Research Computing Support
Our mission is to help UT researchers use computing and analytic methods.
Services Offered (2-Minute Video Overview, using RealPlayer)
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Software Support of SPSS, QDA Miner, MATLAB, SAS, WordStat, LabVIEW, Amos, Maple...
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Research Planning including designing studies or experiments and determining sample size and sample type.
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Data Acquisition including designing web surveys, scanning and scoring scan forms, using computers to control lab instruments and log data, capturing web sites and importing third party data sets. For help in finding third party data sets see Library Data Services at http://www.lib.utk.edu/refs/data
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Data Management including cleaning, transforming or recoding data and converting, stacking or joining data sets.
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Data Exploration using graphics, interactive visualization and data mining methods to find useful patterns in your data.
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Data Analysis using quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze numbers, words and images.
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Presenting Results finding the right combination of words, tables and figures. Writing or editing results sections of papers we co-author.
Consulting
Our clients come from a wide variety of departments across campus. Many of them have had some training in analytical methods. However, this knowledge is difficult to transfer from the classroom to the real world, and when left unused, tends to quickly fade.
Regardless of the level of assistance you need, we strongly recommend at least a brief meeting with one of our consultants as early in the project as possible. Minor changes made during the planning stage can save you much time and money.
We can provide assistance as computing consultants, showing you how to get the computer to do the analyses or graphics that you choose.
We can also provide guidance in choosing analyses, assisting with writing up the results and, if necessary, writing a response to journal reviewer's/editor's concerns. At this level, coauthorship is often appropriate.
Training Seminars
Each semester we offer seminars on research computing. For details about the seminars, see the Research Computing Classes at http://oit.utk.edu/training.
News & Documentation
We send a newsletter about new research software and services via email a few times per year. To sign up for it, see http://listserv.utk.edu/archives/statnews.html. We also write documentation on how to do popular research tasks that is available at http://oit.utk.edu/scc/docs.php. Our web page contains other documentation including a comprehensive set of SAS manuals. We also maintain a set of manuals for research software, which is on reserve at the Hodges Library.
Student Issues
For students, our main priority is helping with theses and dissertations. To avoid lengthy delays, it is important that you, your committee and your statistical consultant are all working toward the same solution. To ensure that this is the case, it is in your best interest to arrange to have your major professor present at our initial meeting so that we can agree on the appropriate methods to use.
We occasionally also assist with class projects depending on consultant availability and instructor approval.
Our Staff
Our staff is experienced in a wide array of analytical methods which you can read about at http://oit.utk.edu/scc/staff.php. We follow the American Statistical Association's Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice, especially with regard to confidentiality. See http://www.amstat.org/profession/index.cfm?fuseaction=ethicalstatistics for details.
Computing
We support SPSS, SAS, LabVIEW, MATLAB, Maple and a variety of other software on Windows, Macintosh and UNIX computers. For a list of research software available at UT and how we support it, see http://oit.utk.edu/scc/software.php. You can download software for research at http://oit.utk.edu/software. You can also purchase software from the UT Computer Store. Departments can purchase software through OIT's Contracts, Procurement and License Management group at 974-6461, or by using the online software catalog at http://oit.utk.edu/software.
Computers are available in OIT's public computer labs. Their locations and equipment are listed at http://oit.utk.edu/labs/ . A wide range of research software is available for use on any Windows, Macintosh or Linux computer at http://Analysis.utk.edu. You can also use a free UNIX account to do your analyses. See http://oit.utk.edu/accounts for details.
Charges
For most UTK students, the Technology Fee covers the cost of our services for up to ten hours per semester. Beyond that, the Fee provides a subsidized rate of $20 per hour.
For most UTK faculty or staff researchers, we provide 10 centrally funded hours of assistance each semester. Beyond that, the consulting rate is $70 per hour.
We also provide a complete service where you can drop off your data for us to analyze, write up results and/or prepare PowerPoint presentations complete with graphics. The cost is $70 per hour and a typical analysis may take around ten hours.
Support Options
For basic problems, especially accessing or converting datasets or putting surveys on the web, you can call us at 974-8975, send email to stathelp@utk.edu, or use our walk-in service at 200 Stokely Management Center. Walk-in and phone support hours are usually four hours per day and they are listed each semester at http://oit.utk.edu/scc/schedule.php.
For more complex problems you may need to make an appointment with a full-time consultant. You can do that at the number above, or from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. you may call the Help Desk at 974-9900 Once you have met with a consultant, you arrange future appointments via his or her direct phone number or email.
If you need to cancel your appointment, please give at least 24 hours notice to avoid unnecessary billing.
Helping Us Improve
If you have suggestions that you feel would help us to better meet your needs, please take two minutes to fill out one of the surveys at the links below, contact the RCS Manager, Bob Muenchen at 974-5230 or BobM@utk.edu, or contact any RCS consultant.