PowerLab Versatility Provides Large Cost Savings for 20 Year User, University of Wollongong |
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 Above: University of Wollongong Second Year Physiology students record a classmate's ECG using PowerLab and the ADInstruments' ECG switchbox.
Twenty years later, ADInstruments data acquisition systems are being used extensively at the University of Wollongong. They play an important role in helping to educate our future scientists in their knowledge and understanding of physiology. ADInstruments' PowerLab systems are used in practical laboratory sessions for five of the degree courses offered by University’s School of Health Sciences: Science, Exercise Science and Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Dietetics, Health Sciences and Medical Science.
The convenience of PowerLab systems has enabled their integration into the majority of laboratory sessions in the fields of exercise physiology, cardiorespiratory physiology and respiratory physiology.
 Cost-Effective Solutions for Changing Needs
Ms Kellie Ridges, the Manager of the School of Health Sciences has administered the acquisition of the School’s undergraduate teaching equipment for a number of years. From Kellie’s perspective, the key strength of the PowerLab system is its ability to provide cost effective solutions for the changing needs of the School.
"Once you have a PowerLab system, it is relatively inexpensive to add extra functionality. For example, when our educators wanted more ECG machines for 12 lead ECG experiments we reviewed our options. We could get new ECG machines at around $6000 each or ECG pods with switch boxes for use with PowerLab systems for well under $1000 each. Choosing the ECG Pods to supplement our existing machines saved the school many thousands of dollars," said Kellie.
According to Kellie, PowerLab systems have provided many other cost efficiencies. "When our reaction-time machine stopped working, we purchased a low cost Push Button transducer for PowerLab and made a settings file in PowerLab's Chart software to do the same job. It was a successful solution that cost much less than a new machine. PowerLab's versatility has enabled it to become an integral and important part of the education syllabus for the School of Health Sciences."
 Maximizing PowerLab Usage for Extra Cost Savings
The School of Health Sciences has been able to make extra cost savings by taking advantage of the portability and capability of every PowerLab system. Each PowerLab has been placed on an individual trolley, enabling its use in five different laboratories for five different degree courses. In addition, some students who have become familiar with PowerLab's basic features during their undergraduate studies have chosen to use PowerLab for their postgraduate studies.
Twenty years after the first ADInstruments data acquisition system was installed at the University of Wollongong, staff and scientists are continuing to provide the university with substantial cost savings by maximizing the use of their versatile and robust PowerLab systems.
About the University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is an international research institution providing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, located in NSW, Australia. It is ranked in the Top 500 world universities by the respected Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities, 2007.
02 July 2008
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