As you walk in the east doors of Coover Hall, prepare to be wowed. Visitors are greeted with a stunning video wall that, fittingly, is intended to showcase and inspire work being done in the department of electrical and computer engineering.
The video display measures nearly 16 feet wide and seven feet high, and comprises a 12-screen grid. It can display single or multiple video streams, with touch-screen capabilities and a Bose surround-sound audio system. The ultra high-definition wall even has a name—CyRIS (Real-time Interactive System)—chosen from 136 contest entries.
“We intend the screen to be a landmark at Iowa State, something that will draw visitors from all over campus,” said Brock Ascher, the department’s communications specialist. “We needed something to spruce up that entrance, and for that part of the building to look like a place where the future of technology is being pondered.”