News for and about the Internet2 community

["Michelle Pollak" <>]

ABILENE NETWORK SPONSORED PARTICIPATION PROGRAM GROWS TO 101 PARTICIPANTS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 30, 2004 - Today, Internet2(R) announced that its 
Abilene Network Sponsored Participation program reached a
milestone of more than 100 participants.  Since the program began in late 
1999, 101 participants have been sponsored by Internet2
University Members such as the University of Pennsylvania, the University of 
Washington, and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute
(WPI).  The program enables Internet2 Members to collaborate with 
organizations outside of the Internet2 membership in support of
research and teaching using high-performance networks.

WPI holds the distinction of sponsoring the Museum of Science, Boston - the 
100th Sponsored Participant to connect to the Abilene
Network.  The Museum will work with WPI to develop new ways of using 
technology to enhance its relationship with visitors and foster
learning communities of life-long members through an initiative, Technology 
for the Visitors, to address the challenges shared by
science and technology in retaining visitors and members and to provide 
learning opportunities for individuals with varied and
changing interests.

"WPI has made it our mission to use Internet2 to broaden our collaborations 
by working with particularly diverse and rich cultural
and educational resources within Massachusetts.  Some unique relationships 
have evolved from the Goddard Collaborative-a group
exploring new ways of working together through innovative projects, including 
access to affordable advanced networking," said Tom
Lynch, Vice President for Information Technology and CIO, Worcester 
Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.  WPI is currently
sponsoring the American Antiquarian Society, Assumption College, the Museum 
of Science, Boston, the College of the Holy Cross, the
Higgins Armory Museum, and the Merrimack Education Center.

Abilene Sponsored Participants are educational organizations such as museums, 
art galleries, libraries, hospitals, community
colleges and other non-educational, not-for-profit or for-profit 
organizations requiring routine collaboration on instructional,
clinical and/or research projects, services, and content with Primary Abilene 
Participants or with other Sponsored Participants.
Primary Abilene Participation is open solely to Internet2 Members; only 
Internet2 University Members can sponsor other organizations
that would otherwise not become Internet2 Members but require close 
collaboration using high-performance networks.

"Having the ability to access the national research and education network in 
a cost-efficient manner has been a tremendous benefit
to our subscribers.  It has effectively leveled the playing field, enabling 
collaborative programs for institutions of varying
resources across the nation and around the world," said Greg Palmer, Director 
of the MAGPI GigaPoP, at the University of
Pennsylvania.  "As a result of this program, we are now in a position to 
assist our members realize their educational missions.  For
example, the Center for Excellence for Remote and Medically Under-Served 
Areas is located in a rural section of Pennsylvania with
very limited and costly access to high bandwidth circuits.  Because of their 
participation with Abilene, they are now able to
conduct medical simulations in collaboration with the Uniformed Services 
University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD."  The
University of Pennsylvania is currently sponsoring Arcadia University, the 
Chester County Intermediate Unit, the Fox Chase Cancer
Center, the Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Under-Served Areas 
(CERMUSA), and the Wharton School of Business in San
Francisco (Wharton West).

Jacqueline Brown, Assistant Vice Provost, IT Partnerships at the University 
of Washington, said, "The Seattle Community College
District was the first Sponsored Participant to participate in the program 
through a sponsorship by the University of Washington, we
have since also sponsored the Pacific Marine Environmental Lab.  We realized 
early the importance of using access to Internet2 to
facilitate the collaboration between research universities and entities which 
normally might not have become members of Internet2
whether community colleges, elementary schools, or small research 
laboratories.  Those collaborations are essential to the continued
vitality of the educational landscape."  The University of Washington is 
currently sponsoring the Seattle Community College District
and The Pacific Marine Environmental Lab of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (PMEL).

The Sponsored Participant program was designed as a benefit to the Internet2 
membership to help those Members accomplish activities
requiring the use of a high-performance network and the resources at an 
organization that does not have access to such a network.
For more information or to take part in the Abilene Network Sponsored 
Participant Program, visit:
http://abilene.internet2.edu/community/sponsored/index.html.

                                                # # #

About the Abilene Network
The Abilene Network is an Internet2 high-performance backbone network that 
enables the development of advanced Internet applications
and the deployment of leading-edge network services to Internet2 universities 
and research labs across the country.  The network has
become the most advanced native IP backbone network available to universities 
participating in Internet2.

The Abilene Network supports the development of applications such as virtual 
laboratories, digital libraries, distance education and
tele-immersion, as well as the advanced networking capabilities that are the 
focus of Internet2.  Abilene complements and peers with
other high-performance research networks in the United States and 
internationally.  For more information, visit:
http://abilene.internet2.edu/.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Founded in 1865, WPI is a pioneer in technological higher education. WPI was 
the first university to understand that students learn
best when they have the opportunity to apply the knowledge they gain in the 
classroom to the solution of important problems. Today
its students, working in teams at more than 20 project centers around the 
globe, put their knowledge and skills to work as they
complete professional-level work that can have an immediate positive impact 
on society.

WPI's innovative, globally focused curriculum has been recognized by leaders 
in industry, government and academia as the model for
the technological education of tomorrow. Students emerge from this program as 
true technological humanists, well rounded, with the
confidence, the interpersonal skills and the commitment to innovation they 
need to make a real difference in their professional and
personal lives. 

The university awarded its first advanced degree in 1898. Today, its 
first-rate research laboratories support master's and Ph.D.
programs in more than 30 disciplines in engineering, science and the 
management of technology. Located in the heart of the region's
biotechnology and high-technology sectors, WPI has built research 
programs-including the largest industry/university alliance in
North America-that have won it worldwide recognition.

About University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania, a 264-year-old Ivy League institution in 
Philadelphia, is the academic home of more than 20,000
undergraduate and graduate students in 12 schools, all located on one 
beautiful campus.  The student body represents all 50 states
and many foreign countries.  Year after year, Penn, founded by Benjamin 
Franklin, is ranked among the top elite research
universities in the U.S. and the world.

About University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW) is one of the world's top research 
universities. Perennially among the top three American
institutions in peer-reviewed research activities and related competitive 
contracts and grants, and with numerous top-ranked
programs, UW is a university which truly embodies the ideals of "Learning @ 
the Leading Edge" and economic development through
research and active technology transfer programs. For more information visit 
www.washington.edu.

About Internet2(R)
Led by more than 200 U.S. universities working with industry and government, 
Internet2 develops and deploys advanced network
applications and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating 
the creation of tomorrow's Internet.  Internet2
recreates the partnerships among academia, industry, and government that 
helped foster today's Internet in its infancy.  For more
information, visit: www.internet2.edu.

CONTACT:
Michelle Pollak
Internet2
(202) 331-5345