New To The HCIL

New to HCIL?

Most Important Things You Should Know

• To edit the wiki pages (like this one): login with your main campus credentials. Remember that the information is public and can be found by google (so for example do not put links to your draft paper or give passwords)
• The HCIL coordinator is (OOPS we do not have a coordinator at the moment... Hopefully someone will be hired soon. The coordinator will need your information and photo to add you to the HCIL student webpage.
• The hcil (at) listserv.umd.edu mailing list is used to broadcast HCIL lab announcements.
• to be added to the mailing lists: ask Evan Golub ( egolub @ umd.edu )
• The hcil-students (at) listserv.umd.edu list is used to reach the students who are working with HCIL faculty - and typically have a desk in Hornbake
• This [[ https://wiki.umiacs.umd.edu/hcil/%7CHCIL Wiki]] covers some info, like how to print, etc. but has not been updated for a while
• If this wiki page is down, tell the coordinator, or contact staff@umiacs.umd.edu and cc: the coordinator

• We typically have a Brown Bag Lunch and talk together, every Thursday 12:30-1:30. Plan to present your early work there. It is a good place to give feedback to your fellow students and colleagues, and to get feedback and suggestion. Sometime we have outside speakers. If we have a sponsor, there might be free food.

See the hcil website hcil.umd.edu for the latest Brown Bag Lunch schedule.

• Every year at the end of May we organize the HCIL Symposium. All students present their work and/or help organize the event. You are expected to participate.
• The HCIL website is hcil.umd.edu. In the future, make sure your work is mentioned there.
• Students: Parking lot 1 is your first choice, then lot 9 / 11 / 6. (MAY NOT BE Update)
• Projector in the lab's big room 2115 is a High quality and High res projector + good quality sound. 2 ways to connect: RGB or HDMI (better). Controls to turn on/off the projector itself are on the wall above the red sofa. There is a remote but useful ONLY in RBG mode to change aspect ratio. HighRes/HighLuminosity projector 1920x1200 – 4000 Lumens EPSON 5450WU . Be careful that the cables do not get trampled and broken.
• Calendar: {OUT OF DATE] we have a calendar... go back to the home page and you will find link to it
• Security: never leave your laptop unattended. Keep doors closed after hours. The iSchool sets the time at which the main glass doors automatically lock (night and weekend). If needed your advisor can request swipe-in after-hour access for you.
• the doors of the lab should remain closed. Especially the door into the hallway of the big lab room. If you prop the door open: you are responsible for closing it (as soon as possible) - and you become responsible if anything gets stolen after hours (it has happened)
• If the lab looks empty when you leave? then turn off the lights (switches are next to the big glass doors) and double check that the doors are closed
• Please tidy the sofas after you use them. We are all responsible for keeping the lab looking good.
• How do I do X? If it is not answered below, start by asking the HCIL coordinator, or your advisor (and once you find out, you can add it to this page :)

Working Together:

• If you want a desk: Ask your advisor to request it. We can only assign desks to grad students working with HCIL faculty, but others are welcome to use the lab, tables, unassigned desks, etc. Some cubicles have locks, some have “bring your own lock”, others have a built in lock so ask for a key from the iSchool office. Assigned desks are reviewed on a semester basis. Remember that there is a “use it or you may lose it” policy, i.e., if you don’t use your desk and we need more space for new students, we might ask you to share - or give up - your desk.
• Shared desks: Some desks are marked as “shared desks” on both sides (east and west) of the 2nd floor). You are welcome to use them as much as you want (if you do not have an assigned desk), on a 1st come 1st served basis, for each visit. Of course you can also use the tables and sofas elsewhere in the lab. We know that chairs move every time there is an big event in the lab, so you may have to go find one in the big lab. Be considerate and also leave the space neat when you leave.
• The big HCIL room/lab is our main shared space - with priority to the HCIL folks. Everyone can use the whiteboard wall (under the screen), and the smaller board by the window. Take photos when you are done, as everyone is allowed to erase everything on the wall. You can have informal work meetings there anytime you want (just expect people to walk in and out to get to the Hackerspace/fridge/coffee/calendar). If you do use this space, make sure to clean up after yourself as it is a communal and heavily used space by all members of the lab.
• Room for impromptu small meetings: The big room can be used (and reserved - ask the coordinator). 2108 (near the bathrooms) has a nice small room on the right of the computers with a big whiteboard wall. In the future HCIL capstone students may be given priority to use that room.
• Other meeting rooms can be reserved via the iSchool (see the receptionist on the 4th floor).
• The HCIL coordinator will need to add you to the HCIL website faculty or student page. Take the initiative to send info and a photo to the coordinator.
• Question or problem about computer equipment: ask the coordinator and cc: egolub @ umd.du
• When you make your work available online with a webpage, tell the HCIL coordinator so we can link to it from the main HCIL website
• need a change of venue: see the list of Central Campus Quiet Places
• TODO: Add something about papers and TRs

Living Together

• You don’t have to wait for Thursdays to eat with us! There is often people eating together around 12:30 . Come find us! We are most often in the lab but if it’s nice outside we will go outside on Hornbake Plaza to eat.
• For organizing fun outings there is a special smaller list, hcil-play@cs.umd.edu. You can add yourself to this list here: https://mailman.cs.umd.edu/mailman/listinfo/hcil-play
• After you use the main lab (big room), please make sure to clean up after yourselves. This goes especially for the black table. This space is used twice a week (Tu/The) throughout the year for Kidsteam, a group of adults and kids who design kids' tech together. The table is used for snack each Kidsteam day, so please be sure to clean up after yourself.
• We have our own little sink, fridge and coffee machines in the main lab, but WE have to keep the sink area clean by ourselves. The building cleaning staff will not touch it. The same goes for the fridge! Please don’t leave old gross food in the fridge!
• HCIL does NOT have a budget for coffee and other such supplies so in general we use a “bring your own” method, or get together with other HCILers with similar needs to share the cost. HCIL makes the supplies leftover from events to everyone. Please only use what is next to the fridge, NOT what is in the cabinets, as it is reserved for special events.

QUESTIONS?

• the website is down, who do I tell?
  • The HCIL website is on a iSchool server so email ischooltechsupport @ umd.edu and cc: the coordinator.
• the WIKI is down, who do I tell?
  • Of course you wont even see this... but the WIKI is on a umiacs server so contact staff @ umiacs.edu and cc: the coordinator.
• Can I come to the brownbag even if I don’t officially belong to HCIL?
  • YES!
• I am not part of HCIL, can I be on the mailing list?
  • Yes
  • And you might find you want to be part of the HCIL after all . . .
• I'm preparing a brownbag presentation and I'm a student and an HCIL member. Is there a slide template I could use?
  • No need to, but you could try to extract one from one of the presentations here: http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/pubs/presentations/

• ADD YOUR QUESTIONS HERE (and we will answer here)