State Education Computer Networks Gain Access to Internet2 - by Abilene - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, March 29, 2001 by Ronald Roach

WASHINGTON

Officials with Abilene, a national Internet2 network, have announced that state education computer networks in Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Virginia and Washington will have Internet2 connectivity. Internet2, a research university-backed upgraded version of the current Internet, largely facilitates educational use with high-performance, high-bandwidth computer networks.

The newly announced partnerships with Internet2 universities and regional networking organizations will give institutions such as elementary schools, secondary schools, community colleges, museums and libraries access to the national high-performance network.

"Expanded access to Abilene supports the primary Internet2 goal of facilitating the rapid transfer of new network services and applications to the global Internet and especially the broader educational community," says Dr. Douglas E. Van Houweling, president and CEO of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development, the organization leading both the Internet2 and Abilene projects.

Access to the Abilene network and regional affiliates will enable the education facilities to conduct applications that are not found on the current Internet. Projects to be supported through access to Internet2 include:

* The Washington K-20 Education Network in Washington state, which will enable a new system of network-accessible professional development video libraries for teachers and education professionals.

* Oregon Public Education Network (OPEN), which will extend the capability of the Cyberschool program to work with partners at public schools around the country.

* Net.Work.Virginia Next Generation, which will support the work of the Virtual Institute for Technology Advancement in Education for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (VITAE-HBCU).

* MichNet, operated in Michigan, which will enable researchers to explore the use of an advanced form of virtual reality in distance education.

In the near future, state networks in Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma and Rhode Island also will probably be approved for access to Abilene.

As an lnternet2 network, Abilene is an advanced backbone network developed by Qwest Communications, Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, Indiana University and the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID). Abilene supports the development and deployment of the new applications being developed within the Internet2 community. It connects regional network aggregation points, called gigaPoPs, to support the work of lnternet2 universities as they develop advanced Internet applications. Information about Abilene can be accessed at <www.internet2 .edu/abilene/>.