March 2024

Announcement, March 2024, Resources

Introducing: ITStatus.clarku.edu

ITS is excited to introduce ITStatus.clarku.edu, a systems status page dedicated to Clark applications, networks and systems.

ITStatus.clarku.edu will have up-to-date information on which applications are running smoothly, a schedule of planned maintenance, notices about possible current issues, and a history of previous outages.

Visit the page if you are experiencing issues with a certain application. If you’d like to receive updates about applications’ maintenence, outages, and service, you can also subscribe to email alerts on the page so you’re always up to date. You can access it directly at ITStatus.clarku.edu, or by visiting the ITS website, where the site is linked in the footer section of every page.

If you have questions or feedback about ITStatus.clarku.edu, please contact the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@clarku.edu, or 508-793-7745.

March 2024, Resources

Everything You Need to Know About Poster Printing

With ClarkFEST right around the corner, it’s time to prep and print those posters that show off all your hard work! Keep reading to make sure the poster process is quick, simple, and stress-free.

Step 1: Make your poster using provided templates

To avoid delays in printing your poster, use the templates provided by Clark ITS to make sure it’s properly sized.

Step 2: Submit your poster file to ITS

To submit your poster for printing, you’ll need to upload the file in PDF or PPTX form and provide some additional information. Please note the submission deadline for ClarkFEST is April 15th. If your poster is not for an event, it needs to be submitted at least 3 business days in advance.

Click here to submit your poster file

Step 3: Wait for a confirmation email

ITS will get to work processing and printing your poster. Once it’s ready, we’ll send you a confirmation email with pick-up details.

Step 4: Pick up your poster and pay (if necessary) in cash

Printed posters can be picked up at the ITS Help Desk once you’ve received confirmation that they are ready. For ClarkFEST, each participant is credited $25 for printing. This amount covers the standard 3 ft by 4 ft matte poster. If your poster is larger, heavily inked, or printed with a glossy finish, it may cost more than $25, in which case the participant is responsible for paying the difference.

If you’re printing a poster unrelated to an event such as ClarkFEST, ask your professor or department administrator if you’ve been issued a print credit for your project. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay out of pocket once your poster is ready.

When you go to pick up the poster from the ITS Help Desk, please bring exact change in cash if necessary.

Step 5: Show off your work

Conducting research and creating a poster is no small feat, and you’ve done it! Take some time to congratulate yourself before you present your awesome work 😊

If you have any questions about poster printing, please contact the ITS Help Desk.

March 2024, Resources, Tool Spotlight

Tool Spotlight: Adobe Audition

Ever thought about starting a podcast? This form of audio entertainment has exploded in popularity in recent years and continues to grow: in the next 5 years, Statistica predicts there will be over 100 million podcast listeners in the US alone. The software Adobe Audition is one of the most popular tools used to create and edit podcasts, and it is available to Clark faculty and staff. It can also be accessed by students on public university computers.

In Adobe Audition, you can record or upload audio, remove background noise, add effects, trim and rearrange audio clips, and much more. Audition also works with Premier Pro, Adobe’s video editing software, to edit the audio track of a video clip to make sure whatever you’re recording sounds its best.

To learn more about Adobe Audition and test it out, ITS recommends the following resources:

As a reminder, all members of the Clark community have free access to LinkedIn Learning through their Clark account. Click here to sign in and activate your account.

March 2024, Our Favorite Apps, Tips and Tricks

Our Favorite Apps: Libby

Welcome to a new series in Bits & Bytes where ITS will be sharing the apps that make our lives a little easier or more enjoyable.

As mentioned back in the May 2023 issue of Bits & Bytes, Libby is an incredible app considered essential by Tess Walsh, Clark’s technology training specialist. The app allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from local libraries and read or listen to them on your phone.

“As a former English major and a current book club president, Libby saves me a fortune on book buying,” Tess says. “Plus, I can put books on hold in the app, so they’re delivered to me when available. It’s like getting an unexpected gift in the mail.”

How does it work?

Simply download the app from the App Store or the Play Store, put in your library card information, and browse ebooks and audiobooks!

Does it cost anything?

Nope. The app is free and there is no cost to borrow. Libby even returns borrowed content on the due date, so you won’t incur fees from your library.

I don’t have a library card!

All Clarkies have at least one—their OneCard, which serves as their Goddard Library card and grants access to Goddard resources through Libby.

You can also apply for a Worcester Public Library ARC (Academic Research Collaborative) card with your Clark OneCard. Massachusetts residents, or those attending school in the state, are also eligible for a Boston Public Library eCard.

I need help!

Goddard librarians can help you get started. Contact them at library@clarku.edu.

Get to Know Us, March 2024

Get to Know Us: Julian Killo

This month, we get to know Julian Killo, a Network Engineer in ITS. Julian started working at Clark in 2022 as a grad student and transitioned to working full-time in September 2023.

Prior to joining the Clark community, Julian worked on major projects, like implementing public WiFi and conducting enterprise resource planning, with the Municipality of Tirana and Bechtel Corporation. With over 15 years of experience in creating successful IT solutions, Julian continues to advance his extensive technical knowledge by pursuing a Master’s in Information Technology while working at Clark.

Being a network engineer means that Julian maintains the behind-the-scenes networks and systems that power organizations (and he gets to play with all the fun tech toys). His favorite part of the job is tackling complex problems and finding solutions that allows Clark to do more through technology. According to Julian, “There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing all the pieces – servers, networks, systems – come together and support organization, performance, and reliability.”

If Julian could learn from any person in history, he’d love to pick the brain of Dennis Ritchie, the American computer scientist who created the C programming language and co-developed the UNIX operating system. This language changed modern computing and still underpins most operating systems today.

When he’s not thinking about networking or programming, Julian loves to watch Premier League and Serie A soccer. If you’d like to chat with Julian about soccer or click here to find his contact information.