Internet2 Showcase
Internet2 regularly showcases our members' efforts on behalf of advanced research and education networking. We not only encourage Internet2 members to share their achievements with the community, but also the interesting people, events, developments and collaborations that make those achievements possible. If you have suggestions for news, events, projects or people that might be featured, please contact info@internet2.edu and include a brief description, appropriate links and images and contact information. Thanks for helping us spread the word.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) will host an Internet2 Day on March 23, 2006. This day-long event will feature demonstrations, presentations and concerts which highlight new and innovative uses of the Internet via Internet2's advanced networks. The event will feature welcoming remarks by UAF Chancellor Steve Jones, a speech by Senator Lisa Murkowski, and a Keynote Address by Internet2 President and CEO Doug Van Houweling. In addition, Internet2 and UAF will be making an important announcement about extending the reach of Internet2's network in Alaska.
Internet2 Arts and Humanities program manager Ann Doyle will host a session that provides an overview of Internet2 initiatives and applications, and throughout the day attendees will have opportunities to learn about Internet2-based applications that span arts, sciences, humanities, and engineering disciplines. Discussions will be held on topics as varied as telematic performances and college theater using the web; natural resource management methods based on high quality digital data; a web-based tsunami computational portal; Internet-based forecasts of space weather; and digital audio archives for Alaska Native Languages.
The capstone to the day’s events will be a special musical presentation titled "Performance Beyond Space: Music and Dance on Internet2." This session will include a masterclass demonstration and two world premiere performances. The concert will feature musicians from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, the New World Symphony, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For more details about the high-quality music capture and delivery, please see the performance webpage.
Another Language Performing Arts Company and the University of Utah Center for High Performance Computing are presenting their fourth InterPlay performance "Dancing on the Banks of Packet Creek," to be performed March 31-April 2, 2006. InterPlay is a multimedia, multi-artist, telematic, and collaborative art form that is performed and transmitted over Internet2 advanced networks utilizing Access Grid technology. Another Language is an interdisciplinary performance company that is devoted to the creative merging of art and technology. The company has been researching the technology of the InterPlay art form for over ten years and has been performing in this format for four years. Its most recent InterPlay, Loose Minds in a Box, premiered in April 2005 and was performed at ACM SIGGRAPH 2005 and SC Global 05.
Invited national and international institutions, artists, scientists and technologists collaborate and participate with Another Language in the InterPlay form. "Dancing on the Banks of Packet Creek" will be an exciting blend of images using the Access Grid Video Conferencing Technology into a Real-time Collaborative Surrealistic Cinematic Performance. Local live performers will be joined in this performance by ArtGrid participants from University of Alaska Fairbanks, Boston University, University of Maryland, University of Montana, Purdue University, Ryerson University-Toronto, Ontario Canada, as well as the host site for this performance, the University of Utah. As an Internet2 member connected to the Abilene Network, the University of Utah provides the network infrastructure and computing facilities that make the InterPlay process possible.
On Friday, March 10, 2006, Michèle Boccoz, Director of International Affairs of the Institut Pasteur, will discuss the recently announced partnership between the Institut Pasteur and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of this collaboration is to strengthen the global capacity to detect influenza viruses that could potentially trigger a human pandemic. The Institut Pasteur is a private, non-profit research foundation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and improving worldwide public health.
The presentation will be held over Internet2's advanced networks, via the Internet2 Commons, and moderated by Lafayette College biology professor, Robert Kurt, a specialist in immunology. Joining Ms. Boccoz and Dr. Kurt will be the Executive Director of the Pasteur Foundation in New York, Caitlin Hawke, who will talk about research funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduates and scientists at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Audiences from Lafayette and Wheaton Colleges will follow-up in French and English in an Internet Question and Answer session with the panelists. Anyone is invited to access the live webstream of this event, which will be available here.
This event is sponsored by Lafayette College Departments of Foreign Languages and Literatures and Biology, the Pasteur Foundation, NITLE, and MAGPI. Additional support for the event is provided by Columbia University, NYSERNet, GEANT, and Renater. For additional information, please contact the Pasteur Foundation. An archive of the videoconference will be online until the end of March.
Internet2 has formed a partnership with ERNET and C-DAC, the leading research and education networking organizations in India. The partnership was made official February 18 in an MoU signing ceremony at a Mumbai workshop titled "Moving India into the Global Community through Advanced Networking: Science, Education and the Knowledge Economy."
The new partnership will enable wider collaboration between ERNET, C-DAC and the global research and education community. In particular, the agreement is a step toward high-performance Internet connectivity between the US and India. C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) and ERNET (Education and Research Network) are also working toward establishing a single, unified national research and education network (NREN), in accordance with the growing international consensus that creating NRENs is key to the development of research and education networking worldwide. C-DAC's GARUDA initiative is a major step in this direction.
On February 14, 2006, Internet2 member the University of Delaware held its first UD Computational Science Day. This one-day conference covered a broad range of scientific, engineering, and information science research. Its goal was to bring together the University of Delaware's computational science community to meet, share experiences, and find opportunities for new research collaborations.
More than 100 interested faculty, staff and students attended the event and participated in this interdisciplinary discourse. Among the diverse fields of research represented were biotechnology, chemical engineering, physics, mathematical sciences, geology, animal sciences, computer and information sciences, mechanical engineering, food sciences, chemistry, geography, and electrical and computer engineering.
Talks and poster presentations focused on research involving high-performance, distributed, grid and parallel computing, underlying scientific applications and their mathematical modeling issues, scalability issues, and related UD courses. Presenters were encouraged to discuss a challenging problem whose solution requires advanced computational science techniques, along with how or why it involves these techniques and technologies. Internet2 Faculty Fellow Martin Swany, an Assistant Professor in the UD Department of Computer and Information Sciences, discussed the evolution of distributed computing in his talk, "Distributed Computing Comes of Age: From the Grid to PlanetLab (and BOINC (Back)) Again)."
Read more about the event in the UDaily article "Cross-pollinating Computational Science Ideas," or visit the presentation archive, which includes slides and audio podcasts.
Internet2 members OARNET, the Ohio State University (OSU), the World Bank and Internet2 Commons staff worked together to deliver a three hour Internet2 Commons Site Coordinator videoconference training course to 43 individuals in seven African countries. Individuals from Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Senegal, and the Ivory Coast received virtual instruction from OSU staff Megan Troyer and Bob Dixon, with technical support by Gabe Moulton, also at OSU. The training itself was conducted via high-quality video conferencing, with participants joining in-country via the World Bank's Global Distance Learning Network (GDLN) centers. Thanks to the World Bank's connectivity to Internet2's Abilene, Ohio State was able to directly link with the African GDLN centers on the World Bank's VSAT network.
The course covered the basics of videoconferencing, including an overview of the components of an H.323 network, guidance on setting up equipment, instruction for participating in a conference, and appropriate videoconference etiquette. Both trainers and trainees alike learned from the experience, sharing information about technical and societal challenges. Given the success of this initial training, a second is being planned in French. According to Dixon, "The audience was very serious, of varying knowledge levels and backgrounds (managers and technicians), and asked many questions. The course went very well, and was much appreciated."
ImagiNations: Remote Electron Microscopy
Lehigh University's ImagiNations program is bringing research quality science to middle and high school students by offering them live remote access to a near-nano scale microscopy lab from their classrooms. This virtual lab includes full control of an XL30 scanning electron microscope, an energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer, an infra-red chamber camera to monitor the specimen, and simultaneous videoconferencing with researchers and scope technicians assisting at Lehigh. Students are able to analyze their own specimens, creating a highly personalized and unique experience in biology, chemistry or physics.
This project is the result of a collaboration between programmer George Motter of Lehigh’s Library Technology Services and Andrea Harmer, Director of Web-based Education at Lehigh's Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology (CAMN). Using Internet2 advanced networks and remote access software provided to trained teachers, students are connected to the lab where they explore controversial and relevant problems such as the West Nile virus and environmental pollution. Students can interact with scope technician and researchers through videoconferencing while looking at specimens, which they personally collected and sent to CAMN, magnified to as much as 200,000 times their normal size. Video from the electron microscope is encoded as MPEG-4 video and transmitted to the classroom. Using the remote access software, students can operate the microscope and view live video of the samples.
Lehigh is also active in the development of curriculum and teaching materials related to nanotechnology and the science behind electron microscopy and x-ray analysis. Teachers are trained to operate the Microscopy Lab for use in their classrooms through the ImagiNations Program, and CAMN provides open source remote access software free of charge to trained teachers. Additionally, the ImagiNations website offers an introduction to nanotechnology and an overview of electron microscopy for students.
Meriton Networks, a leading provider of optical networking technologies, has become an Internet2 Corporate Partner. Meriton will work with the Internet2 community to develop and deploy leading-edge network services and capabilities that will contribute to the creation of next-generation Internet architectures and enable the most advanced network applications. Meriton Networks' focus on breakthrough technologies to support high-performance networking will
play a key role in Internet2's Hybrid Optical and Packet Infrastructure (HOPI) project by providing the capabilities that enable revolutionary network architectures. HOPI is providing the Internet2 community with the experience in deploying scalable networking capabilities that advanced network applications.
On 17 January, 2006, Internet2 members and staff participated in a National Science Foundation sponsored workshop, "A Digital Library of the Middle East," hosted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt.
Participants worked collaboratively to discuss issues and identify processes, requirements and actions needed for the development of a large-scale, dynamic, distributed digital repository of resources on and about the Middle East, with a focus on cultural heritage. A primary goal of the workshop was to develop a vision and mission statement for a digital library of the Middle East and to identify key constituents in a community of practice that can ensure realization. Findings will be incorporated in a report that can inform grant-making agencies and other potential funders of a variety of interrelated activities that will develop and sustain the digital library, including content development, management structures, networked infrastructure, research and educational applications, and education of digital managers and users.
Internet2 partners and members involved in this workshop included: the U.S. Library of Congress; the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Johns Hopkins University; UCLA; Sun Microsystems; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Pittsburgh; Yale University; Florida International University; Harvard University Art Museums; University of Oregon. Internet2's international partners in Egypt - the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Egyptian Universities Network (EUN) and the Egyptian National Science and Technology Network (ENSTINET) participated in the meeting as well and will be improving connectivity for the Bibliotheca and other research and education institutions in Egypt through their 155Mbps link to New York. Other event organizers include the US/Egypt Joint Fund, the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Pathologists at the University of Pennsylvania Health System have been experimenting with Digital Video Transport System (DVTS) for high-quality video telepathology and telemicroscopy over Internet2 advanced networks. This simple and inexpensive method of transmitting high-quality video and audio enables doctors to perform consultations at remote hospitals where there is no pathologist on site, to offer second-opinion consultations, and to provide education at a distance. In Philadelphia, it is used by pathologists at the three hospitals that comprise the University of Pennsylvania Health System to perform real-time clinical case consultations.
DVTS uses 30 Mbps uncompressed video to provide high-quality images with low latency. DVTS can also be used in multicast mode to allow three or more sites to participate in a single conference. DVTS is one of the principal areas of activity of the Internet2/ResearchChannel Working Group's BigVideo project group, which explores high-quality on-demand and streaming video applications.
Telepathology -- the use of computer-based imaging technology to view diagnostic pathology images over a distance -- has its beginnings in the early 1990s. From the first static-image transfer systems, the technology has evolved to support telemicroscopy, which integrates a remotely-operated robotic microscope and videoconferencing system. These telemicroscopy systems allow a remote pathologist to control a microscope through a computer interface, while discussing the samples with the on-site doctor. In the future, researchers predict that "virtual slide" technology will improve to the point where a database could be built to offer image-guided decision support, a tool that could enhance diagnostic accuracy. A computer would compare a slide with similar specimens in the database, and flag areas that require closer attention from a pathologist.
For more information, see Dr. Michael Feldman's presentation [HTML] [PowerPoint (18MB)] from the Fall 2005 Internet2 Member Meeting.
Cyberinfrastructure for Education and Learning for the Future: A Vision and Research Agenda
The Computing Research Association and the International Society of the Learning Sciences, with support from the National Science Foundation, an Internet2 Affiliate member, convened a series of workshops that explored the current and future roles of computing and technology in education. A report based on these workshops outlines a vision and research agenda for the future of computing in education. In particular, the intent was to develop a map of where the NSF can strategically place its resources in creating the learning environments of the future.
Cyberinfrastructure has the potential to radically influence educational practice, and the report authors propose an initiative to develop the Cyberinfrastructure for Education and Learning for the Future, or CELF. The goal of the CELF initiative is to transcend the boundaries of formal education, informal learning, and lifelong learning by providing:
- unprecedented access to educational resources, mentors, experts, and online educational activities and virtual environments
- timely, accurate assessment of student learning
- a platform for large-scale research on education and the sciences of learning
Within this plan, learners of all ages could engage with scientific models, simulations, data sets, sensors and instruments. The new educational cyberinfrastructure could make it possible to collect and analyze data continually from educational activities nationwide over a period of years, enabling new advances in the sciences of learning, and providing systematic ways of measuring progress at all levels.
By bridging education and the scientific, engineering, and mathematical disciplines that are at the National Science Foundation's core--NSF initiatives such as this are able to draw upon advances in basic cognitive and social sciences research, while integrating new content and exploring the ways in which new technologies can enhance the kinds of learning opportunities available to teachers and students.
Register Now: Site Coordinator Training January 26, 2006
Want to learn about H.323 videoconferencing? Or would you like to share what you know with others who support videoconferencing at a variety of institutions? Gather online with Internet2 Commons experts for interactive presentations on the components of an H.323 network, MCUs, Gatekeepers, firewalls, environmental considerations, and an overview of emerging Data Collaboration applications. Attendees of all skill levels find this a valuable opportunity to learn how to deploy and support videoconferencing on their campuses. Those who successfully complete this virtual course will be certified as Internet2 Commons Site Coordinators. To find out more or to sign up, visit the Commons training web site.
The Wisconsin Advanced Internet
Laboratory (WAIL) at the University
of Wisconsin - Madison is a one-of-a-kind facility for conducting
network and distributed systems research. With over 50 IP routers and switches, 100 end hosts, and a variety of other networking gear all housed under one roof, WAIL enables researchers to
build and monitor models of the Internet in a laboratory environment.
WAIL recently enabled a web-based interface that allows researchers to directly
configure the system with customized settings, or to choose from a
standard library of standard configurations. Led by Paul Barford, Cisco
Systems and the TOSA foundation have provided foundational support for WAIL.
The University of Pennsylvania, a member of the Internet2 consortium and operator of the regional Internet2 connector known as MAGPI, the Mid-Atlantic GigaPoP in Philadelphia, has selected the University of Scranton to serve as a regional hub for Internet2 connections in northeast Pennsylvania. The colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools, libraries, museums, hospitals and research corporation partners that connect to The University of Scranton can obtain dedicated bandwidth ranging from 5 megabits to 100 megabits.
"In our role as aggregator, The University of Scranton will provide organizations in eight counties with connection to Internet2 and its revolutionary applications in such areas as remote instrumentation control, international distance learning and biomedical uses of information technology and advanced research computing," said Connie Wisdo, director of technology development and innovation at The University of Scranton.
An Internet2 demonstration at an event marking the kick-off of the University of Scranton's connectivity to Internet2 through MAGPI included a joint graduation ceremony between The University of Scranton and Universidad Iberoamericana, its sister university in Mexico City. At the virtual joint-commencement ceremony, Eloisa Lara became the first recipient of a collaborative master's/dual degree program in community counseling between the two schools. The demonstration highlighted the speed and quality of the connection and the international connectivity.
"A typical commodity Internet connection for an institution the size of the University of Scranton is about 20 megabits. The difference is that the commodity Internet is oversubscribed and laden with commercial traffic. The Internet2 bandwidth is not oversubscribed, and void of commercial traffic, resulting in an incredible increase in speed and quality," said Ms. Wisdo.
During 2005, the Internet2 showcases highlighted progress by the Internet2 community in areas such as federated authentication through efforts such as Shibboleth and InCommon; optical networking through efforts such as the Hybrid Optical and Packet Infrastructure project; and collaboration technology through services such as the Internet2 Commons, events such as the Megaconference, and technologies developed by corporate members. Several showcases also highlighted Internet2 members that provide regional and state-level leadership in advanced networking for the research and education community.
Do you have a project or event you'd like to bring to the attention of the Internet2 community? The Internet2 Showcase is open! Please Past Showcases archive for a wide variety of examples. Thanks, and happy holidays!
The Internet2 applications Showcase will ring in the new year with a new applications Showcase feature on January 9, 2006. Until then, we invite you to visit the Showcase Archive to check out some of the accomplishments of our member community throughout 2005. We would also like to thank our members for their continuing curiosity and ingenuity--they are the foundation of the success of the Internet2 community.
We are always eager to feature advanced networking applications, events, people and projects in our weekly web page Showcases. If you have something you would like to suggest for the Internet2 applications web page, please contact the Internet2 Applications webmaster.
The Internet2 Commons Real Time Communications Service provides Internet2 members with access to a variety of real time communications tools. As part of this service, Marratech AB, an Internet2 corporate member, is providing free access to its cross- platform e-meeting solution that combines high quality voice, video, whiteboard and application sharing in an encrypted, secure Internet environment. The Marratech software enables multiple remote users to collaborate just as they would in the same room, and to interoperate with traditional videoconferencing systems, but from the comfort of their own computers. For more information about this opportunity for Internet2 members, click here.
Submissions are now being accepted for the first annual IDEA Awards, which seeks to recognize innovators in creating advanced network applications that have had a profound and positive impact within the research and education community. IDEA Award candidates will have applied advanced networking to enable substantial progress within research, teaching and learning by leveraging the unique capabilities of advanced network infrastructure. Entries may be submitted by an individual affiliated with an Internet2 member, an Abilene Sponsored Educational Group Participant, or an Abilene Sponsored Participant. Submissions must be received by 15 December 2005. Awards will be presented at the Spring 2006 Internet2 Member Meeting.
Internet2 and the New World Symphony are hosting a hands-on audio/video production workshop on 30 January--1 February 2006 on the campus of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL. The workshop will emphasize real-time experience connecting with remote sites over Internet2 advanced networks, setting up incoming and outgoing audio, creating a multi-camera shoot, placing lights and projectors and operating codecs. This year's workshop will include demonstrations of state of the art codecs for producing events, will explore in depth the elements needed to do everything from simple one-on-one interactions to larger scale stage productions, and will highlight the latest network testing tools developed by Internet2. The workshop is designed for an audience of technologists responsible for setting up distance learning and remote interactive media events. Administrators, deans, CIOs, network and audio engineers, and other hands-on technicians are also invited to attend. Check the workshop page regularly for updated program details.
Workshop registration is now live!
Reserve your hotel room now; the room block cut-off date is Friday, December 30th.
