Video Walls Modernize Texas Tech Petroleum Research Facility
Texas Tech University's petroleum engineering department recently celebrated the grand opening of the Terry Fuller Petroleum Engineering Research Building. The new 42,000 square foot facility is equipped with the latest educational technologies including smart classrooms, integrated teaching laboratories, and collaborative study environments.
When planning the facility, the university sought to create an atmosphere that would support both interactive research and real-world analysis. As key components of the technological infrastructure, RGB Spectrum’s MediaWall Display Processors are used to control two Prysm video walls. Texas Tech University's facilities department executed the construction project for the new building. 4B Technology Group specified the preferred audio-visual technologies, and the system was designed and installed by Lubbock Audio Visual Inc., a Texas-based integration company.
"RGB Spectrum's MediaWall processor marries up perfectly with Prysm’s video wall to provide outstanding image uniformity and stability," said Mark Basford of 4B Technology Group. "The images generated during the evaluation process, using 4K content from the RGB Spectrum processor, were exceedingly crisp and pixel perfect. The RGB Spectrum processor was a fantastic performance leader and provides exceptional value for this project."
The MediaWall processors enable Texas Tech students and faculty to view, analyze and discuss a range of material. The two 23’ x 5’ video walls function as an extended canvas for multi-window presentations. With the ability to configure multiple high-resolution inputs for display, the processors allow instructors and students to review and discuss GPS, seismic and geophysical data routed from an array of workstations and servers. The rich, multi-window displays enable students to experience the types of computer simulations, geological data modelling and video monitoring scenarios that are common in real-world oil and gas control rooms. This method of hands-on preparatory learning is becoming increasingly common for students in the energy, medical, and security fields.
Students can also send their own data, video, and visualization models to the instructor for real-time display and discussion. A touchscreen panel installed on the podium allows instructors to customize the video wall display by selecting, arranging and re-sizing up to 12 graphics or video inputs. This simultaneous access to multiple streams of information enables instructors and students to participate in the collaborative analysis of experimental research and data.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, national production of oil and natural gas have increased by 43% and 21% respectively, a trend that is expected to continue as extraction technologies improve. Texas Tech’s technologically-enhanced classrooms empower its students to undertake research that formerly could only be conducted in field studies. In fact, the in-depth collaborative analysis that occurs at this facility actually helps improve the efficiency of exploration methods and production techniques.
The Terry Fuller Petroleum Engineering Research Building is a source of pride for the university, which aims to provide students with real-world training using the most technologically-advanced tools. “We like to emulate, as much as we can, what students will see when they get out into the industry,” said Marshall Watson, chair of the Herd Department of Petroleum Engineering. “I've been to all of the other universities and there is nothing like this. Everything that you could possibly think of in terms of state-of-the-art technology, we've got it.”
Founded in 1923, Texas Tech University is a leading supplier of petroleum engineers to facilities in the Permian Basin, one of the world's thickest deposits of oil-rich sedimentary rock, as well as to major global energy companies. By incorporating the latest technologies and experience-based curricula into their undergraduate through doctoral programs, the university delivers world-class training to the next generation of petroleum engineers.
For more information, visit:
Texas Tech University
4B Technology – design and engineering of IT/audio visual / security solutions
Lubbock Audio Visual, Inc. – total system solutions providers since 1978
RGB Spectrum is a leading designer and manufacturer of mission-critical, real-time audio-visual solutions for a civilian, government, and military client base. The company offers integrated hardware, software, and control systems to satisfy the most demanding requirements. Since 1987, RGB Spectrum has been dedicated to helping its customers achieve Better Decisions. Faster.™
