The website has new features built on a content management system (CMS). The principal mission of the website is to serve as a clearinghouse with comprehensive and up-to-date information on preservation measures that enhance highway performance and extend useful life. The new TSP∙2 website launched October 1, 2009.

Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Website

Now with a vibrant bold design, rotating photo feature, and links to the College of Engineering calendar, the new website for the Chemical Engineering & Materials Science department was launched August 27, 2009 by DECS.  The website was developed with a content management system called Drupal. The Drupal interface allows faculty and staff to easily access the content for the website, giving them the ability to edit any of the pages or dynamic information. This will ensure that the website remains up-to-date.

Composite Materials & Structures Center Website

The new Composite Materials and Structures Center (CMSC) website was built with the Drupal content management system allowing for numerous dynamic content types. The website highlights laboratories, equipment, and personnel in the center. Another feature includes a Testing & Analysis calendaring system. MSU researchers can view the calendar to make a reservation request, or to view equipment available for rent. Using the Drupal interface, the website can be easily updated and maintained which will keep faculty and staff informed in regard to continuing research projects.

Composite Vehicle Research Center - 2009

Formerly a simple HTML website, the new website for the Composite Vehicle Research Center (CVRC) has a rich colorful design. The website was developed with the Drupal content management system allowing users to easily update content. The main page features photo highlights of the seven main thrust areas in the center, along with detailed information about each of the researchers involved. The new version of the website was launched November 9, 2009 by DECS.

MSU Counseling Center

A new website for MSU’s Counseling Center was launched by DECS on December 11, 2009. DECS worked with the Counseling Center IT Department to convert their old website to a new Content Management System, which allows users to easily maintain their website. The website highlights various programs the Counseling Center offers to students and faculty. Features of this website include an events calendar, a podcast/ webcast, faculty and staff profiles, and a frequently asked questions section.

Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC)

The website for the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) allows for collaboration regarding engineering education and research. The DECS web development team worked with the Global Engineering Deans Council to design a layout and develop content for their website. This website was migrated from Word Press to a Drupal content management system (CMS) to easily manage and maintain the website.

MSU EFRC

The website for the Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) serves as the medium for sharing information about the new MSU Center for Revolutionary Materials for Solid State Energy Conversion (RMSSEC). The US Department of Engineering awarded funding to this project through its EFRC program. The DECS web development team designed and developed the website. The website was launched in January 2010.