New Bloomberg terminals in the Patrick F. Taylor SMART Lab will allow for more interactive finance classes that will mimic real-life trading floor experiences.
A ribbon cutting ceremony at the lab Friday celebrated the 10 new Bloomberg terminals now available to finance students.
The terminals are lab computers that allow the user to access a large amount of information on stocks, bonds, economics and a growing list of financial statistics, according to Tish O’Connor, instructor in the Department of Finance.
Paul Medica, finance senior, said Bloomberg terminals can even give information on gambling trends and fantasy sports.
“It’s a database of the world,” Medica said.
Elise Cowan, finance graduate student, said the terminals are being used by businesses today, and experience with them will give students an edge when searching for an employer.
Lisa O’Beirne, associate director of the business college’s Advancement Office, said the SMART Lab had already purchased two terminals for the finance students to use, but because of the “Bloomsburg for Education” deal, the lab received nine more terminals for free with the purchase of one more.
O’Beirne said the software for the terminals costs $20,000 apiece.
Eli Jones, dean of the E.J. Ourso College of Business, said when the SMART Lab only had two Bloomberg terminals, finance students were met with a scheduling challenge, when classes were forced to rotate in order to give students time with the software.
“By having 12 now, it is going to really facilitate the way we deliver this particular education,” Jones said. “Now we have more students who can interact and understand what it means to trade in this volatile