USER Information

Answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding the Visualization, Media, and Imaging Laboratory.

 

 

Visualization Laboratory Registration

To register for the Visualization Laboratory, you must fill out a registration form and attend one brief (30 minute) orientation session. This session is held in the Visualization Laboratory (4602 Beckman), and will present an overview of the equipment available for use, Visualization Laboratory policies, and consulting procedures. Please contact Visualization Laboratory staff to schedule an orientation time. Orientation times are typically scheduled Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

The registration form is available as a PDF file ready for printing, may be obtained in the Visualization Laboratory prior to the orientation, or may be filled out once the orientation is complete. Information required before access to the Visualization Laboratory will be given include:

• University/Department billable account number for billing.
• Advisor and group names, addresses, and phone numbers (if applicable).
• A description of the project(s) to be worked upon.
• A UIUC i-card (If you do not have a permanent UIUC i-card a temporary card can be issued).

After orientation, you will be given an ITG account which enables logins on all of our machines, disc space for file storage. Lab policies and general lab information will be discussed during the orientation session.  Your UIUC i-card will be activated immediately once you visit Beckman Institute security office (open 3pm-5pm weekdays). 

With your account you will be given access to all of the ITS supported printers. Costs incurred by printing to these printers will be assessed to the same account as billed for your Visualization Laboratory/Microscopy Suite access, which you must first set up with the ITS helpdesk on the 5th floor. See the ITS web pages for information on fees associated with printing.

 

 

New User Orientation

The orientation session gives an overview of the Visualization Laboratory facility as well as a quick intro to specialized equipment in the facility, explain policies and procedures and introduces resources available to Visualization Laboratory users.  Please feel free to ask questions at any time during the orientation.  Because there is so much information to cover, however, an introduction to how to use the equipment or software in the facility is not included.  Specific questions regarding use of equipment or software can be addressed after the orientation and any weekday 9am - 5pm.  More information regarding storing data, resources available, and other general Visualization Laboratory information is available in the General Information page.

 

 

Contact

For any queries regarding the Visualization Laboratory facility including operating equipment or problems with software, please contact Visualization Laboratory.  See staff (below) for more information.

 

 

Staff

Between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday, several staff members are available to answer questions.  Student consultants are available in the lab at various times 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday. Pictures of student consultant staff members are posted on the bulletin board outside the Visualization Laboratory for easy indentification. Fulltime staff members are typically around from 9am-5pm on weekdays. 

For specific queries or questions, feel free to contact a staff member individually, or send an email to the entire group at Visualization Laboratory.

For contact information of a specific member of the ITG staff, please see the list of all ITG Staff.

 

Contact	For Matters Regarding
Darren Stevenson, Visualization Laboratory Manager	Daily Use, Access, All Hardware/Software Questions,  Problems with Hardware/Software
Daniel Weber, Visualization Laboratory Student Consultant	General Questions

 

 

Help Pages

The ITG staff has written numerous documents and quick-start guides for the Visualization Laboratory.  Please refer to the help pages for information on how to use Visualization Laboratory equipment and software.

 

 

Fees

A complete list of fees for use, services and materials can be found on the fees page.

 

Hours

Once registered with the Visualization Laboratory a user has access to the Visualization Laboratory facility 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.  Staff is available only during business hours 9am-5pm M-F.  Off-hours help will be provided as much as possible via email.

 

 

Policies

A few policies exist in the Visualization Laboratory to ensure smooth operation for all users.

 

 

Special Services

Although the Visualization Laboratory is a facility in which work is conducted by students and researchers, special services are offered for specific projects.  The Special Services page has more information.

 

Calendars

The calendar system is used to reserve time on Visualization Laboratory equipment.

• A reservation is not required to use a machine--any machine not in use is open.
• The ITG has a web-based calendar system which allows machine sign-outs.
• There is a 15 minute grace period for a user to show up for a reservation. After 15 minutes the reservation is voided.

 

Storage

• Fast, hard-disk storage space is allocated on the network for each Visualization Laboratory user. If more space is necessary, please contact a staff member; we can usually accommodate any network space needs for a reasonable amount of time.
• All machines have CD-ROM burners, and a most have DVD-R burners for archiving data. Also, they all have USB 2.0 ports and most have firewire ports for use with portable hard drives or thumb drives.  

 

In general

• For any problems, please talk to a consultant or, off-hours, email Visualization Laboratory. The staff frequently checks e-mail on weeknights and weekends, but a response is not guaranteed until the next business day.  Please consult manuals in the back of the lab for any software related questions, or look at the online help pages .
• There is a phone (on the wall by the door) on which users can be reached in the lab. The number is 244-4399. Please limit personal phone calls to 5 minutes at all times.
• Food and drink is allowed in the lab--as long as you don't spill anything. Please be careful! Wipe up any spills and clean up any crumbs, on the desks or otherwise. There is a little hand-held vacuum by the consultant desk for this use. All cleaning supplies are near the back of the lab.
• If equipment is kept past 5 p.m. on Friday, non-Beckman users will be charged for the whole weekend. Except for very unusual circumstances users are to keep the equipment until it can be handed back to a staff member on Monday morning.
• Please remember to log off the computers upon completion of use. If a station is password locked for the whole night and the user does not come back early the next morning, staff members may override password lock and all processes will be terminated.
• Please remember to turn off the LFR, copy stand lights, and all audio and video decks after use.