News for and about the Internet2 community

[Greg Monaco <>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Great Plains Network Launches Professional Development Program for
Research & Education Community

Beginning in September, 2011, the Great Plains Network (GPN) will be
launching a web-based Professional Development Program for faculty and
staff at member institutions and GPN Network Participants. Planned
topics are in areas of advanced networking, high performance
computing, data life cycle management, and other aspects of advanced
technology, critical to advancing the missions of the higher education
community. Each program will be brief--60 to 90 minutes--and will be
interactive.

“The GPN Professional Development program will put us in touch with
the latest developments in advanced network technology,” explained
Bill Mitchell, GPN Executive Director.  Rick McMullen, of the
University of Kansas and Chair of GPN’s Cyberinfrastructure Program
added that “"Developing a shared understanding of new CI and IT
technologies and how they can advance our institutional missions opens
up the possibility of cost-sharing and efficient adoption of
game-changing CI across the region."

The Professional Development Program was piloted over the summer with
speakers from Internet2, InCommon and VisiMeet.  Since then the GPN
community has been polled for recommendations for speakers and topics
for the Fall and Spring Semesters.  Speakers from Internet2, the
University of Chicago, the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications, as well as industry partners like Adva Optical will
cover topics related to new services, trends in Research and Education
Networking, advanced computing applications and more.  The schedule of
sessions is updated at

http://www.greatplains.net/display/Home/Professional+Development+Program .

GPN also maintains a calendar of upcoming network and
cyberinfrastructure training at their web site (
http://www.greatplains.net).

To receive notifications about GPN and announcements of dates/times of
Professional Development meetings or to add an event to the GPN
Training calendar, please contact Kate Adams, System Administrator,
via email 
().

About GPN

The Great Plains Network (GPN) is dedicated to supporting research and
education through the use of advanced networking technology and
cyberinfrastructure. GPN membership includes universities in Arkansas,
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South
Dakota.

Primary Contact Information
Gregory E. Monaco, Ph.D.
Director for Research & Cyberinfrastructure Initiatives
The Great Plains Network
Phone:  785-554-9657
web:  http://www.greatplains.net
email: