For this month only, MatLab is free for students and faculty.
The software will allow easier access to computing, math and science calculations, said Vanessa Baca, an IT spokeswoman.
“Having MatLab provides an interactive link between math and science, students and faculty, allowing students to do computations and interact with programming languages like Fortran and C ,” she said.
A combination of student fees, the Office of the Provost and Vice President of Research, IT and several academic departments funds UNM’s site license for the MatLab software
Previously, students had to buy the software in CD format from the UNM bookstore for $99. Engineering, economics and business students primarily use MatLab, but Baca said the UNM School of Medicine and researchers across campus use the software, too.
Gregory Heileman, chairman of the Electrical Computer Engineering Department, said using MatLab makes solving math problems faster.
“MatLab is one of the most important engineering analysis tools,” he said. “It’s a very powerful engine that allows you to solve math problems that would be very time-consuming to solve by hand.”
The software was invented by Cleve Moler, a former math professor at UNM. Baca said a 2010 survey conducted by the IT Department asked students what software they wanted to have more readily available.
“MatLab was one of the most highly requested and prioritized software applications identified in the student survey,” Baca said.
George Kelbley, a systems specialist in the computer science department, said easy access to MatLab will benefit students, faculty and UNM departments.
“Having it be available more easily than it’s been in the past is going to be pretty nice,” he said. “I think a lot of departments were buying it individually and it makes a lot more sense for the University to buy it as a whole.”
To get MatLab go to:
it.unm.edu/download/
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