6A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009
TECHNOLOGY
Alumnus and co-creator of Google Earth visits campus
BY JESSE BROWN
jbrown@kansan.com
The University of Kansas welcomed back one of its successful alumni yesterday — Brian McClendon, vice president of engineering for Google. The 1986 graduate left with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and went on to help create Google Earth.
McClendon spoke to an audience of more than 50 faculty members and students in the Apollo Room at Nichols Hall about the development and future of Google Earth and cloud computing.
In his presentation, he discussed how drastically computers had changed between 1982, when he purchased his first Atari video game system, and 2004 when he co-created Google Earth.
McClendonsaidearlycomputers
This growth in storage space has been the most notable change in modern technology, McClendon said.
and game systems, such as Atari, held relatively tiny amounts of storage space compared with the storage capabilities of the modern Google.
He said Google's storage capacity had grown exponentially and he predicted it would continue to do so in the future.
McClendon joined Google in 2004 when the company bought Keyhole Corp., where he had previously been working.
In the same year, he helped to create Google Earth. According to McClendon's presentation, more than 30 percent of Earth's land surface and 50 percent of its population is represented in the Google Earth program.
As the leader of the engineering
group for Google's geo products, which include Maps, Streetview and Sketchup, McClendon and his team have since created Google Ocean, Sky, Mars and Moon.
McClendon said smart phones, which commonly use open-source operating systems such as Google's Android system, thrived with the advent of a type of processing called cloud computing.
He said this would eventually make the mobile phone the future of the Internet.
The lecture brought students and professionals eager to find ways to incorporate McClendon's work into their own research.
"I saw it as a good opportunity to broaden my horizons and gain some exposure," Mindy Liu, Wichita graduate student in the School of Engineering, said.
Matt Welch, Shawnee sophomore,
works at Sunflower
Broadband and came to the lecture to hear more about file systems, a process used where he works.
McClendon's presentation also drew in faculty members interested in incorporating his work into their own jobs.
Aaron Sumner, project manager for the Center for Research in Learning, and Amber Nutt, program assistant for the center, came to the lecture to find ways to help professors educate their students using cloud computing as a way of gathering information.
It all, McClendon said, was part of Google's main mission: to organize information and to make it accessible to the world.
Edited by Amanda Thompson
Follow Jesse Brown at twitter. com/jessebrownthe1.
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
Brian McClendon, 1986 graduate and vice president of engineering for Google, discusses the technology behind Google Earth and Google Maps. McClendon helped to create Google Earth in 2004.
CAMPUS
Students prepare for cold weather, crowded bus routes
BY RAY SEGEBRECHT
rsegebrecht@kansan.com
For four winters, Carey Winfield has returned to her pre-class ritual of bundling up before she braves the frosty elements and treks to class. She burrows in her snowboarding jacket and pulls on "big fluffy socks" and rubber snow boots. She insulates her legs, head and hands with long underwear, a warm, floppy hat and gloves. But Monday, Winfield, Tulsa, Okla., senior, wasn't prepared for the cold and could only pull her coat tight to her cheeks to keep the oversized snowflakes off her face.
"I didn't know it was going to snow," Winfield said as she took refuge inside Wesco to warm up, "Two days ago, I don't think I had a coat on at all. Luckily, I had gloves in my pocket."
As Winfield prepares for her
daily winter walks, other local travelers are also making adjustments in the first snow of the season.
The city of Lawrence prepared to begin spreading 4,000 tons of sand and salt —1,000 left over from last year and 3,000 the city bought in May — across the streets, Tom Orzulak, street division manager said.
Orzulak said he felt fortunate amidst the early flurries to have all of the materials ready and a staff of 41 returning drivers.
"This is the earliest in past several years," Orzulak said. "Usually, you get to Thanksgiving before it snows."
Richard McNulty, lecturer in the atmospheric science program, said the winter weather might also possibly end earlier than usual because this year is an "el Nino" year. He said the "el Nino" climate
would mean the temperatures longitudinally above and below the state of Kansas would likely increase slightly this winter. He said the weather in Kansas should
"It's an educated guess for something that far out," McNulty said. "We have enough trouble with the next 24 hours sometimes."
this morning.
"Two days ago, I don't think I had a coat on at all. Luckily, I had gloves in my pocket."
At the University, Facilitie. Operations had two trucks and 15 other workers ready to help clear the sidewalks and streets Monday, Mike Lang, campus landscape manager, said. He said a forecast for cold north winds would put him on alert through
"You have to keep an eye on things," Lang said. "Myself or somebody else will be up all of tonight. If there's accumulation,
our staff will be up at 4 oclock in the morning."
Lang said once the weather turned more severe, the crew would prioritize clearing the main access roads and sidewalks onto campus and the handicap
access ramps first and then proceed to clearing the paths between buildings.
Orzulak said unlike at the University, Lawrence residents and students off campus would be responsible for clearing the sidewalks in front of their homes.
As a new on-campus freshman,
Hayden Fuchs, of Rapid City, South Dakota, said even though the campus sidewalks will be cleared, he would opt to take the bus this winter. Fuchs, who wore shorts today, said he had grown accustomed to gearing up for the cold in his home state, but was shocked to see the snow when he walked out of McCollum Hall. Once he boarded the bus, Fuchs said he found a mob of other students like him scrambling for seats and aisle room to escape the elements. Fuchs said he expected the bus to be extra busy throughout the winter season.
"I think there are going to be times where we'll have to wait," Fuchs said. "But there's usually buildings next to the bus stops so you can just stay inside and wait till the next bus arrives."
Jeremy Bash, KU on Wheels driver, said he hoped all of his
passengers would continue to feel confident in the safety of the bus system. Bash, starting his second winter behind the wheel of a KU bus, said the vehicles have a switch that keeps a "retarder" feature from grabbing the tires and making them skid out in the winter weather.
He said he and the other drivers would also remain extra vigilant about driving cautiously and defensively all winter long.
"Our supervisors have already made several announcements today for our drivers to drive slowly, telling them what to do to keep them from sliding," Bash said. "We're very aware of the situation."
Follow Ray Segebrecht at twitter.com/rsegebrecht.
- Edited by Megan Morriss