FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contacts:
Gordy Pace
University of Montana
406.243.2371
Angela Stark
Internet2
202.803.8996
University of Montana Becomes an Internet2 100G Connector
MISSOULA, Mont., May 28, 2015—The University of Montana (UM) is now home to a 100 gigabit per second (100G) fiber connection as an
Internet2 Network connector site in Missoula. The ultra-high-speed capability advances UM’s research efforts and expands opportunities to support educational, research and health
care institutions across the state.
“The Internet2 Network connection provides great support to our researchers who collaborate with colleagues both nationally and internationally and, in particular, for those involved in big data initiatives
and their entrepreneurial activities,” said Scott Whittenburg, vice president for research at UM.
The new capability, which is 10 times faster than UM’s previous connection, will further research efforts in the areas of ecosystems, climate change, environmental health, neuroscience and the search for Earth-like
planets in nearby solar systems, to name a few.
“This provides us with amazing opportunities to capture and transmit field sensor data from an array of Internet of Everything possibilities,” said Matt Riley, UM’s chief information officer. “Missoula’s connectivity
to the Internet2 Network brings Montana’s research and academic programs to the forefront.”
Riley, who serves as vice president of the
Northern Tier Network Consortium, says network connectivity is key to education and economic development activities in rural states where communities are separated by vast distances. UM connects a portion of Montana’s higher
education institutions, including four-year, two-year and tribal colleges, as well as the U.S. Forest Service. The new 100G connection provides an opportunity to expand connectivity to more higher education institutions, to the K-12 community, health care
facilities, libraries and research laboratories across Montana.
“The University of Montana is a key institution in the northern United States, both for its research and education excellence and its leadership in connecting educational and public institutions in Montana,”
said Rob Vietzke, vice president of network services at Internet2. “We are pleased to partner with UM to advance their work and provide better network access for Montana’s educational institutions.”
About the University of Montana
Located in the heart of beautiful western Montana, the University of Montana is a place where outstanding students, educators and researchers from across the country and around the globe come to thrive. Roughly
14,000 students attend UM and Missoula College, where they receive a world-class education in a broad range of degrees that include the sciences, liberal arts, graduate and postdoctoral study and professional training. With 174 academic programs to choose
from, every UM student can build an educational career that fits their individual interests and passions.
About Internet2
Internet2® is a member-owned advanced technology community founded by the nation's leading higher
education institutions in 1996. Internet2 provides a collaborative environment for U.S. research and education organizations to solve common technology challenges, and to develop innovative solutions in support of their educational, research, and community
service missions. Internet2 also operates the nation’s largest and fastest, coast-to-coast research and education network, in which the Network Operations Center is powered by Indiana University. Internet2 serves more than 90,000 community anchor institutions,
260 U.S. universities, 65 government agencies, 40 regional and state education networks, 85 leading corporations working with our community and more than 65 national research and education networking partners representing more than 100 countries. Internet2
offices are located in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Denver, Colo.; Emeryville, Calif.; Washington, D.C; and West Hartford, Conn. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu or
follow @Internet2 on
Twitter.
