Welcome to the Fall/Winter 2009 Connect!

We are thrilled to share our fresh look and collection of new articles with you. This issue of Connect showcases some of the new technologies and tools that are being used in teaching, learning, research, and administration at NYU.

Read about Simonides, an exciting new web-based portfolio of collaborative academic tools developed — well, collaboratively — at NYU with essential faculty participation and leadership. Discover how NYU faculty members from diverse University departments are using podcasting to enhance their in-class teaching and supplementary instruction — and don't miss the accompanying video podcast. Listen to a Connect podcast featuring a discussion of the new Open Education Pilot program at NYU's Faculty of Arts and Science. And learn how a soon-to-be-launched new program, NYU Traveler, will help students, faculty, and staff of our global network university to stay in contact when studying or working abroad.

Explore how tools like Atlas.ti, A.nnotate, and Pliny might help you organize the digital scholarly notes and materials that you accrue in your studies and research. Read about advances in the NYU Libraries' database and search services that can help streamline and simplify your online research.

Find out about using the laser service at ITS' Advanced Media Studio, and the innovative ways that NYU designers, artists, scientists, and "techies" have been using it. Also in this issue is an article that will introduce you to different types of survey sampling and show you how your sampling method may determine which statistical package you choose.

We think you'll also want to read about the changes that took place this semester at the ITS student computer facilities, and the launching of NYU's new South Data Center. There's also ITS' streamlined, eco-conscious new Print Service, which simplifies the printing process, saves paper, and — perhaps, best of all — enables you to send a document to an ITS print station from just about anywhere on NYU-NET!

Faculty members can learn more about ITS services that have a special focus on NYU faculty and graduate students' technology needs, including the new and expanded Faculty Outreach and Blackboard Liaisons programs.

We hope you'll find this to be an informative and engaging issue. As always, we welcome any comments, questions, or feedback you have pertaining to Connect! Please email them to its.connect@nyu.edu.

— Marilyn McMillan
Vice President for Information Technology
& CITO for NYU New York