Southeastern N.C. Network Upgrade Boosts Education and Economic Opportunities
2/10/2005 12:07:51 PM
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Collaboration Among Regional Universities, Statewide University System and MCNC Enhance N.C. Research and Education Network
Research Triangle Park, N.C. (Feb. 10, 2005): A regional collaboration of three University of North Carolina campuses – UNC Wilmington, UNC Pembroke and Fayetteville State University – is providing advanced networking capabilities to boost economic development in the southeastern region of the state.
Called Southeast Education and Research Networking (SERNet), the collaboration provides network upgrades to each campus that offer enhanced research, education, and high-performance computing resources that are at least four times faster than the previous infrastructure.
The collaboration consolidates resources to help pay for equipment serving the campuses, resulting in a savings of more than $400,000. The foundation for the initiative is an upgrade of the southeastern portion of the statewide North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN), developed and operated by MCNC in partnership with the University of North Carolina and its 16 campuses.
Other public and private schools, colleges, government agencies and non-profit organizations in the area also will benefit from the NCREN network infrastructure enhancements that enable better collaboration and sharing of information with each other and the rest of the world. Subsequently, other parts of the state will benefit from improved access to expertise and resources throughout southeastern North Carolina.
Robert Tyndall, vice chancellor for information technology at UNC Wilmington and the initial convener of SERNet, noted that work is already underway to establish cost structures and equipment replacement models that may allow schools, government agencies and health care agencies to utilize the new network services.
The enhancements to the statewide network are part of a four-year, $8 million initiative led by the University of North Carolina and MCNC to provide statewide optical networking for faster, more reliable Internet service, video- and Web-based distance learning, and access to national research networks including Internet2 and National LambdaRail. These new advanced networking capabilities benefit multiple activities at each campus, including research, classroom education, administrative services and extension services.
“The enhancements to NCREN in Southeastern North Carolina are vital for fast access to resources throughout the state and beyond,” Tyndall said. “In addition, the improved network capabilities will help us educate the next generation of computing professionals.”
Through NCREN, widely regarded as one of the nation’s finest research and education networks, MCNC and North Carolina universities established the nation’s first broadcast-quality, interactive video network for distance learning in 1984, and then, in 1999, developed the nation’s first Internet-based, broadcast-quality video network for distance learning. Last year, more than 50,000 students and faculty used NCREN’s video network, which delivers more than 100 hours of classes, conferences and seminars each week.
Today, NCREN serves more than half a million Internet users every day at speeds more than 2,400 times faster than broadband cable modems and 66,000 times faster than typical dial-up Internet connections. Additionally, the enhancements to NCREN allow individual campuses increased flexibility and the ability to research, explore and pilot activities requiring superior network performance. Multi-point distance-learning classes, remote language instruction using high-resolution videoconferencing, and access to scientific models and instruments around the world all require fast, reliable and intelligent networks.
"The SERNet consortium and the NCREN enhancements provide high performance Internet connections for our universities, giving us a much bigger Internet pipeline,” said Maurice Mitchell, UNC Pembroke associate vice chancellor and chief information officer. “This gives UNC Pembroke the ability to conduct higher performance computing than was previously possible."
“As a result of this consortium, Fayetteville State University has a robust network connectivity on par with that of research institutions like UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, N.C. State University and East Carolina University, enabling our faculty and students to have rapid access to research and educational content around the world,” said Nick Ganesan, chief information officer at Fayetteville State University. “This infrastructure upgrade is critical for FSU's growth in today's technology-driven world given our new initiatives for distance learning and educational partnerships with institutions abroad.”
Robyn Render, UNC vice president for information resources and chief information officer, said, “Through these southeast region enhancements and the statewide improvements to NCREN, the 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina will be better positioned to take full advantage of advanced optical networking capabilities and high-performance computing technologies, which will continue to foster greater educational opportunities and economic development in eastern North Carolina. It is also another fine example of how the universities collaborate to identify cost-saving opportunities.”
About UNC Wilmington
Located between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, the University of North Carolina Wilmington is committed to becoming the best undergraduate teaching university in the South. An internationally recognized undergraduate marine biology program, coupled with a modern facility for its Center for Marine Science and a Ph.D. program in marine biology, has put UNCW at the forefront of research to learn how the world's oceans affect human health and quality of life. In addition, the university has a critically acclaimed Creative Writing Department that attracts Pulitzer Prize-winning visiting writers and a growing Film Studies major that works closely with Wilmington-based EUE Screen Gems Studios and other productions filmed locally, such as One Tree Hill. For more information, see www.uncw.edu.
About UNC Pembroke
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a master's level degree-granting university. With a total enrollment of 5,015, the university offers 55 bachelor's and 16 master's degrees. With a student-faculty ratio of 16:1 and the average class size hovering at 30 students, Pembroke occupies the enviable position of being able to treat each student as an individual. Because of the rigors of the curriculum and the personal attention students receive, graduates go on to create vibrant, interesting lives for themselves. Located in a small, safe community, Pembroke's is the safest campus among UNC schools, and according to U.S. News and World Report, it is among the nation's most diverse.
About Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville State University is a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina and the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state. Founded in 1867 as the Howard School for the education of African Americans, today FSU serves a growing student body of nearly 5,500 and ranks among the nation’s most diverse campus communities. FSU's enrollment has increased rapidly in the past few years, while at the same time average SAT scores for entering students have also improved. Enrollment is projected to grow to 6,000 by 2008 and a $45.5 million campus construction and renovation campaign is underway to accommodate additional students. New degree programs have also been established, including FSU's first doctoral program in Educational Leadership, a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master of school administration. The university offers 40 undergraduate and 21 master’s degree programs in the arts and sciences, business and economics, and education. For more information, see www.uncfsu.edu
About the University of North Carolina
The oldest public university in America, the University of North Carolina today encompasses all 16 of North Carolina's public institutions that grant baccalaureate degrees and enrolls 190,000 students. UNC campuses support a broad array of distinguished liberal-arts programs, two medical schools and one teaching hospital, two law schools, a veterinary school, a school of pharmacy, ten nursing programs, 15 schools of education, three schools of engineering, and a specialized school for performing artists. Also under the University umbrella are the UNC Center for Public Television with its 11-station statewide broadcast network, and the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, the nation's first public residential high school for gifted students. For more information, please visit www.northcarolina.edu
About MCNC Grid Computing & Networking Services
The non-profit MCNC was established by the state government in 1980 to be a catalyst for technology-based economic development and job creation throughout North Carolina. Since 1985, MCNC has developed and operated the North Carolina Research & Education Network (NCREN), one of the nation’s premier statewide research networks. The network provides Internet, video, audio and data network services to universities and other education, research and government institutions. Today, in partnership with North Carolina’s public and private universities, MCNC Grid Computing & Networking Services is building upon the foundation of NCREN to deploy one of the nation’s first statewide grid computing service networks. As an enhanced service of NCREN, the Statewide Grid will provide North Carolina researchers with remote, transparent and secure access to resources anywhere on the network, including computers, storage, applications and scientific equipment. MCNC is located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. For more information, please visit www.mcnc-gcns.org.
PHOTO IDs -
Agreement signing - Seated - Vijay Verma, associate vice president for information resources, UNC Office of the President. Standing from left - Robert Tyndall, vice chancellor for information technology systems at UNC Wilmington; Nick Ganesan, chief information officer at Fayetteville State University; and Maurice Mitchell, associate vice president for information resources at UNC Pembroke.
Agreement Handshake - From left - Robert Tyndall, vice chancellor for information technology systems at UNC Wilmington; Vijay Verma, associate vice president for information resources, UNC Office of the President; Nick Ganesan, chief information officer at Fayetteville State University; and Maurice Mitchell, associate vice president for information resources at UNC Pembroke.
Downloadable Photos
North Carolina Research and Education Network Map
Agreement signing
Agreement Handshake
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