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Using Computers for this Course |
For this course you will use a computer to help you complete some of the homework assignments by running specialized modeling and image processing software. You'll also use it to check the course's Web site for assignments, answers to exercises, and other news, and to browse the Web. You're welcome to use your own computer, if you have one; if not, you may use one of the six student PCs available in the Earth and Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory (EPRSL) in the EPS building room 281, or a PC in any of the student computer labs on campus. (There are computer labs in the dorms and in various places on main campus. Read about Computing Facilities on the Arts and Sciences page.) If you are thinking of buying a computer, please read Guidelines for Purchase of Students' Personal Computers.
Before you use one of the PCs in the EPRSL, read Getting Started with the PCs. It has instructions for setting up your account, running programs, and reading e-mail. A teaching assistant will give you a username and password that is valid on any of the student PCs in the laboratory.
You will use e-mail a lot for this class, to communicate with the instructors, the teaching assistants, and other students. Every Arts and Sciences student has an electronic mailbox provided by the Arts and Sciences Computing Center. Your e-mail address is usually made up of your first and middle initials, plus the first six letters of your last name, plus "@artsci". For example, Henry David Thoreau's e-mail address would be hdthorea@artsci. If someone outside of Washington University sends him e-mail, it would be sent to hdthorea@artsci.wustl.edu.
If you plan to use your own computer for the modeling and GIS exercises, you'll need the software. If you use the EPRSL computers, the software is already there. You may install most of the software on your computer during the semester as part of our licensing agreement. The software runs on Windows XP platform.
The dormitory computer labs and other computer labs on main campus have Office software (Microsoft Word for word processing, Excel for spreadsheets, and PowerPoint for presentations). These programs are available on the EPRSL computers. You may use them to complete writing assignments and prepare class presentations.
If your computer experience is limited, don't worry. Using a computer for e-mail, web access, and data transfer is not difficult, and you'll soon become adept. If you get stuck, two general rules apply: (1) try different things to see what happens, and (2) ask someone. Often the student working right next to you knows the answer. Or ask one of the teaching assistants. Or try the resources below.
The Arts and Sciences Computing Center has online help, telephone help, and a help desk; see their documentation page for more information.
Always check the course's home page for the latest info. Updates are made frequently.