The Nicholas School maintains two computing labs in Durham: the Instructional Computing Lab (ICL) in A153 LSRC , the Advanced Computing Lab (ACL) in A314 LSRC ; and two print shops in A152a LSRC and 06 Old Chemistry. A list of software installed in the public computer labs is available here.

The Dean's Office can arrange Duke Card access to any of the Nicholas School facilities. Nicholas IT does not staff the computing labs, and relies on users to let us know of problems with the computers and printers, and of any concerns about usage.

In Durham, the Instructional Computing Lab (ICL) has 30 seats and is used primarily for GIS classes. Also available are an instructor's computer console wired to a ceiling-mounted LCD projector and built-in videoconferencing.

The 33-seat Advanced Computing Lab (ACL) is available for quiet study.

Flat-bed scanners, b/w and color printers are available in both print shops. The Nicholas School uses the OIT B/W ePrint queue for b/w printing and an NSOE color ePrint queue which uses a different pricing scheme than the OIT color ePrint queue in our facilities. The queues are available from our website. A wide-format plotter is available in the Old Chem print shop.

All labs are accessible 24/7 to Nicholas School students. Real time availability can be viewed online for the ICL here and the ACL here.

In Beaufort, the Marine Laboratory houses a Duke University public access cluster, with sixteen high speed Windows XP workstations, each with scientific, productivity, statistical, and GIS software available. The graduate student computer facility has twelve additional workstations, plus a high-capacity duplex laser printer, color laser printer, and a large format plotter.

Additionally, the University maintains a variety of computing facilities available to Nicholas School students. See the OIT website for more information.

Lab etiquette

When in the labs, be respectful of others' need for quiet and keep conversations to a minimum. The ACL has traditionally been regarded as a quiet workspace. In the ICL and the Annex, conversation and discussion are more the norm.

• To begin your work, choose a workstation that is currently not in use. If there are plenty of available computers, the preferred etiquette is not to disrupt someone's work, but to move on to another machine.

• When finished, remember to log off to protect your data.

• If you must leave a lab computer running a lengthy process, put a note on the computer stating your name and contact info for where you can be reached at that time, and when you expect to return.

Nicholas IT cannot guarantee that an unattended computer will remain dedicated to your use until your program runs to completion. Nicholas School computer labs are shared public clusters for Nicholas students, and priority is given to those who are physically present and using a computer. Students should avoid tying up computers for lengthy processes during peak usage times.

• If the only available computer is one reserved for long jobs, make a reasonable effort to get in touch with the person whose name appears on the note.  If during work hours, contact Nicholas IT. As a last resort, restart the computer.

Nicholas IT prefers not to set strict policies for the labs, but to encourage usage that best serves the school's entire student population. Please adhere to this etiquette whenever possible to avoid unnecessary loss of data and time and concomitant frustrations.

No pets are allowed in the LSRC and the labs are no exception. This is for the safety of the animals and in consideration, for example, of those with allergies.

Reporting problems

Submit a support request. Be sure to indicate which machine you are using - the number is labeled on the case.