Research IT/Research Administration

Research IT supports the research activities and labs of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. As a liaison between Research and the IS departments, Research IT collaborates with these groups to facilitate all the planning, acquisition, implementation and maintenance of Research computing assets and solutions. Research IT consists of: Leo Hill and Mike Mykytyn.

RIT News

Winter 2008

Research IT is happy to announce the successful replacement of Artemis and would like to thank IS for their critical role in that process. Users should experience faster more reliable services with far less downtime than what was encountered with the older server.

We are currently exploring and implementing several useful technologies to assist the Research Community.

• Research Data Warehouse and Reporting Services:
  RIT continues to work in coordination with Research Administration, Information Services and consultants to complete this important project.
• Xythos Web Based Document Management System:
  We understand the challenges of collaborating effectively with folks outside the institution due to file and mailbox size limitations. To address this we’ve been exploring secure web based file services as a possible solution and Xythos seems to be a good candidate. We really would like your input and even have a beta test available if you’re interested. Please visit the Xythos site to learn more about the product's value to researchers and contact us if you’d like to participate in testing the product.
• Internet-based Video Conferencing and Webcasting Via Adobe Connect:
  We're currently exploring different solutions for internet based video conferencing and web casting and are looking at Adobe Connect as a solution. With the help of Dr. Saumil Merchant and Rich Cortese we were able to kick off a pilot program allowing Saumil and his peers to communicate and collaborate real time on different continents.. This web conference included live sound and video with feeds from Saumil's desktop which was displaying images from his microscope. Please do view a recording of Dr. Merchant's Web Conference to see how this effort turned out and let us know if you're interested in participating.
• Log Me In Remote Access:
  The Infirmary already offers Citrix but we’ve found a complementary service that allows you to access from any modern Mac or PC with an internet connection. RIT has been using it for a couple months and hope you’ll give it a shot by volunteering for our pilot program. There is a free version and its easy to install and use. Please contact us if you are interested in testing the product and the software is available for download at the Log Me In site.
Parallels PC Virtualization and Emulation: RIT has produced a clinical PC image to be hosted by Parallels hardware virtualization emulation software. This allows you to run a licensed copy of Windows XP Professional and all clinical applications on your Macintosh as if it was an infirmary PC. All that is required is a Mac that meets specifications, one purchased copy of Parallels and a request in to us to deploy the hospital image. Let us know how we can help you with this.
• Web Development:
  RIT continues to help laboratories develop a web presence. We recently uploaded the EPL 50th Anniversary web page and having been working with the various labs to develop and update their sites and pages.
• OS 10.5 Leopard Updates:
  RIT has received copies of Leopard and after a period of evaluation will begin offering upgrades to existing Apple OS X computers that meet minimal technical requirements.

Summer 2007

Research IT is pleased to announce that it is now offering internal web hosting services at no direct cost to your lab. External web hosting at Harvard, MIT and other external sites can be costly and we can absorb those costs by offering the same basic service here at MEEI. We have several labs that have already transferred existing sites from external hosts or are rebuilding their sites. Look for the sites with MEEI in their url.

If you have any individual requests for Research IT, please email the team and review RIT's web hosting policies.

Projects and Services

RIT Specific Services Offered

• Apple and PC computer purchase consultation, installation, integration and technical support
• Software consultation, acquisition, installation and technical support
• Network and peripheral device acquisition, installation and technical support
• Network data port activation and changes
• Training Services
• Website consultation, design and hosting
• Consultation and advocacy for lab-specific technology solutions

Services Offered by the IS and RIT Team

• Network file services/storage dedicated to research (Artemis)
• Creation of computer accounts and related domain access rights
• Microsoft Exchange email services
• Daily backups for servers and desktops
• Computer and network troubleshooting and resolution
• Call Center ticket-based customer service system
• The Infoed suite of web-based grant submittal and management software

Projects Underway or Being Considered

• Internet accessible (web-based) file management systems
• Cluster/high performance computing
• Remote, user-initiated desktop support
• Research data warehouse and report services
• Internet-based video conferencing
• Poster printing

content updated: 2/01/08