The Research Instrumentation Lab (RIL) has purchased a Win7 desktop computer through the EE department's annual public computer sale. The computer is currently loaded with offline data analysis software for three instruments: powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope's elemental analysis (SEM/EDS) and Mossbauer spectrometer. RIL users who have already acquired instrument analysis data can use the offline computer to analyze the data at their convenience.
The desktop computer was only for $57 including an LCD monitor, a mouse and a keyboard. This is a good example of a UMD unit benefiting from another UMD unit's cost center to lower the operation cost.