Facing a growing need for secured education cyberinfrastructure, OARnet and partners will develop the Virtual Research-Education Ohio (VROhio) program
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded OARnet a planning grant to develop a network of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) training and research resources for smaller higher education institutions in the state of Ohio.
In December 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine allocated $12.1 million through the Governors Emergency Education Relief program to upgrade OARnet’s last-mile internet connections to 40 colleges and universities.
To make best use of the upgraded internet capabilities, OARnet and partners will develop new STEM training and research resources, to be known as the Virtual Research-Education Ohio (VROhio) program, that can be shared among institutions. Colleges and universities are facing a growing need for secured cyberinfrastructure to support both in-person and remote STEM education.
“OARnet is grateful to the Ohio Department of Higher Education for identifying and supporting critical cyberinfrastructure needs,” said Pankaj Shah, executive director of OARnet and primary investigator on the NSF grant. “The National Science Foundation planning grant will help us create a solid foundation on which we can develop a full network of resources that will allow smaller colleges and universities to elevate their STEM education offerings, for the benefit of the state of Ohio.”
[Read full press release at OARnet | News]
Read More...Newark, NJ, August 31, 2021 – Edge, a nonprofit research and education network and technology partner, has announced a partnership with IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity. The two organizations will collaborate to offer increased awareness of institutional subscriptions to IEEE DataPort — a web-based, cloud services platform supporting the data-related needs of the global technical community — making it available to academic, government, and not-for-profit institutions across the United States.
IEEE DataPort provides a unified data and collaboration platform which researchers can leverage to efficiently store, share, access, and manage research data, accelerating institutional research efforts. Researchers at subscribing institutions will gain access to the more than 2,500 research datasets available on the platform and the ability to collaborate with more than 1.25 million IEEE DataPort users worldwide. The platform also enables institutions to meet funding agency requirements for the use of and sharing of data. [Read the full announcement at Edge | News]
Read More...September 2, 2021 – The California Department of Technology today announced that the State of California has retained CENIC California Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, LLC as the California Middle-Mile Broadband Network Third-Party Administrator (TPA).
“California is bridging the digital divide by facilitating equitable, affordable access to high-speed internet service throughout the state,” said Amy Tong, Director, California Department of Technology. “CENIC California MMBI has the experience and reach to deliver an open-access middle-mile broadband network throughout the state.”
Governor Newsom and the state legislature partnered on a historic $6 billion multi-year investment that will give more Californians access to broadband coverage. The legislation provides $3.25 billion over the next three years to build an open access, middle-mile network made of high-capacity optical fiber that carries large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances between local networks and the global Internet.
As the TPA, CENIC California MMBI is the partner responsible for developing the fiber network, creating rural exchange points, and collaborating with the California Public Utilities Commission and Caltrans.
“We are honored to be a part of the most ambitious state digital equity effort in the history of the public Internet,” said Louis Fox, President of CENIC California MMBI. “The COVID-19 pandemic underscored how access to broadband is now a social determinant of health, education, work, and economic security. Our goal, in partnership with the state, is to ensure that every community – rural, urban, tribal – has access to broadband technologies and to do this work with alacrity.”
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