Local Students Build Computers at the Magnet Lab

June 12, 1998

Contact:
Mike Davidson, (850) 644-0542
Janet Patten, (850) 644-9651

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Ten middle and high school students are learning much more than computer graphics this summer: They're building their own computers this summer as part of an extraordinary internship experience at National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. A demonstration of their computer-building activities will be held on Thursday, June 18, 1998, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

These students work under the mentorship and support of Florida State University researcher and well-known microscopist, Michael W. Davidson. A local company, Cooperative Computer Center, Inc., donates some of the computer components. During the summer, the interns build their computers from scratch, doing everything from assembling the hardware components to installing the operating system and application software. Then they use the new software and computers to learn state-of-the-art graphics programs and to develop graphic images for possible use on Davidson's and the laboratory's Internet websites (http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu and http://magnet.fsu.edu, respectively). At summer's end, the interns will take their computersÑand a wealth of new knowledgeÑhome with them. Some of them, however, will return for part-time jobs during the school year and full-time jobs next summer.

In addition to Davidson's interns, the NHMFL has 25 students and 3 teachers integrated into its research and learning programs. Many of them are part of the Governor's Integrated A.R.T.S. (Art, Research, Technology, & Science) Program and the Florida Teacher Quest Scholarship Program. A showcase of the Magnet Lab's summer educational activities will be held at the end of July.