January 18, 2006

Purdue's Engineering Computer Network announces new director

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's Engineering Computer Network will further develop its collaborations and project development both inside the university and with outside companies under the leadership of a new director.

David S. Carmichael, who has served as interim director of Purdue's Engineering Computer Network since 2003, was named today (Wednesday, Jan. 18) as its director.

"Purdue Engineering Computer Network was established in 1976 and is one of the first computing networks in the nation," Carmichael said. "I look forward to leading the computer network and helping it continue its path of preeminence."

Purdue's Engineering Computer Network has helped shape computing on Purdue's West Lafayette campus through the introduction, initial development and implementation of services that have been adopted campus-wide. The network is comprised of nearly 6,000 servers, desktops and laptops and manages about 3,500 machines and more than 21,000 accounts for the College of Engineering. The network operates the largest data protection and recovery system on Purdue's campus, amounting to about 18 terabytes. One terabyte equals 1,000 gigabytes.

As director, Carmichael will plan, coordinate, direct and design all operational activities of the network and provide continued direction and support for information technology for the College of Engineering.

Carmichael has worked at Purdue in a number of computing capacities for 17 years, the last 10 of which were spent with the Engineering Computer Network. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Purdue in 1984.

Writer: Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu

Source: David Carmichael, (765), 494-3546, carmicha@ecn.purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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