This project will enable a connection from Tennessee Technological University (TTU) to the Abilene/Internet2 backbone through Vanderbilt University (VU) via a 45 megabit per second DS3 line. Driving research applications include electric power, water resources, manufacturing research, and clinical informatics. Research activities requiring a high-speed connection include
improving machining techniques through collaborative design and remote simulation and observation of the machining process; enabling spatial and temporal data transfer and processes in real time; high-performance networks and distributed network storage; developing new models of human/computer interaction in clinical informatics; Improved collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Two new courses in networking are proposed. Students will be involved in network research. The university serves rural Tennessee and plans to examine potential communication between commodity Internet sites using its Abilene/Internet 2 connectivity and intelligent routing. TTU has a minority engineering program and has aggressively pursued recruiting African-American students for computer science and engineering study. This connection will benefit those students in addition to the entire TTU student body.
