The Operations and Information Management (OPIM) Department held a 3D Printing Workshop on Friday, October 28th. This was the second in a series of technology workshops held by the department throughout the semester.

The 3D Printing workshop went into depth about the different technologies available in the OPIM Department Gladstein Lab. Students and faculty were able to preview these technologies at the MIS Welcome Party at the beginning of the semester. The workshop was designed for those who may be new to 3D Printing technolgy or experienced users who would like to learn more about the resources available to them in the OPIM Department.

During Friday’s workshop, The OPIM Department explained how 3D Printing technology works, what it is being used for, and how it was developed. Students in attendance were given a detailed presentation on the 3D printing technology, while observing the technology in action. The goal of the workshop was to inform interested students and faculty about these technologies and to demonstrate how they operate.

The workshop featured the Maker-Bot Replicator 2X and Maker-Bot Replicator Z18 systems. The Department demonstrated the printers by taking a photo of a pumpkin and printing it into a three-dimensional object.

In his presentation, Chris Buckridge (BUSN IT) explained some ways that 3D Printing is currently being utilized, such as radio prototyping, healthcare products, education, recreation and architecture.

There were over 20 students and faculty present at the workshop. Due to limited space, registration was available online prior to the workshop. All of the available spots were filled with additional walk-in attendees.

The next workshop will be about exploring real time data analytics using the Splunk platform. That workshop will be held on Friday, November 11th at 1 p.m. in the Gladstein Lab. Interested individuals can register here to guarantee a spot in the workshop.

The Operations and Information Management (OPIM) Department kicked off the first in a series of technology workshops that they will be holding throughout the semester. The first workshop was held on Friday October 14th, showcasing the department’s virtual reality (VR) technologies.

Earlier in the semester at the MIS Welcome Party, students and faculty were given a brief look at virtual reality and other technologies available in the OPIM Department. Each workshop will go into more depth regarding each piece of technology.

This workshop was designed for those who may be new to VR or experienced users who would like to learn more about the resources available to them in the OPIM Department. Professor Jon Moore said he wants to promote interest in these new technologies and to provide a way for those interested to learn more about them.

The department capped the workshop at 20 participants due to limited space in the Gladstein Lab, where the VR equipment is located. All of the spots were quickly filled via online registration prior to the workshop. Professor Moore was happy to see how enthusiastic people were to participate. Students in attendance said that they signed up for the workshop to learn more about the different VR systems, how they were developed, and what they are being used for.

The workshop featured three different kinds of VR systems, including Google Cardboard, Gear VR and the HTC Vive, a fully immersive system. The HTC Vive was the main attraction, with students lined up to try it out. The Vive featured a variety of experiences, for both entertainment and education.

One of the educationally focused games allowed users to virtually enter and interact with the human body. It taught users about the different parts of the body as they navigated through, interacting with different parts of the cell, DNA, proteins and more. Professor Moore said that one feature allowed users to see what diseases and infections look like on the inside, providing a more realistic learning experience.

One student, Sarah Burdick said that it was cool to visually see and interact with what she had learned in science classes. She said it made science seem much more interesting to learn.

The VR technology in the OPIM department is being used for recreation and experimental learning, Professor Moore said. Moore teaches a class at UConn called Gamification in Business, in which he hopes to utilize VR technology. He said that the department hopes to incorporate these technologies further into the curriculum in the near future. The department is actively looking into how businesses are using virtual reality technologies in order to prepare students to use these types of technologies in real-world situations.

The next workshop will be an introduction to 3D Printing on Friday, October 28th. Interested individuals can sign up here to reserve a spot.

Our third workshop of the semester is an introduction to data analysis with the Splunk platform next Friday, November 11^th. Please visit the OPIM site for a full list of workshops and their dates. All workshops are capped at 20 people so please make sure to register on the site ahead of time.  Over the course of the fall semester we plan to have the following:

• Virtual Reality Demo – (New) overview of the different levels of VR and hands-on experience (Completed)
• Intro to 3D Printing – repeat of last semester, was very popular so we are offering it again (Completed)
• Splunk Analytics – (New), introduction to the network analytics software Splunk (Register Now)
• Internet Of Things – (New), real time data analytics using smart devices (Register Now)

Greetings MIS Students,

Exciting news! The OPIM department is happy to announce a great opportunity for MIS students. We are offering skill-building workshops starting next week, and continuing the rest of the semester. All workshops will be held in the OPIM Research Lab, BUSN 391 and food and refreshments will be made available.

• 3D Printing Workshop: April 6^th 4:30pm – 6:00pm Register here

This workshop welcomes all levels of knowledge, to learn about 3D printing technology and the resources available in the Gladstein Lab! We will be offering pizza, salad and soda during the event, afterwards there will be a sundae bar.

• Raspberry Pi Workshop: April 15^th 1:30pm – 3:00pm Register here

Discover Raspberry Pi computing and get hands-on experience during interactive demos. No previous knowledge required!

• Linux Workshop: April 20^th 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm Register here

Learn about open source computing environments and why Linux is the 3rd most popular operating system. Bring your laptop for a guaranteed seat.

Be sure to follow our new Instagram page @UconnOPIM for reminders on upcoming events! Coming to any of these workshops would give you a leg up on other interns this summer, and as well as help you build skills to add to your resume! MIS students have a week to sign up before registration is open to the rest of the school of business.