HPNC: High Speed Internet Connectivity at Baylor University

Baylor University, Waco TX

Investigators

Abstract

Baylor University proposes to access a high performance network connection to a GigaPOP in Texas (UTD) in order to establish a local connection to the Abilene network. This high-speed connection will allow the university access to Internet2 providing Baylor researchers and students with a powerful array of previously unavailable tools, linkages and information sources. The Baylor Internet2 project will include as a collaborator, Texas State Technical College Waco (TSTC). TSTC is a regional data and video network hub with significant existing hardware and personnel support infrastructure. The combined human and technical resources of Baylor University and TSTC along with the commitment of both institutions to use the Abilene network connection to enhance existing research, workforce development and educational outreach efforts will provide a framework to support continuation of these exciting applications well beyond the life of this project. The HPNC Proposal is an integral part of Baylor University's Vision 2012, an ambitious ten-year plan for moving the university forward in both innovative education and pure research. Vision 2012 includes a significant investment on the part of the university administration in new tenure-track faculty and post-doctoral positions, faculty research release time and lab infrastructure. As part of this vision, a state of the art science facility (~$110 million dollars) will come on-line during the same time that the HPNC Proposal is scheduled for implementation. Immediate impact areas for the HPNC Proposal include theoretical modeling in plasma and shock physics, theoretical modeling in superstring and m-theory, STEM educational outreach projects, advanced data connections, scalable multicast key exchange for layered data delivery, multicast protocol components, virtual routing infrastructure, spatial analysis and visualization, and innovative applications of distance learning technology. Baylor's collaboration with TSTC enhances the overall proposal by providing another layer of use for the HPNC project while also leveraging an NSF investment. With its focus on workforce development, a connection to Internet2 would allow TSTC to provide incumbent worker training in a wide variety of technical areas such as robotics, electronics, chemical instrumentation, safety, and certification standards to name but a few. Additionally, the college could enhance its existing coursework in e-commerce, computer networking and computer architecture. New areas of endeavor (already in the planning stage) such as virtual reality technology for simulation and training would also be made possible through this technology. A final area of impact for TSTC would involve its deaf and hearing impaired student population. For such students, classroom experiences and real-time interpreting services via Internet2 as well as the transition into the workplace would be greatly facilitated by the increased bandwidth and resulting real-time video linkage possibilities provided by such a connection.