Botwinick Multimedia Learning Laboratory Re-dedicated
"The Botwinick Multimedia Learning Laboratory is the signature element
of our service learning program that has revolutionized the first-year
engineering curriculum," said Interim Dean Gerald A. Navratil at
ceremonies re-dedicating the lab. Since its inception in 1994, the
computer lab used for the required first-year 
design course has been
generously underwritten by Edward Botwinick '58SEAS, '56CC. This
semester, students from the Class of 2011 became the first to use the
newly renovated and renamed Botwinick Multimedia Learning Laboratory
for their Design Fundamentals Using Advanced Computing Technologies
course. The projects undertaken by students in the Botwinick Lab form
the core of design education and community engagement at The Fu
Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Over the summer, 50 Apple Mac Pro workstations replaced PCs and
significant technological enhancements were installed in the lab. Each
Apple Mac Pro workstation consists of an 8-core machine, with a 23"
high-definition monitor, connected via a gigabit network to four new
Xserves and 10.5 TB of Xraid storage.The classroom features a
wide-screen SMART Board, a high-definition LCD projector, and a
high-definition Sony PTZ camera.
Under
the direction of Vice Dean Morton Friedman and Associate Dean Jack
McGourty, the required first-year design course has evolved into one
that is based entirely on community-based service learning. Since 2003,
all Columbia SEAS students tackle authentic design projects for local
community partners who represent a myriad of non-profit organizations.
Past clients include the legendary Apollo Theater, Harlem’s YMCA-The
Jackie Robinson Youth Center, The Frederick Douglass Academy, The
Ulysess S. General Grant Houses, and the New York City Parks and
Recreation Department.
Mr. Botwinick is former chairman and CEO of Timeplex, Inc., a company that he helped found in 1969, and which was acquired by Unisys in 1988. During his tenure, Timplex was a highly successful producer of data communications and wide-area networking systems. He is a Trustee Emeritus of Columbia University and former member of the Dean's Engineering Council, now called the Board of Visitors. He received his B.A. from Columbia College in 1956, majoring in physics, and graduated in 1958 with a B.S. in electrical engineering from what was then known as the Columbia School of Engineering.
