Geology Computer Lab  

Welcome 

The geology computer lab houses 19 new P4 PC's running a variety of Geology, Math, Graphics, and Programming applications. 

The lab is open most days from early in the morning until 8 p.m. in the evening. It is maintained by a part-time Support Systems Analyst.  GIS dual-monitor Graphics WorkStations are used for creating and editing maps that have been produced in the field or from research.

Moble Pentab GIS/GPS computers

The department has 12 Mobile GIS Pentab computers complete with Global Positioning Satellite links that can be connected to the GIS WorkStations. These are used in the field for detailed mapping work The files are then upload to the GIS WorkStations for further development.  Both undergraduate and graduate Geology students regularly take these machines into the field for their research work.

Geo-Wall 3D graphics visualization computers

A good understanding of spatial relationships is a fundamental requirement in the study of the Earth Sciences. Traditional teaching methods have strongly relied on the 2D representations through maps and profiles that are occasionally augmented by physical models. Although most Earth Scientists have been trained to understand the 3D structure from such representations, the extrapolation requires spatial thinking skills that are difficult to learn and often form a stumbling block for students at the introductory level.  The GeoWall mission is to develop Earth Science curriculum that is supported by low cost, classroom based virtual reality visualization devices.

Lab software

Read more

Windows: 

Labs Involved- GeoLab, MathLab222 and AlgLab225 17 machines in GeoLab, 25 in MathLab222 and 44 in AlgLab225

Common Software- Anti-Virus Adobe, Acrobat 6, Easy CD Creator 5, Java VM 1.4.1.6, Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave, MS Office 2003,Pro MS, FrontPage 2003, MS Visual Studio, Net MyMatlab Plug-In,s PowerDVD, PSShutDown, QuickTime, SSH WebMail, Client Z-Drive Quota Checker

Geology Software- Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop Elements, APLWin35, GeoPLot, Grapher 4, GroundWater, Vistas 3, PrintQuotas, RockWorks 2002, Surfer 7,Tasa Graphics, Earth Science Dictionary, Explore the Planets, Minerals, Rocks and Minerals, Plate Tectonics      

Apple Software:

OL - Online Software Manual; PC - Printed Copy

General Applications 

Adobe Acrobat Reader Portable Document Format reader (pdf)

Microsoft Excel X Spreadsheet software

Microsoft PowerPoint X Presentation software

Microsoft Word X Word Processing software

Geology Applications 

ArcView 3 Geology mapping software (basic skills) 

FaultKin Fault kinematic data analysis

Gibbs Garnet growth modelling software 

RefractSolve Geology software

StereoNet Stereo plotting software

TASA - Earth Science Dictionary Graphics presentation software

TASA - Explore the Planets Graphics presentation software

TASA - Minerals Graphics presentation software 

TASA - Plate Tectonics Graphics presentation software

TASA - Rocks and Minerals Graphics presentation software 

Graphics Applications

Adobe Illustrator 8 Graphical design application

Adobe PhotoShop 5.5 Graphics image editing software

Canvas 3.5 and 5 Graphical design applications

Math Applications

Cricket Graph  Graphing software

Groups & Graphs Graphing software

Geology department server share 

The Geology Department has its own share on the CEFNS server. It is accessible through the campus network and on the internet. It is partitioned into three directories:

  • "Classes" contains materials loaded by faculty and class instructors for use in courses.
  • "Open" is a storage area that enables students, faculty and staff to deposit work so that it cannot be modified or changed by others, but it can be copied or read by any others.
  • "Secure" is a private storage area for students, faculty and staff with only personal access.

To connect to CEFNSSHARES

Read more

In the geology computer lab: 

In the lab there are icons on the desktop and in My Computer that show drive letters for Open, Secure, and Classes; use these to connect.

If you're elsewhere on campus and have a wired connection, use the following method:

Using a Microsoft Windows Computer:

Open My Computer and type \\cefnsshares into the address bar. If your computer is not on the domain you will probably need to type \\cefnsshares.cefns.nau.edu; this will bring up an authentication dialog. In the username section type either nau-students\username or nau\username, substituting your correct username and the correct domain prefix (nau-students or nau). Next include your password in that text box.

You should then be presented with access to the shares that are available to you. The 3 folders are in the Geology share.

Using an Apple/Macintosh (OSX)

On the Finder menu bar, click Go, then Connect to Server. In the bottom text box type:

smb://cefnsshares.cefns.nau.edu/geology

You will then be presented with a dialog with 3 text boxes. Put either “nau-students” or just “nau” in the top domain text box; put your username in the next and password last.

From off campus or with wireless on campus:

You can still connect from anywhere in the world, but you must create and use a VPN connection before connecting to the shares as described above.

See more information about creating a VPN connection.

Geology web-enhanced courses

Learn more about our geology web-enhanced courses.