Lamar University is introducing a Science DMZ designed to efficiently achieve higher levels of performance, reliability and predictability for critical STEM science research projects and address next generation big data research needs. The proposed cyber infrastructure provides connectivity to state and national high performance computing facilities, including those supported through the NSF/XSEDE program, from multiple research locations across campus. Lamar University faculty research includes, but is not limited to, biology, chemistry, environmental science, electronic systems, biomedical diagnostics, natural disasters, engineering, and high performance computing and data analysis.
The dedicated Science DMZ provides transformative capability for both research and educational programs by interconnecting research intensive areas on campus to one another through a 10G fiber backbone while removing obstacles to efficient data flows between research laboratories and external collaborative computational and analytical facilities. The new design provides multiple 10Gbps-routed ports, DMZ switches for link consolidation and aggregation, a high performance data transfer node, and a Perfsonar node for performance monitoring and testing. In addition, the optical fiber network is upgraded to single-mode fiber connections for research-intensive areas along with distribution and access layer switching to provide 10G capacity.
The new network also provides broader impact benefits to graduate and undergraduate students by incorporating project design and operation into classroom lecture, student engagement in intensive computational and data driven research and independent student research efforts.
