Advanced Technologies Create New Grid Communities on UA Campus

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Physicians who wish to consult with their peers at hospitals hundreds of miles away, students interested in discussing campus issues with students at other universities, and faculty who would like to share their work with fellow researchers can now do so, using the newly installed Access Grid in Mullins Library at the University of Arkansas.

Fulbright honors students will demonstrate the possibilities of the new system during an open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, in Room 225 of Mullins Library. They will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom with honors students from the University of Indiana and the University of Kansas.

The Access Grid is based on technology developed through Internet2, a national initiative to create new high-bandwidth networks, foster interactive applications and improve connections among network sites.

"The Access Grid is advancing the way research and the latest innovations can be communicated around the world. Now, teams of researchers can share data in real time. The grid can be used by any number of groups, from faculty to students and campus leaders. Administrators at universities across Arkansas could discuss important issues without leaving campus, saving them both time and travel expenses," said Donald Bobbitt, dean of Fulbright College.

Bobbitt funded equipment and installation costs through his Arkansas Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) grant. The primary goal of the BRIN Project is to expand biomedical research opportunities for faculty and students in Arkansas through recruiting faculty, developing biomedical graduate programs and establishing Access Grid studios.

Access grids are comprised of multiple cameras, wide projection screens, speakers, video projectors and microphones. The grid provides multicast networking, allowing users to send simultaneous streams of data from each camera and the audio system into the network. All participants are able to hear and see one another, allowing them to participate in multidisciplinary conferences and even share computer applications.

In addition to the U of A, other Arkansas universities with access studios include Arkansas State University, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will soon be brought into the consortium.

The technology was developed by Futures Laboratory at the Argonne National Laboratory under research funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, the National Science Foundation and Microsoft Research. Partners assisting in establishing the UA grid include Carolyn Allen, dean of Mullins Library; David Merrifield, associate director of University IT Services; and Dan Puckett of University IT Services. Merrifield purchased the equipment and coordinated installation in Mullins Library; Puckett operates and schedules the use of the facility.

For more information, go to http://www.accessgrid.org/ or to www.uark.edu/uits/accessgrid. To reserve the Access Grid, contact Puckett at 575-2905 or by e-mail, danp@uark.edu.