Midwest Universities To Launch Broadband Optical Net
- By Paul McCloskey
- 04/23/07
The University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have banded together to create the Broadband Optical Research, Education, and Sciences Network (BOREAS-Net), a high-speed optical network to share data and collaborate with other institutions.
The BOREAS-Net optical fiber ring will connect to national networks based in Chicago. BOREAS-Net members will be able to control their own bandwidth and maintain flexibility within the network. The partnership touted the benefits of joining the network, including aggregate data from multiple sources, access to supercomputers and telescopes, and shared databases.
The four founding institutions said they hope that other Midwestern institutions will join the BOREAS-Net coalition. Steve Cawley, vice president for information technology at the University of Minnesota and chair of BOREAS-Net, said the founding universities "hope that other Midwestern institutions will join the BOREAS-Net coalition.... Our primary goal is the advancement of research in higher education--and we think other institutions will see the value in joining us."
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About the Author
Paul McCloskey is contributing editor of Syllabus.