By Megan Finnerty
Asst. Campus Editor

People wouldn't usually expect Krannert School of Management graduate students to be sitting outside of Harry's Chocolate Shop working on a group project; however, with the new wireless technology that has been added to the Krannert building, students can do just that.

With a network card that costs $160, Krannert students can have wireless access to Krannert's network and the Internet on their laptops.

Basically, the $1,000 data jacks provide a 200-foot service bubble that allows up to 50 people within it to connect to services only previously available to computer lab users. Students can do research on Krannert and library networks, check their e-mail and surf the Internet outside in the Krannert courtyard, on the Purdue Memorial Union steps across State Street, in the Krannert Building lobby and in the Krannert library.

Michael Sinnott, director of information technology for the Krannert School of Management, said the choice to go wireless was a matter of helping students work together more effectively.

"They can connect to our network resources in our drawing room from couches, outside and all over the place," he said. "And we did this because this arrangement allows students to work together in a group setting. We wanted to provide grad students with new ways of gathering and using information."

Jerry Brower, network administrator for the Krannert School of Management, agreed when he said this arrangement allows students to work easier because masters students do a lot of group projects and this enables them to meet outside of a noisy computer lab.

Brower also said that because Computer World ranked Krannert seventh in a survey of schools that offer techno MBAs, there is an expectation that the school should be using a lot of advanced technology in the learning environment.

"A techno MBA is a master's degree that specializes in areas of business that deal with a lot of technology," he said. "And because of our reputation, it is important that we have and use a lot of technology."

The wireless technology will be expanded over the summer to places all over the Krannert building. Other large meeting areas, some conference rooms and break rooms will have this service in the future.

It is like a cellular phone for a computer. As long as you are within the range of the transmitter, you can access things like you could in a PUCC computer lab. The one transmitter in the Krannert drawing room can reach as far as six steps from Harry's, one floor upstairs or across State Street to the steps of the Union. The key constraint is the life of the batteries in the laptop.

This also keeps Krannert from having to buy tons of new computers — para. We tested the new environment in January with 11 students and we got an overwhelmingly positive response.

The School of Management has its own network (like PUCC), but it's only for management grad students and without this card, the only way to access the network was within the labs.