Campus Briefs

DOUBLE-EDGED SECURITY.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (PA) and officials from the Korean Information Security Agency (KISA) have joined forces to develop advanced technologies to open a new era of more secure computers, networks, and communications systems. The Koreans will foot the $6 million to establish CyLab Korea on the CMU campus in Pittsburgh, and CyLab in Seoul. The international business community will be the ultimate beneficiary; the research is expected to thwart worms and viruses that cost companies more than $150 billion a year.

THE FUTURE’S IN THE FIBER.

The Ohio State University and several other Ohio institutions are among the sites now connected to the Third Frontier Network, the country’s first statewide, high-speed, fiber-optic network for research and education. The state has lit more than 1,600 miles of fiber to create a backbone to connect its research, education, and manufacturing communities. The initiative, operated by OARnet, is expected to achieve economies of scale that will benefit institutions throughout the state, while enabling advanced networking as needed by researchers.

(DATA) INTENSE MOMENTS.

Today’s high-performance computers process intensive problems with ease, but the massive datasets produced by modern research are causing the infrastructure for managing, searching, and analyzing them to play a curious game of catch-up. With a $1.8 million NSF award, however, researchers at Cornell University (NY) are developing a large-scale information access-and-analysis system to support data-intensive computing projects, one of which will develop precision models of the structure and evolution of the World Wide Web.

SCHOOLS ON RECORDS.

IT leaders are watching nervously as the proposed Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) wends its way toward legislation. Though concerns range from technical issues to privacy, results of a feasibility study (due to be submitted to congress in February) may move IPEDS to the next stage, and higher ed closer to the standard student unit record. Field testing is slated for 2006-2007; implementation in 2007-2008.

VIDEO-CENTRIC INSTRUCTION.

What if high-resolution, interactive, multi-party video conferencing was the campus norm—a staple in your everyday technology arsenal? Case Western Reserve University (OH), under the IT leadership of Lev Gonick, is building out its groundbreaking visual communications network on campus, to deliver customized visual communications and video conferencing services to laptops, desktops, and meeting rooms. The goal is to completely alter the educational experience and offer students more productive and efficient choices, such as viewing lectures in real time from anywhere, virtual office hours and study groups, or access to archived class videos.

CHANGING THE IMAGE.

Most digital imaging programs have focused on biomedicine and biotechnology, but the demand for trained digital-image analysis specialists is now coming from fields like criminal justice and forensic science. Accordingly, Cuyahoga Community College (OH) has launched a new program to train students as scientific-imaging technicians.

TRUSTWORTHY RECIPIENTS.

In time for Christmas, Microsoft announced 10 awards totaling $500,000 for the Microsoft Research/University Relations Trustworthy Computing RFP, which focuses on introducing the fundamentals of “trustworthy computing” in courses across computer science, engineering, information systems, business, and law programs. Head to research.microsoft.com/ for a list of winners.

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