Changes to organizational structure enhance OARnet’s capabilities and efficiency
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Dec 1, 2020) —  The Ohio Academic Resources Network (OARnet) announced today the promotion of Mark Fullmer to chief technology officer and the appointment of Aaron Wise as his replacement as director of networking, effective immediately.

Reflecting Fullmer and Wise’s expertise and leadership, these changes are key to ensuring OARnet’s long-term success as one of the most advanced statewide network infrastructures in the United States.

“Mark Fullmer and Aaron Wise are nationally renowned network engineers,” said Pankaj Shah, executive director of OARnet. “Ohio is very fortunate to have Mark and Aaron lead the OARnet engineering team responsible for our critical statewide backbone and services. It is always very heartening to see such talent evolve from within a highly technical organization.”

Fullmer, who has grown through the ranks at OARnet since 2000 and most recently served as the organization’s network director, will oversee infrastructure maintenance and development and the implementation of new technologies for the entire network. Working with partners inside and outside of OARnet, Fullmer will also direct hardware and fiber procurement strategies, lead long-term planning for networking, security and systems engineering, and develop state and federal proposals for network research and design. Prior to joining the team at OARnet, Fullmer worked for KarlNet and The Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering in 2002. [Read the full press release at OARnet]

The Quilt, a consortium of regional Research and Education (R&E) Networks throughout the United States, today announced that nominations are now open for the inaugural Dave Reese Quilt Distinguished Service Award.

The Dave Reese Quilt Distinguished Service Award was created this year to honor individuals who have provided extraordinary leadership, support, and service to The Quilt community and its stakeholders. The award is named in honor of Dave Reese (1958-2019), who was a founding member of The Quilt and served in a number of leadership roles for the organization including chairman of the board and treasurer.

“Dave was a treasured member of The Quilt community with a sharp mind for technology, an extraordinary sense of community, and a strong commitment to the mission of R&E Networks,” said Jen Leasure, president and CEO of The Quilt. “His passing last fall was a tremendous loss for our community. We couldn’t think of a better way to honor his memory than by establishing this award to recognize individuals who appreciate the diverse set of organizations that comprise our membership, embody the belief that collaboration makes the whole cloth of The Quilt stronger, and dedicate their time to supporting initiatives that broadly impact our Quilt member organizations.”

Reese held the position of Vice President for Regional and International Initiatives at CENIC. He had worked with CENIC since it began in 1996. In his remarkable career spanning more than three decades, he helped propel innumerable important networking projects on the regional, national, and international scale. His knowledge and understanding of how to define and run R&E Networks served as a guiding light for many networks around the country and the world.

The recipient of this year’s award will be announced at our virtual Quilt 2021 Winter Member Meeting, February 9 – 11, 2021.

Nominations

In order to nominate someone for this award, please submit a letter of recommendation illustrating the nominee’s contributions to the goals of The Quilt to Jen Leasure at jen@thequilt.net. Nominations are due by Jan. 28, 2021.  Your remarks should be organized and detailed in a way that allows the Review Committee to easily identify the judging attributes of commitment, collaboration, and support of The Quilt community.

In your nomination please consider including information such as: How has this person demonstrated a commitment to collectively advancing research and education through The Quilt? Is this person recognized for leadership qualities and active sharing and learning broadly across The Quilt community? If so, how? Please provide examples.

Review Committee

The Award Review Committee for this year is comprised of four members of The Quilt Board of Directors; Louis Fox (CENIC), Marla Meehl (FRGP), Pankaj Shah (OARnet), and Jim Stewart (UETN).

For any additional information, please contact us through the website.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. November 23, 2020 – Residents of Detroit, Inkster, Flint and Washtenaw County will soon benefit from expanded free Wi-Fi access at more than 50 community locations across S.E. Michigan. The effort, part of Merit Network’s Michigan Moonshot initiative, was supported by contributions from the Toyota USA Foundation and Cisco. Washtenaw Intermediate School District and Merit Network provided in-kind contributions for the project.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Detroit Public Schools has the highest number of households in the state without internet access at 82,894. The Flint School District has the second highest number with 14,221 households without internet access. In addition, 57% of K-12 students in Washtenaw County do not have high speed Wi-Fi access at home.

“For thousands of students across the state of Michigan, the pandemic has introduced new challenges or highlighted existing ones. We expect this to help both rural and urban communities access the internet for basic informational needs tied to living, learning and working,” said Charlotte Bewersdorff, Merit Network’s vice president for Community Engagement. [Read the full news release at Moonshot News]