9703636 Anne M. Kelly This award will support undergraduate and graduate student volunteers to work on the network, SciNet'96, at the Supercomputing '96 conference. Computer networking is still a relatively young field, and there are very few opportunities for the practical applications that enrich and inform the classroom experience. This is especially true in EPSCoR state where the academic research enterprise, including its Internet infrastructure, deserves special attention and support. A special effort has been made to recruit students for EPSCoR institutions to work on SciNet'96. Showfloor networks such as SciNet'96 are complete networks that offer a full spectrum of learning experiences in every aspect of internet technology, albeit in a pressure cooker environment. Student volunteers will be under the tutelage of experienced professionals who have also volunteered to work on SciNet'96. The student volunteers will be involved in the full gamut of showfloor networking, for example: * physical infrastructure * logical infrastructure, and * network operations including crisis management
