This award funds the US participation in a US/EU Workshop on Optical Networking. (The European Union (EU) funds European participants). The Workshop participants will include experts from the optical networking research community in the US and the EU. The proposed Workshop, tentatively scheduled for June 27-28, 2005, in Brussels, will serve the purpose of: (a) determining the future research needs and opportunities in optical networking, and (b) exploring methods which can facilitate stronger research collaboration between US and EU researchers in optical networking.
The Workshop Co-Chair from the US is Professor Biswanath Mukherjee. Attendance at the Workshop will be by invitation only and is limited to 30 participants--15 from the US and another 15 from EU. A Technical Program Committee (TPC) will determine the Workshop's Technical Program
Technical topics to be covered at the Workshop will include (1) optical network architectures; (2) experimental optical systems research (hardware systems); and (3) optical network control and management (software systems). Special attention will be paid to collaborations in these areas. The Workshop will address forward-looking and high-impact research. The Workshop will also explore how NSF and EU agencies might facilitate strong collaborative research between US and EU researchers in optical networking. The Final Workshop Report will detail important research challenges, both fundamental and technological, that are likely to be at the forefront of this field for many years to come.
