by Anna McClure | Jul 18, 2015 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s Swang Business Center is getting a face lift including the addition of the BAYMAR Telepresence Center and renovations to classrooms, which have not been updated since their construction in 1984. Three first-floor classrooms will be given new paint, carpet and furniture with the front lecture hall being converted for the Cisco Telepresence System. The circular classroom was converted from a tiered room to a single floor and enclosed with a glass wall looking into the lobby. The system will allow students, clients, and guest speakers outside of the classroom to communicate and contribute to the class while watching a real-time video feed using an app on their tablets or phones. “On the graduate side, people want our degrees but can’t drive here one night a week, and they just can’t physically get here,” said Ray Eldridge, Interim Dean of the College of Business. “Now they can be here. I think that really allows Lipscomb to go beyond it’s boundaries.” The Telepresence System will include three plasma screens and cameras at the front of the room with up to 48 different locations that can be fed in to the classroom. This will allow students seeking a graduate business degree that live outside of driving range from the campus or the Spark facility in Cool Springs to take classes more involved than online. “We can also have guest speakers, so now we can have a CEO in New York who doesn’t have time to come down here,” Eldridge said. “All we have to do is give him an app for his iPad and he can talk directly to our...
by Anna McClure | Jan 29, 2015 | News Slider
Nashville’s leading ladies in tech discussed how technology can be used for societal betterment at the Girl Geek Dinner Wednesday night in Shamblin Theater. The event, sponsored by local company Digital Reasoning, addressed causes evolving in the technological world, steps that can be taken to help the causes and the ethical use of hacking. Panelists included Holly Gardner, Sarah Brown, Katy Campen and Amber Adams. Digital Reasoning CEO Tim Estes opened the night with Nashville’s recent progress and overall growth, and emphasized the importance of perseverance. “You preserver because you believe you can do something,” Estes said. The panel kicked off the discussion with Kiva, a non-profit organization that allows individuals to make microloans in order to start or expand businesses, afford school, build a house or similar causes. According to Gardner, a Digital Reasoning research engineer, lenders typically receive at least a 90 percent repayment of their loans. Education and community were also strong topics of discussion. Campen told of her experiences working as an 100 Girls of Code instructor. 100 Girls of Code is a program which conducts workshops across Tennessee in order to raise awareness among girls ages 12 to 18 about a career in computer science. The program is currently touring eight states in the Southeast and will be opening a Nashville chapter next month. For older members and students of the computer engineering community, developer meetings provide the opportunity for networking and outreach. “I’m hoping to make some sort of connection,” sophomore Brianna Choy said. The dinner provided Choy with the opportunity to meet women in the computing field, as she is the only female software engineering major in her year. “I...
