October, 2008

Donahue Path Ribbon Cutting and Chris Hinds Memorial Ride

What: Donahue Path Ribbon Cutting and Chris Hinds Memorial Ride
Where: Donahue multi-use path (S Donahue and Woodfield, by the solar house)
When: Saturday, Oct 25, 8:30am

First dedicated multi-use path

This summer, Auburn University completed the campus's first dedicated off-road multi-use path, which runs from S College to Samford along Donahue Drive. The path, which has already been discovered by walkers, runners and bicyclists, is suitable for both recreational use, and bike commuting to work and school. During the day, it is shaded along part of its length by trees and at night it is well illuminated. The construction of the path is part of the university's master plan, which aims to transform Auburn into a greener, and healthier, pedestrian- and bike-friendly campus.

On Saturday, October 25, the Donahue path will be officially opened at a grand ribbon cutting ceremony that has been organized jointly by the university and the city. The fun will begin at 8:30am and will be attended by Aubie and other special guests, and at 9am there will be a free fun ride of 5 miles. For the more experienced riders, the ceremony will also coincide with this year's Chris Hinds Memorial Ride (CHMR), an annual event organized by Friends of Chris Hinds and the Auburn Flyers.

There will be drinks and snacks for everyone at the ceremony and those who take part in the rides.

So, get on your bike and join us!

Five mile ride: Free
CHMR: $30

For more information on CHMR, see the website ChrisHindsRide.com

Proceeds from CHMR will go to Storybook Farm and the Auburn Flyers. Registration through the website or on the morning, before and during the ceremony.

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The Virtualization of Auburn

Since early 2000, one of Auburn’s offices has been at the forefront of a quiet worldwide revolution. Gradually, most of the Fortune 500 companies have joined our ranks, and private businesses and government entities around the globe are following in our wake. In early 2000, OIT began the virtualization of Auburn’s computer systems. Virtualization is a technology that allows for the drastic reduction in materials and space required for computers, and it can reduce energy usage by up to 80%.

Software That Acts Like Hardware

According to Jeff Stallworth, an Auburn Office of Information Technology Manager, computers utilize, on average, only 8 to 15% of their computing capacity; and more efficient use of computer resources is at the heart of virtualization. In the late 90s, a number of software companies and open-source programmers began producing software that acts like hardware. When it is installed on your computer, it will allow additional operating systems to run virtually on the physical host computer. So, I can take my Mac, install virtualization software on it and have a virtual Windows machine sitting on my computer desktop. And I can use them both simultaneously.

On a larger scale, OIT can install virtualization software on the university servers and run, in some cases, up to twenty virtual servers within one physical server. “It takes more energy to cool a computer than to operate it,” says Stallworth, so by replacing twenty servers with one, cooling costs have already dropped dramatically. There is also an immediate reduction in materials used, transportation costs and housing space required, and at the other end of the cycle, when the servers eventually need to be replaced, there is less material to be disposed of.

So far, OIT has replaced approximately 140 servers with a 7 server virtual cluster, and the use of virtualization is growing rapidly in other departments on campus too.

Unsurprisingly, Stallworth didn’t have a hard time selling the idea of virtualization to his bosses. “It’s a win-win situation,” he said, and when you look at all the advantages of virtualization you have to agree: from a financial and an environmental point of view.

Cloud Computing

There are further advantages to virtualization—for the user it provides a more reliable service and for OIT more flexibility and ease of management. By using virtualization, an expansive computer system like Auburn’s can employ cloud computing, a technology that has been used for years by companies like Google in which there is little or no centralized infrastructure. This means, there is less danger of a centralized server crashing and information being lost—instead, information can be moved around and stored in a decentralized cloud of computers. From a sustainability point of view, when a broad system like Auburn’s is in low demand, say between 2 and 5am, the system can consolidate processing on to fewer servers and place unused servers in a low power mode while they are not needed, saving even more energy.

Thin Clients

The change to virtualization in Auburn has been mainly back-end so far (behind the scene servers) but you can also find front-end examples of it at the kiosks in the Student Center, where you can sit down at a computer that has no visible hard drive attached to it. These are known as thin clients.

A Virtual Future at Auburn

As Auburn’s sustainability efforts gain ground with the new strategic plan and Gogue’s signing of the Presidents Climate Commitment, it is good to know that OIT is transforming our computer system into a more resource efficient system, fit for the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Virtualization Software

There are a number of virtualization software packages available, both commerical and open-source. The following are just some examples:

VM Ware, for PCs and Macs

Microsoft Hyper-V

Xen, open-source

Parallels Desktop for Mac

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National Student Design Competition for Sustainability: 6th Annual P3 Awards

The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking applications from students who need funding to conduct research into sustainability. According to the EPA website, “The P3 Awards program was developed to foster progress toward sustainability by achieving the mutual goals of economic prosperity, protection of the planet, and improved quality of life for its people-- people, prosperity, and the planet – the three pillars of sustainability.”

Students can win up to $10,000 in award funding, and research in the following areas will be considered:

• Agriculture

• Materials and Chemicals

• Energy

• Information Technology

• Water

• Built Environment

Closing date for applications is December 23, 2008 at 4:00 pm EST.
For more details see the National Center for Environmental Research website

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Southern Research Fellow Program

Southern Growth Policies Board is offering $1,000 to a graduate or undergraduate scholar to conduct a research project and prepare a report for Southern Growth's 2009 Report on the Future of the South. The 2009 award will be grant to a person conducting research “relating to bio-products, alternative energy, and/or energy efficiency.” The report can be based on previous work or a a previous research paper.

All application materials muct be postmarked before November 14, 2008. For more details see the Southern Growth website

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Auburn Community Garden

What: Community Gardening
Where: Research Station off Woodfield Drive, Auburn
When: Wednesdays, 5pm or whenever you have spare time

Volunteers Needed

Auburn Community Garden is looking for volunteers to help grow food for the Food Bank of East Alabama. Beginners and experienced gardeners, families, church groups and student groups are all welcome.

The community garden gives people the opportunity to gain experience in growing a vegetable garden while serving the community, and it gets fresh local produce into the diets of Food Bank beneficiaries.

Volunteers meet at the garden every Wednesday from 5-6pm with garden manager Mike Mulvaney to help plant, thin, weed and harvest. Volunteers are also welcome to visit the garden at their convenience and do what work they can.

If you wish to volunteer, turn up any Wednesday at 5pm, or contact Mike at mulvamj@auburn.edu

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