ARI-R2: Advanced Networking for the Iacocca Hall C-Wing Research Facility

Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project is for the renovation of networking and electrical infrastructure in the C-Wing of Iacocca Hall at Lehigh University. It includes the installation of several hundred gigabit network connections, cabling, switches, and required backbone interconnections, to establish a high-speed network infrastructure in the laboratories that make up this wing. This will replace an existing network that dates from the late 1980s. Typical connections will be upgraded from 10Mbps to 1Gbps switched network. The research programs that will benefit from the renovation are Chemical Engineering, Biosciences, and Bioengineering. The renovation will improve access to remotely stored data, remote high-performance computation resources, and visualization capabilities. This will have a positive impact on research in areas that include the following: protein stability and binding kinetics, interactions between biological molecules and nanomaterials, the optimal design of functionalized nanoparticles, large-scale computation of brain dynamic networks, and genomics. The renovation improves infrastructure for research, including research by faculty members, graduate students and undergraduates. The renovated infrastructure will also be used by students participating in Packer Campus Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs which draw domestic and international students from outside the university. The network will provide access to interactive research modules for incorporation into educational outreach programs at Lehigh University.