When some Physics researchers needed a few dedicated computers for running experiments, they reached out to OIT Customer Service Director Rachel Mulry to see if she could help. The requirements for the computers were minimal compared to current university standards but had to be stable enough to run their experiment and priced within their small budget. Within 24 hours, several laptops were found that could be donated to meet the needs of the ATLAS experiment.
The laptops were used for the production tests of the ATLAS experiment, in which involved the testing of 15,000 chips with multiple setups from many students. Once that was successful, they realized the need for a few additional computers were needed for the test’s control instruments. Again, they reached out to Rachel Mulry.
Within days, Rachel was able to obtain the laptops they needed. Like the first set, they were donated to Physics, but would never be eligible for replacement under technology fund or even hardware repairs – everything was as is. The researchers gladly accepted the assistance and quickly put them to work in the lab.
During Research Day, one of the researchers, James Thomas, presented their finding from the ATLAS experiment. On the poster was a small thank you note to OIT from the team.
