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Wheaton Academy’s Server Project strives to create a unique technology space for students by giving them access to operate their own server. As part of that experience, students at the West Chicago, Ill., high school are encouraged to explore new possibilities through teaming up with additional programmers, communicators and companies in the private sector. Donations from technology companies help facilitate the project. Learn how Eaton's donation helps to ensure uptime and protect the critical equipment used to power the Server Project.
With a vision for incorporating machine learning and sophisticated modeling into the curricula, the Server Project at Wheaton Academy offers students the opportunity to explore new applications for the server they created. Comprised of a conglomeration of enterprise-level hardware, the massive computing power provides students with opportunities to run large-scale projects, such as website hosting, email hosting and various artificial intelligence (AI) programs. In addition to gaining valuable tech experience working on the Server Project, students also learn how to network with companies interested in contributing equipment.
During the 2020 school year, what began as a passion for the online game, Minecraft, grew into an ambitious technological undertaking that not only unified Wheaton Academy students separated during the pandemic’s remote learning backdrop, but helped other companies in the fight against COVID-19. At the time, four high school seniors were managing the Wheaton Academy servers and networking equipment for numerous computer science projects, with underclassmen rising through the ranks to continue the endeavor. Recognizing that their project required a reliable backup power solution, the students wrote a letter to Eaton explaining their needs. “They wanted something that would give them better organization and peace of mind that all of the equipment would have a safe, reliable supply of electricity,” explains Kyle Jarrell, partner development specialist for Eaton.
"This role allows me to connect with numerous high-level employees at international companies and has greatly strengthened my communication skills."
To help facilitate Wheaton Academy’s Server Project, Eaton donated a pair of 2000VA Eaton 9PX uninterruptible power systems (UPSs), along with an Eaton Gigabit Network Card and Basic Rack power distribution unit (PDU) to accompany each UPS. With proven, double-conversion topology for constant power conditioning and ABM technology to extend battery service life up to 50 percent, the 9PX UPSs helped ensure that the students’ critical equipment remained protected against power anomalies and blackouts.
Additional peace of mind was afforded through the Gigabit Network Card, the first in the industry to comply with both UL and IEC cybersecurity standards. The network management card helps improves business continuity by providing warnings of pending issues and helping to perform orderly shutdown of servers and storage.
Meanwhile, students gained the organization they were seeking from the Eaton PDUs, which offer a variety of output receptacle choices for reliable power distribution and branch circuit protection for all connected equipment in the server rack. The basic PDU models donated to Wheaton Academy feature Eaton's patented IEC outlet grip plug retention to prevent accidental equipment disconnects, color-coded outlet sections for quick visual identification, a low-profile form factor and a high operating temperature threshold.
“Managing a project with hundreds of moving pieces is an incredible challenge that is both difficult and extremely rewarding. The Server Project has allowed me to learn about computer technology in a way that is usually reserved for hard-to-get internships at large cloud providers, and will surely provide a stepping stone for my future.”
The students’ love for Minecraft simultaneously evolved into something more; becoming a way for them to learn more about the technology used to power it. “I’m honestly not much of a ‘gamer’ so I was more interested in getting to work with the technology behind the scenes,” reveals senior Robert Dieter. “As the Server Project began to expand, I got more involved in the front end, helping to run other (non-Minecraft) programs.”
For example, Wheaton Academy students were able to put their resources toward projects with companies working on COVID-19 research, including donating server space to the Folding at Home network, which equips scientists in their drug development for COVID-19. “Folding at Home is a project that helps researchers and scientists perform research by crowd sourcing the computational power needed to run protein-folding simulations,” Sorenson explains.
“The Server Project has allowed me to gain real world experience in the IT industry while still in high school, and the lessons I learned while working through various problems will stick with me long into the future.”
“I was extremely impressed with the students’ knowledge and passion for their projects,” says Eaton’s Jarrell. “During the process of understanding the problem and considering different solution options, I enjoyed hearing about the work they were doing and their future plans.”
Both Sorenson and Dieter agree that their involvement on the Server Project will positively impact their futures. Sorenson plans to study computer engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, while Dieter intends to pursue an engineering degree at Northwestern.
“Even if the project had been a flop, we would have still learned a huge amount from the experience, Sorenson adds. “Reading all the books in the world cannot match the same type of learning that you get from experimenting and working through the problems that naturally pop up when pursuing a goal.”
Noting that some of the largest players in the technology industry noticed the project and cared enough to support it, Dieter says it showed him how many people want to make the world a better place by helping each other through technology. “The outpouring of equipment donations led me to understand that if you’re doing good, others will support you. We saw an opportunity to learn more about technology and give back to the scientific community along the way.”
“They loved the educational experience learning about Eaton, UPSs and power, and were very impressed with the design, quality, and ease of configuring everything. We heard many comments like, ‘this is amazing! It just works!’ and ‘in IT, you don’t just expect things to work so easily.’”
