Last week, KidsTek students from Hinkley High School in Aurora went on a field trip to ViaWest’s Cornell Data Center. As the students continue to learn more about the basics of technology and computer networking, this field trip helped the students to get a better picture of everything that they have learned in class since the beginning of the school year.
Our students were fortunate to be invited to get out of the classroom to see a data center in person. A data center is used for remote storage of information on networked computer servers. ViaWest’s Cornell site has over 100,000 square feet of raised floor with the latest power backup equipment. Each of ViaWest’s data centers has powerful and energy efficient power feeds, which helps to create a safe and highly monitored hardware storage environment for their business customers. The site’s cooling system also plays a vital role in keeping customer’s computer hardware and servers safe from environmental factors including power fluctuations and disruptions.
Scott Bell, Director of Release Management at ViaWest, had a presentation prepared for the students that explained the background of ViaWest and what exactly the company provides in terms of services and possible careers. Bell explains, “It’s a growing field; as the front end of technology becomes simpler, the back end becomes more complicated.”
ViaWest treated the students to lunch and gave them a lot of tech career advice. ViaWest employees also led an activity where students had the chance to work hands-on with some of the equipment used at the site. After seeing the data center, many of the students were interested in pursuing internships in the industry. “As technology becomes more integrated in our lives,” Bell stated, “those that can help plan, design, implement and support computer systems have a great career outlook.”
Thank you so much to ViaWest team for making this such a memorable experience for our Aurora high school students!
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