MTSU has partnered with Avaya, a leader in business communications, to create a demonstration lab in the University's Telecommunications Building to serve as a "test kitchen" for the company's interactive-communication products.
The lab, which will be located in the second-floor conference room, will be open to students and faculty.
MTSU is the first university in the state to house the Avaya hands-on lab and will be joined by a few additional schools in the southeast as soon as those institutions confirm their participation. Avaya technicians started setting up the lab at MTSU earlier this year, and the equipment will be accessible by fall.
Avaya also will invite outside consumers to the facility for product demonstrations. MTSU has used products by Avaya—previously Lucent Technologies—since 1999 to serve the campus' voice-communication needs.
"We will be able to get a first look at some of the emerging new technologies that are out there in communications," said Bruce Petryshak, vice president for MTSU's Information Technology Division. "This will allow us to see brand-new technology, how it fits the needs of the University and how we might use it. They're bringing in and installing their newest equipment, and we're upgrading our existing infrastructure so that we can interface with it.
"MTSU will have the opportunity to experiment with the latest collaboration-enabled technologies, even before they are beta-released," Petryshak continued. "We will have the ability to experiment and perhaps write some code and see if we can do some customizing using our faculty and staff."
Deborah Plante, senior systems engineer for Avaya, said the company has "taken the position of being more open-standard, which means that other products are compatible and adaptable. This is what everyone is looking for. Our goal is to be able to show people what the products can do for their business.
"With the collaborative effort here at MTSU, we're installing our products and allowing MTSU to use the products on campus. We have applications that can be created easily, where students can come in, be creative and get hands-on experience."
Some of the cutting-edge technology in the lab will include touch-screen tablets with multimodal capabilities, including voice, video and instant-message conferencing.
The drag-and-drop feature will allow the user to hold a video conference with one or two associates and bring additional colleagues into the conversation by simply pulling them from the address book into the screen's "spotlight." Participants will be able to drag a document into screen-share, interact, read and make changes in real-time, do whiteboarding, browse a website and perform other tasks.
"Video conferencing is expensive right now," Plante said. "You have to have a dedicated network and a dedicated room. It takes a long time to set up. Our new video products are meant to be technology that's easy and quick to use. On the back end, it's high-tech, but on the front end, it's user-friendly."
Plante said the lab will be a secured space, and individuals on- and off-campus will be asked to schedule appointments to use the equipment.
As soon as the other two or three universities in the region are on board as Avaya testing labs, Plante said, they and MTSU can use the communications equipment to interact with each other.
The MTSU campus community will be notified when the demonstration lab is completely set up and ready for use. In the meantime, please watch the video at http://bit.ly/AvayaDemo, which provides an overview of the Avaya products and capabilities.
Murfreesboro, TN - The Middle Tennessee Medical Center Foundation, which receives and manages monetary donations to MTMC, has provided $454,422 in funding for new hospital services and technology during the past year. Contributions to the MTMC Foundation support direct care of the poor, education, research, new equipment and facilities.
Nearly $30,000 was used in the purchase of new high-speed, portable ultrasound machines in the labor and delivery department, which delivers nearly 2,500 babies each year.
“The portable ultrasound machines are used for initial screening of patients with high risk pregnancies. The quick screenings allow potentially life saving procedures, assuring a healthy outcome for both mother and baby,” said Jocelyn Wires, RN, labor and delivery nurse manager.
Other portions of the funding were used to establish an emergency department room designated specifically for sexual assault victims. MTMC’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, which provides registered nurses specially trained in medical forensic examinations, will utilize this room to treat patients in a safe, compassionate environment.
“This dedicated room will help sexual assault victims feel safe,” said Debbie Curtis, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner at MTMC. “That one room could make all the difference when it comes to solving sexual assault cases.”
New equipment was also purchased for the MTMC cardiac and pulmonary rehab program, provided through the Wellness Center. The cardiopulmonary rehab patient monitoring system allows up to 16 patients to be monitored at one time during their rehab session, ensuring their safety during physical activity. The Wellness Center will be located in MTMC’s new Seton medical office building opening in December.
Other Foundation grants helped provide staff education funding, charity care for patients and new equipment for the Cancer Center which will also relocate to the Seton building in December. The Foundation was also responsible for a $20 million portion of the new hospital replacement facility project.
The MTMC Foundation was established in 1984 as a not-for-profit corporation to support the mission of the hospital. The Foundation's primary work is to promote community awareness of the quality and value of medical services provided by MTMC, and to raise and manage philanthropic gifts to further the hospital's healing ministry. Today some 1,400 donors support MTMC by contributing generously to the MTMC Foundation. For more information about the Foundation or how to contribute, visit www.mtmc.org/foundation or call (615)396-4953.
Murfreesboro TN - The perfect fit rarely ever happens. Most of the time an idea is force fed down a service that may or may not work. I.e.; McDonalds serving coffee or Starbucks moving into soft drinks. Well, once in a blue moon there is that perfect mixture that appears to have been touched by an angle. A brilliant Harvard sophomore created the world’s greatest social networking tool and poll vaulted more than a few twenty - somethings into billionaire status. Howard Shultz saw a convenient way to make coffee drinks in Italy and created Starbucks. Murfreesboro is experiencing the same phenomenon. Meet The Tech Life, Murfreesboro’s most convenient, affordable and friendly technology company.
Brothers Nathan and Brian Lowhorn grew up in Murfreesboro and have always been the “go to” guys for technology. They were always hearing the phrase, “Hey, could you take a look at this real quick?” from friends, family and co-workers. After a while it became clear that they had something to offer. Nathan comments, “[In Murfreesboro] people trust you right away. We want to work with that.” Nathan is also a physics professor at MTSU. Two years ago, the two looked at the technology industry and saw a desperate need for a business that treated people like people and not lab rats. Thus, The Tech Life was born.
What does The Tech Life do? Both Brian and Nathan smiled when I asked this question. Brian responded first, “We want to be the tech guys for Murfreesboro.” But what do they do? Nathan explained, “For starters, we help you with buying, installing and using technology.” So when your computer kicks the bucket and you are afraid of losing everything, call up The Tech Life. They will find a replacement computer, new or used, that fits your needs and your budget. They will also set it up the way you had it set before. Photos of the family will be exactly where you know to find them. Bookmarks on your web browser will be how you had set them. No starting over and no banging your head against the wall.
There is another thing to remember here, local first person interaction means no corporate salaries to pay so you will be paying less for better service. You’ll know the name and number of the professional working on your technology. They will pick up and deliver computers, cell phones, fax machines… you name it. You can get flat rates for repair $30 for 30 minutes, no matter what sort of job you are dealing with. Not to mention that computer/technology repair is a tax write off.
I spoke to long time client Gail Simms about her experience, “[The Tech Life] has been a life saver. They have lowered my stress level drastically.” She told me about trying to wrestle with a piece of machinery for her business for the better part of a year. Nathan spent an hour with her computer at her office and fixed her long running problem. She told me that she will always use The Tech Life for her technology needs and will recommend anybody in Murfreesboro to do the same.
Call The Tech Life at 615-653-4890 or visit them on the web at www.thetechlife.net. The website will show you many more testimonials and reviews as well as offer schedules for technology seminars. Ask the team about consultations, repairs and buying services, many of which are free services. It’s very clear that spending time with The Tech life that their passion is this community. With a proven track record of superb customer service, quality pricing and excellent work, The Tech Life gets an astounding recommendation for technology service. Enjoy!
Recently, The Tech Life was on WGNS radio (AM 1450, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM) to discuss the latest in tech news with Bryan Barrett on Rutherford Issues.
Listen to the radio segment here!
We discuss the latest in video game consoles including the Microsoft Kinect, Sony Playstation Move, and Nintendo 3DS as well as the latest Apple TV and the upcoming Google TV
Our thanks to Bryan Barrett for having us on his show and providing this audio.
*The Tech Life is Murfreesboro's tech support. Find out more at www.thetechlife.net. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 653-4890.
Best Buy has a 3DTV setup playing a 3D Blu-Ray movie. I just got back from checking it out and here are my thoughts.
1) It's better than the old-fashioned 3D using the colored glasses. Even so, I'm not convinced I would want to watch a lot of TV like this. Personally, I think it might bother me or give me a headache. Of course, it will get better with time.
2) Most of the 3D effect appears to be into the screen instead of out of the screen. The picture appears deep. There were some effects that came out of the screen though. I think this is affected by screen size and viewing distance. You really need the TV to fill most of your field of vision to get a great 3D effect coming out of the TV.
3) The colors appeared washed out compared to standard plasmas and LCDs. This might have been due to improper TV settings. Whatever the reason, the particular TV they were using did not have the rich colors we've come to expect with today's HDTVs.
3DTV is certainly interesting, but it's still very new. At this point I cannot recommend making the move to 3D. The price is still high, and I think the technology needs to improve. That said, with some substantial improvements, sports could be great in 3D.
Go check it out and let us know what you think!
*The Tech Life is Murfreesboro's tech support. Find out more at www.thetechlife.net. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 653-4890.
