News

Fall 2009 Internet2 Member Meeting

The Fall 2009 Internet2 Member Meeting is scheduled for October 5-8 in San Antonio, Texas. The meeting's theme is “Collaborations and Resource Sharing in Research and Education: How the economic crisis is fueling the expansion of networking technology, fostering global communities, and driving social change.” The full agenda is available online.

Internet2 is pleased to feature General Session speakers Gary Forsee, President of the University of Missouri System and former chairman and CEO of Sprint Nextel, and Gwen Jacobs, Professor and Assistant CIO at Montana State University and chair of the iPlant Collaborative Board of Directors.

Internet2 gratefully acknowledges ADVA, Brocade, Ciena, Level3, LifeSize and Qwest for their generous sponsorship of this meeting, and Cisco and Ekinops for providing supporting equipment.

There is still time to register and reserve your room at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio, the conference hotel!

Federated Identity Management Recognized with 2009 EDUCAUSE Catalyst Award

The Internet2 Middleware Initiative, the U.S. national identity federation InCommon, the Joint Information Systems Committee in the United Kingdom, and the SWITCH Federation in Switzerland, are being recognized with the 2009 EDUCAUSE Catalyst Award. This award honors information technology-based innovations that provide groundbreaking solutions to major challenges in higher education. The 2009 Catalyst Award recognizes federated identity management, a set of technologies and standards that allow individuals to use their organizational credentials, for example a user ID and password, to access a variety of web-based resources, such as library databases, research data, student career services, and business process services.

All Merit Member Eligible Organizations in Michigan are Now Connected to the Internet2 Network

As of 1 September, schools, libraries, higher education institutions, museums, and government agencies across Michigan that connect to Merit's network are now connected to the Internet2 Network. As part of a collaborative effort by Merit Network and Internet2, all organizations that are eligible for Sponsored Education Group Participant (SEGP) connectivity in Michigan can now use the Internet2 Network for high-bandwidth applications, innovative educational programs, and connectivity to other Internet2-connected organizations across the United States.

ESnet Honored as One of Top 10 Government IT Innovators

On 14 September, InformationWeek Magazine honored the DOE's Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) as a top Government IT Innovator. ESnet was recognized as a top ten government agency innovator for its work to help thousands of researchers worldwide manage the massive amounts of scientific data stemming from the application of petascale supercomputers and high-precision instruments to cutting-edge disciplines such as climate science, high energy physics, astrophysics and genomics. More information and details on the award are available online.

Remembering Myles Brand

Myles Brand, President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and former President of Indiana University, passed away on 16 September. While president of Indiana University, Myles served on the Internet2 Board of Trustees from 2001 until he assumed the Presidency of the NCAA. In the spring of 1999, he also championed the cause of advanced networking for Higher Education by participating on an AAU panel which advocated a stronger investment by research institutions in the development and deployment of advanced Internet applications. Later that same year he furthered the mission of Internet2 with the launch of the Global Research Network Operations Center at IU, one of the fundamental building blocks of our higher education advanced network. His vision and leadership in this area will be one of his enduring legacies.

Governance Updates

AMSAC

The Applications, Middleware, and Services Advisory Council (AMSAC) has reviewed and made recommendations on Middleware directions, a business model for InCommon, and hosted briefings on Security for future decisions. Randy Frank, Internet2 CTO, was invited to talk with AMSAC about his goals and vision and gather input from the council. Upcoming agendas are set for briefings on cyberinfrastructure and digital humanities for review and discussion.

AOAC

The Architecture & Operations Advisory Council (AOAC) met on 12 and 26 August and 9 September. Internet2 staff provided updates on the communications plan for the new membership structure, the successful installation of the Juniper MX routers in New York and Washington, DC, as well as the growth in use of the new commercial peering connection at Ashburn, Virginia.

The AOAC received a copy of the Internet2 Architectural Directions 2009 document [pdf] for review. This document was created by Internet2 staff with input from a community team and was subsequently discussed at the July Joint Techs meeting. In September, the Network Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) and the AOAC voted to endorse it. The AOAC is seeking input from other councils as well as the community on this important milestone and asking for the community to engage in the NTAC and AOAC discussion as the next layers of detail are developed into short term and longer-term network architecture directions. Community members are encouraged to send comments to ntac@internet2.edu or aoac@internet2.edu.

Events

CANS 2009

The Chinese-American Networking Symposium is celebrating its 10th anniversary and we would like you to celebrate with us.  Whether you have participated in past events, have a campus in China, or are just interested in learning more about the state of research & education networking in China, CANS 2009 is the place to be.

Internet2, in partnership with CSTNet, our host, CERNET, and CAST-USA, is pleased to announce this year’s Chinese-American Networking Symposium to be held 3-5 December in Beijing, China. Networking experts from both China and the United States will gather at CANS to discuss new ideas and advancements in networking technologies. In keeping with our focus on working together to promote interoperability, the 2009 Symposium theme is A Decade of Collaboration: Looking back, looking forward. 

Health Network Initiative Workshop

Internet2 is pleased to announce the 4th Health Network Initiative Workshop, held in conjunction with the Internet2 Fall Member Meeting. This meeting, scheduled for 8 October, will bring together individuals interested in using advanced networks in health care. The event will include panels and presentations related to experiences with advanced networking and health care as well as representatives from federal agencies supporting health care. Register now!