Legrand AV supports Joint Research Center Zeeland to lead the way in innovative education
Who has the youth, has the future: that’s why it’s essential to have great education and equally great education tools. HZ University of Applied Sciences recognizes that and decided to overhaul their data science department which specializes in food, bio-based economy, and water and energy management. To teach their 5000 students about this innovative and highly relevant field, they established a new building to accommodate the Joint Research Center Zeeland which includes three specialized AV spaces.
Challenge
Data science and artificial intelligence are relatively new fields: there is no set blueprint on how to teach them and what tools to use. HZ University of Applied Sciences did have a clear vision though and approached Ocular to help them achieve it. Interaction, innovative visualization and engaging presentation are the focus areas. As the rooms will be used by teachers and students alike, the technology should be reliable and intuitive too, even for first-time users. The JRCZ will be used for years to come and should be ready to face the future.
Solution
Setting up the specialized spaces meant combining various technologies and products. It’s important to keep in mind that each product must be easy to use so students and teachers can focus on their topic instead of operating the room’s technology. Various Legrand AV products were included: Chief Voyager carts, various products from the Vaddio EasyIP ecosystem and Luxul managed switches. These reliable and intuitive products are a perfect fit for the university’s requirements and complement the other products.
An example is the revolutionary curved and high-quality LED wall, which lends itself perfectly for immersive 3D experiences with up to 10 participants, or for interactive videocalls. On and around this wall, you can find seamlessly integrated Vaddio cameras and microphones.
Installation
This was a very large project and required excellent communication between all involved to pull it off. Ocular mapped out the customer’s requirements through various workshops with the future users. After gaining insight in what the university needed, Ocular brainstormed about potential products and used tools, for example the MountFinder, to determine what was suitable. In other areas, Ocular consulted Legrand AV Sales Manager Dennis Driessen to obtain more detailed advice. “We have had great experiences with Legrand AV before,” says Nicolas Vanden Avenne, CEO of Ocular.
The various Legrand AV products were easy to integrate in the full solution, especially the Chief Voyager carts. Nicolas Vanden Avenne says: “It’s a stylish product with a very good finish and a lot of storage. We’ve used the Chief Voyager carts in different projects after this one too.”
Results
The three rooms are used daily, and the users are very happy. Both students and guests respond very positively and commend the innovative approach to teaching and presenting data science. The installation also won two awards from EUNIS (European University Information Systems organization), which focuses on AV and IT projects in Europe’s higher education. Both the “AV enabled lab/maker/specialist educational space” and “Best Overall AV-enabled Education Space” were awarded to Ocular and JRCZ. This shows once again that not only are the users are pleased with the new technology, but experts are also impressed by the installation.
On his tour through the Zeeland region, His Majesty Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands, stopped by the university and appreciated all the work that’s been done. The King has a special interest in water management, as he served on various water management committees for sixteen years before he ascended the throne.
“We can show the added value of data science and now we have the facilities to do that,” says Mischa Beckers, lector data science at HZ University of Applied Sciences. Loek van der Linde, data science lab manager, adds: “Once users get to work with the technology, which they always do surprisingly quickly, they can create awesome stuff.”
