NEWS

SSCC's Spring Training Schedule

SSCC's Spring training schedule is now available on SSCC's training web pages. SAS and SPSS training dates have not been set. We hope to have them posted next week. So far, you can register for Stata, Wordpress, and Microsoft Office training. UW students can also register for Matlab and Nvivo training that DoIT is offering in our PC classroom. Remember that all SSCC training sessions require preregistration.

Winstat Web Interface Upgraded This Morning

This morning we upgraded the Winstat web interface to the latest version. The first time you connect the new web interface will also distribute the latest version of the Citrix ICA client that your computer uses to connect to Winstat. You do not need to install this version to use Winstat, but it is recommended.

Most of the changes are cosmetic, but there are some you should be aware of:

  • If you've saved https://wi.ssc.wisc.edu/Citrix/AccessPlatform/auth/login.aspx as a Favorite/Bookmark it will no longer work. Save http://wi.ssc.wisc.edu or http://ssc.education.wisc.edu instead, or go to the SSCC home page and click on Winstat.
  • The install program for the Windows ICA client is now called CitrixOnlinePluginWeb.exe and install program for the Mac ICA client is now called Citrix online plug-in (web).dmg. The web interface will attempt to send the appropriate install program to you as soon as you log in--you may need to tell your web browser to allow it. Once the install program has been downloaded, exit your browser and run it.
  • Most of the preferences you can set in the web interface are the same, but they have been reorganized. The new arrangement generally makes things easier to find--just remember that the size of the Winstat window is considered a "Session Setting" rather than a "Display Setting."
  • Shift-F12 is no longer an alternate key to exit or return to full-screen mode; you should always use Shift-F2.

Please report any problems to the Help Desk.

SSCC Facebook Page

The SSCC is on Facebook!  Become a fan of the SSCC and get updates on training opportunities and other important announcements right in your Facebook News Feed.   We wanted a new way to reach out to our members and communicate with those outside of the Social Science division who might be interested in our training and other services. Facebook has become a part of the daily lives of so many people and it seemed the natural choice.  You can find us by searching for "Social Science Computing" when signed in to Facebook.

Time to Reserve Computer Classroom for Spring Semester Courses

It's time to reserve the 3218 classroom or mobile lab for your spring semester class. Use our new web form to make your request(s). Reservations are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Contact Caitlin Tefft (ctefft@ssc.wisc.edu) if you have questions. Caitlin's office is in the 4226 office suite and her phone number is 2-0862.  Visit our Instructional Support at the SSCC web page for more information about the 3218 classroom and the mobile lab.

Even if you do not need to reserve the classroom or lab, you can arrange for your students to have access to SSCC's drop in labs (3218 and 4218 Social Science) and Winstat (available from anywhere with an Internet connection) for doing their homework. Caitlin can help you with this as well.

Doug Hemken (dehemken@wisc.edu), statistical computing specialist for SSCC, is available to help students with homework and class projects. You can also arrange for Doug to come to your class and provide instruction on statistical software. Doug's office is in the 4226 office suite and his phone number is 2-4327.

We recently purchased a document camera to use in class rooms where the screen covers the blackboard. We also have special software in the classroom that allows you to control or interact with your students' computers. Contact Caitlin if you'd like to learn more about either of these.

Condor Now Emails You When Your Job is Done

In response to user requests, we've modified the scripts for submitting Condor jobs (condor_do, condor_stata, condor_sas and condor_matlab) to send email when your job is complete. The message will go to your SSCC email address.

Tip: Check to Make Sure You Can Still Answer Your Security Questions--and That No One Else Can.

All SSCC members (except those using SoE accounts) should have security questions set which will allow you to reset your password if you forget it. We suggest you periodically make sure you can still answer them--if you forget both your password and the answers to your security questions you'll need to bring some form of photo ID to the SSCC Help Desk in 4226 Sewell Social Sciences Building so we can verify your identity before resetting your password.

Also be sure that no one else can answer your security questions. In particular, don't use questions that can be answered simply by using Google.