Tuesday, October 25th, 2016 | ae@technewsiit.com l:!::! a 7

56 coming “soon" to mobile phones, but already has a quiet foothold on campus

David Sobel
COPY EDITOR

Recently, Qualcomm announced
that by the first half of 2018, we will be
seeing the first 5th generation (5G) wireless
modems in phones. The first of these will be
the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50, which will
support speeds “up to 5Gbps.” To provide some
perspective, 4G LTE has only just recently
broken into Gigabit territory with modems
like the Snapdragon X16. Even so, most 4G
LTE connections will provide up to 450Mbps,
and that’s pushing a bit considering most
consumers will not have these kinds of speeds
most of the time. That said, 5G aims not only to
provide greater bandwidth and network speed
for users, but also greater network stability.

Last year, I had the opportunity to attend a
real—time communication (RTC) conference
thanks to taking ITM 440 (Data Networking)
with Professor Carol Davids here at Illinois
Tech. I was very intrigued by the sound of the
5G network presentation, and my attendance
was not wasted. The gist of the presentation
was that the key word would be “stability” for
the coming wireless generation. Stability, in
this context, refers to maintaining a constant,
uninterrupted network connection. Clearly,
you can see why this is a good thing, but a brief
read of the Nokia 5G white papers pointed
out a couple of use cases that demonstrate
the value of stability. Due to the projected
minimization of latency by 5G (less than one
millisecond ping,) a remote surgery could be
performed by a robot with almost one—to—one
precision of remote commands to surgical

motions. In the world of utility, data could
be constantly monitored wirelessly to such a
degree that manual human surveillance would
be unnecessary. Instead, more time could
be spent actually fixing leaks, for instance.
What these examples shed light on is that we
are reaching a point where wireless will be
stable and sustainable to the point that we can
reasonably rely on it for needs far outside the
scope of just entertainment.

All said, there has been a functioning
5G network of sorts on campus since 2013,
named Eduroam. This is a wireless network
that Illinois Tech students and students from
many other schools can access with their
regular university credentials. Not only does
it have the greatest range of any wireless on
campus (from my usage), but you can log on
to it with your respective college credentials

from any college that provides Eduroam. Now,
the speeds you get will not be significantly
higher than IIT—Secure or Connect by using
Eduroam, but the network itself embodies
this idea of stability and seamless internet
usage, as indicated by the universal credential
setup. Keep this in mind; Illinois Tech has been
helping pioneer the next generation of wireless
for some time now, even if on a small scale.

If you’re interested in finding out
more, you can find Nokia’s 5G white paper on
their website simply by providing your email.
The 2015 RTC conference 5G presentation can
be found with a Google search. Look forward
to seeing 5G come to a phone near you in the
coming years.

Exploring Springfield, the often ignored capital of Illinois

Steven Milan Moreno
TECHNEWS WRITER

In addition to Springfield being the
state capitol of the state of Illinois, the city
has significant ties to the sixteenth President
of the United States: Abraham Lincoln. The
fact that the city is the capitol of the state is
directly linked to this legendary statesman,
who successfully convinced the rest of the
state government to move to a more central
location in the state rather than near the
Mississippi River. The legacy of President
Lincoln is seen across the city, with numerous
statues, plaques, and business being named
for Lincoln. In addition to these honors and
commemorations, the original home, grave,
and presidential library and museum for
Abraham Lincoln are located within the city
limits. This is fitting, as the city of Springfield is
responsible for making the great emancipator
the politician who successfully held together
the union.

,nuulii‘y

mmm 1r ‘ "
Willi

 

The presidential library is one of the most
visited attractions in Springfield, containing
the numerous artifacts and works of Abraham
Lincoln. While the museum itself is a big
part of the attraction, the library is not to be
overstated, as the archives contain some of the
most well preserved documents and relics of
the Civil War. In addition to these attractions,
the museum is also host to numerous annual
events, seasonal exhibits, and a large museum
gift shop which has been visited by several
celebrities who have visited the city, including
late night host Conan O’Brien.

Several blocks away from the
museum and old state capital is another
historical site connected to Lincoln: his family
home. The Lincoln home and the surrounding
neighborhood have been restored to their
appearance in the mid nineteenth—century and
have been maintained by the National Park
Service as one of only two park sites in the
entire state. The house itself has been relatively
untouched since the Lincoln family left for

 

 

 

Washington DC. at the start of Lincoln’s
presidency. Much of the carpeting, antiques,
and furniture in the house are the originals or
exact replicas chosen by former first lady Mary
Todd Lincoln herself and used by the rest of
the family for all the years Lincoln served as a
state representative. The house and the rest of
the neighborhood are opened to public every
day and tours are free. In addition, the park
service provides a visitor center with a gift
shop and theater on site that plays several films
talking about the city back in the 1850’s and
Lincoln’s rise in politics. For history buffs, this
site is a must see.

Farther away from downtown
Springfield is the final resting place for several
members of the Lincoln family, including the
president himself. The Lincoln tomb in the
Oak Ridge Cemetery holds the crypt of the
President Abraham Lincoln, First Lady Mary
Todd Lincoln, and three of his children. The
bust of Lincoln in the front of the structure
has been worn down over the years as many
have rubbed the Lincoln nose for good luck.

 

The tomb itself was reconstructed in the Art
Deco style of the 1930’s and had its 150th
anniversary commemoration last year. The
incredibly fortified and protected tomb is like
this for a good reason: tomb raiders have tried
to steal Lincoln’s body in the past. In addition
to this several war memorials surround the
structure, paying tribute to the soldiers that
served under Lincoln, and whose statues now
overlook the tomb.

Much of Springfield is easily
accessible to students at Illinois Tech, despite
being over one hundred miles away. Amtrak
serves the city daily from Union Station in
downtown Chicago, which is serviced by the
school shuttle bus on weekdays, the CTA bus
151, and the Blue Line Clinton station which
can be reached by transferring from the Red
Line Jackson station or using the CTA bus
21, which runs through the campus on State
Street. Though a somewhat difficult trip to
make, the trip is worth the effort to see and do
all Springfield offers tourists who are willing to
make the journey.

 

 

Photos by Steven Milan Moreno