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Some of the 25 new eMacs in the new computer graphic design lab at the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Waikato

NZ Macguide Issue 6

Waikato University's School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences opened a new purpose-built computer lab in July when the university's first intake of computer graphic design students began their first semester.

An official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new computer lab, which is stocked with Apple eMacs with Paul Johnston, General Manager of Apple NZ Ltd, on hand to open the new facility and welcome the students. Johnston said the students had the most up to date equipment available in the new lab and wished them well in their studies.

The Bachelor of Computer Graphic Design is new to Waikato from July 15th this year and is offered in partnership with the Wanganui School of Design, a school within the Universal College of Learning.

The university has traditionally validated graduates' qualifications from the cutting-edge Wanganui facility, but until now has not offered the degree to its own students. BCGD graduates will have their degree jointly awarded by both institutions.

Mark Apperley, chairperson of the university's Computer Science Department feels that the introduction of the computer graphic design course is a significant development for Waikato.

"It represents Waikato's first venture into the art and design area, building on the strengths in traditional computer science and capitalising on the reputation of the Wanganui Computer Graphic Design Degree," says Apperley. "In this sense, it brings a new culture to the university. Not only does it enhance the spectrum of computing-related qualifications available at Waikato, but it opens up an entirely new domain of creative design."

Paul Johnson, General Manager of Renaissance NZ Ltd (Apple Computer Division) cutting the ribbon to open the new lab on Monday 15th July 2002

The best tools for the job
Roger Thomas, Technical Support Manager for the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, wanted to provide the best tools and computing experience possible so the new students could show off their talents in design. "We wanted it to be as modern as possible so we've gone with eMacs and Mac OS X running purely in native mode - no Classic applications".

Students are designing using the latest versions of Adobe's suite of industry standard applications including Photoshop 7, InDesign 2 and Illustrator 10. Roger said staff were impressed with the eMac from the moment they saw it. "Clearly Apple has been working on something like this for some time. It's grunty, solidly built and has all the things we need for it to fit into a computing lab. Matched with the xServe stacked to the hilt, we expect this facility to really shine for us".

A few teething problems
Harry Johnston, one of the Technical Support team members heavily involved with the new lab, reports that performance has generally been good with only a few teething problems Apple is working on. "We're currently investigating the new MacOS X v10.2 to see if it resolves a few software problems. All in all I'd say it's already a considerable improvement on our older Mac OS 9 lab; a very promising start."

Lecturers Polly Cantlon and Trevor Morris report that the machines are good and that eMacs are very user friendly.

For further information, contact:
University of Waikato 07 838 4500
Auckland Office 09 302 0722

© Parkside Media 2002
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