News for and about the Internet2 community

["Lauren Rotman" <>]

Internet2 Marks Five Year Anniversary of its Sponsored Education Group
Participant Program

SEGP Program Grows to 36 U.S. State Education Networks; Internet2 Commits to
Continued Support of Valuable Program

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - August 11, 2006 - This summer, Internet2 is pleased to
mark the five year anniversary of its Sponsored Education Group Participant
(SEGP) program which has successfully promoted the use of advanced networks
among the K-20 community by providing state education networks access to the
nationwide Internet2 network. The SEGP program was initiated in 2001 based
on feedback and support from the Internet2 Network Planning and Policy
Advisory Council and the Internet2 community. To date, 36 state networks
have been able to participate in the program through generous sponsorships
by Internet2 university members.  

"We are proud of the success of the SEGP program and the Internet2 K-20
Initiative which today has grown to connect more than 46,000 U.S. K-12
schools, community colleges, libraries, performing arts centers and museums
to the Internet2 network," said Douglas Van Houweling, Internet2 president
and CEO. "Internet2 is committed to supporting and enhancing the SEGP
program as it continues to gain momentum. In bringing together innovators at
all levels of research and academia, the program has encouraged the
development and use of new technologies to advance our country's educational
resources and capabilities." 

Internet2 SEGPs, in partnership with the Internet2 K-20 Initiative, have
been responsible for creating virtual classrooms and laboratories that are
revolutionizing the way young students learn - regardless of their physical
location. Today, students have access to world-class learning experiences
such as taking master music classes taught by world-renowned musicians using
DVD-quality videoconferencing or performing science experiments with
advanced electron microscopes using remote imaging instruments or observing
profound environmental events in real-time. 

For example, the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco,
California and an early adopter of Internet2 technology, provides students
access to their museum collections and staff expertise. Last Spring, the
Exploratorium partnered with NASA to provide K-12 schools and local museums
around the country a real-time high definition video stream of a total solar
eclipse from Turkey over the Internet2 network.  

"Internet2 connectivity has allowed us to extend the personal Exploratorium
experience far beyond the physical walls of the museum in San Francisco."
said Rob Semper, executive associate director of the Exploratorium. "Through
webcasting and on-line exhibits using the high bandwidth of Internet2's
network, we are able to provide teachers and students throughout the country
with engaging experiences in science."

Not only are students viewing the skies like never before, they will soon be
experiencing the oceans in unprecedented ways. Through the NEPTUNE ocean
research and education program at the University of Washington, K-20
students will eventually be able to access - from their desktop - real time
data and images of ocean and sea floor activity associated with the Juan de
Fuca tectonic plate off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and British
Columbia. Students may even be able to remotely configure
education-dedicated portions of the undersea sensor network to design and
run experiments for science class projects and assignments. 

"As the world's first ocean observatory spanning an entire tectonic plate,
NEPTUNE will open an unprecedented window into the northeast Pacific Ocean
and seafloor," said John Delaney, professor of Oceanography at University of
Washington and director of NEPTUNE. "By connecting this undersea
infrastructure to advanced research networks like Internet2, NEPTUNE will
provide a platform for young scientists around the world to participate
firsthand in ocean exploration, discovery, and understanding."

Science is certainly not the only discipline benefiting from advanced
network technology. Organizations like the Cleveland Museum of Art,
Internet2's first museum member, leverage Internet2's network and its
international partner networks to extend collaboration among artists and
curators throughout the world. Technologies like IP-based videoconferencing
have allowed remote curators to combine their expertise in real-time to
investigate the origins of rare art pieces.

"These are just a few examples of the many ways that innovators in the K-20
community are using advanced Internet technologies to change the educational
landscape, said Louis Fox, director of the Internet2 K20 Initiative and vice
provost at the University of Washington. "We applaud the efforts of our
participants in enabling students at all levels to become deeply involved in
new scientific, artistic, and cultural discovery."  

The new Internet2 Network, scheduled for deployment in 2007, promises to
provide the K-20 community even greater capabilities and will serve as an
enhanced development platform for innovations yet to be imagined by this
important segment of the Internet2 community.

For more information, visit: http://k20.internet2.edu
 
About Internet2
Internet2 is the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium. Led by the
research and education community since 1996, Internet2 promotes the missions
of its members by providing both leading-edge network capabilities and
unique partnership opportunities that together facilitate the development,
deployment and use of revolutionary Internet technologies. By bringing
research and academia together with technology leaders from industry,
government and the international community, Internet2 promotes collaboration
and innovation that has a fundamental impact on the future of the Internet.
http://www.internet2.edu

About the Internet2 K-20 Initiative
The national Internet2 K-20 Initiative brings together Internet2 member
institutions and innovators from primary and secondary schools, colleges and
universities, libraries, and museums to extend new technologies,
applications, middleware, and content to all educational sectors, as quickly
and connectedly as possible. http://k20.internet2.edu


Media Contact:
Lauren Rotman

202.331.5345