CC* Network Infrastructure: Enabling Research with Mines' Underground Research Facility

Colorado School Of Mines, Golden CO

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides funds to install extensive cyberinfrastructure and expand Wide-Area Network (WAN) speeds to the Colorado School of Mines' Edgar Underground Educational and Research Facility. Such cyberinfrastructure upgrades further establish the Edgar Underground Educational and Research Facility as the premier facility for innovative research in underground environments. Furthermore, this facility provides an environment for students, educators, researchers, and external partners to collaborate across a wide variety of scientific and engineering disciplines. As a result of the project, researchers can better leverage campus, public, and private resources efficiently and expand research opportunities in areas such as underground communications and networking; sub-surface studies of microbial genetics and environmental DNA; remote monitoring of geologic features, seismic, electric or magnetic anomalies; and remote and autonomous control of terrestrial and aerial robots. The Colorado School of Mines' Edgar Underground Educational and Research Facility is located 25 miles west of main campus in Idaho Springs, CO. Due to the challenges of the surrounding terrain and remote location of the Edgar Facility, commodity ISP provides only one bonded pair of DSL lines, for a maximum download speed of 20Mbsec. One goal of this project to establish a 10Gb network connection to the Edgar Facility using a combination of leased fiber from the FrontRange GigaPOP and 10Gb P2P wireless communication to connect the final half-mile that spans rugged terrain. A second goal is to create robust cyberinfrastructure within the Edgar Facility, allowing connections to instrumentation and providing redundant network pathways within the mine. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.