What Lies Beneath

With next-generation building materials like bamboo flooring and the light-giving abundance of triple-glazed glass, Achtmeyer Hall, Raether Hall, and Pineau-Valencienne Hall have been turning heads since opening in mid-December. Equally impressive is what can't be seen—an arsenal of technological enhancements that make Tuck's newest buildings among the most wired (and wireless) on campus.

There are hundreds of network jacks and dozens of wireless network access points throughout the facilities, which include classrooms, student residence rooms, study rooms, and social spaces. The building network is consistent with Dartmouth's network convergence strategy, which uses the same infrastructure for data, voice, and video transmission. There are more wireless access points in these three buildings than in any other complex on campus, to ensure facilitywide connectivity and support future wirelesscommunication technologies. The wired network is also designed to accommodate future increases in network speed, says Geoff Bronner D'91, Tuck's associate director for online services in information technology.

In all three classrooms, instructional technology is seamlessly integrated so it can support learning without being a barrier. Builtin video-conferencing equipment enables presenters to select from multiple camera views and sources to bring distant presenters into the classroom and project their own expertise to other sites. Popular events can be hosted in multiple classrooms to handle overflow crowds. Support staff can control the use of technology from within the classroom or remotely. In the study rooms, students can fine-tune their presentation skills through easy-to-use video recording devices, enabling them to capture and then carefully review individual orations while using flat screens, made possible by a gift from Corning, to collaborate with their peers.

For down time, student lounges are equipped with large flat screens, video games, and iPod docks. Everywhere in between, students and staff are updated on the latest news at Tuck and around the world by a digital signage system connected to a network of information screens throughout the Tuck campus.