Internet2 takes center stage at free symposium
March 11, 2004
KALAMAZOO--Internet2 and wireless technology will take center stage during a symposium from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Friday, March 19, in the Fetzer Center on Western Michigan University's main campus in Kalamazoo.
The "Internet2 Wireless Symposium" has a conference format and will delve into the cutting-edge uses of Internet2 and wireless technology applications in educational and research endeavors as well as report on some of the collaborations WMU faculty members have forged as a result of these advanced uses and applications.
The event, one of the first symposiums of its kind in Southwest Michigan, is free and includes a continental breakfast, lunch and materials. Anyone interested in using Internet2 or wireless networks in their research and creative activities is invited to attend. Pre-registration is required.
Dr. William R. Wiener, dean of WMU's Graduate College, notes that WMU moved onto the express lane of the information superhighway in 2000 when it was accepted as part of Internet2, a consortium being led by 205 universities working in partnership with industry and government to develop and deploy the next generation of Internet technology.
The consortium's primary goals are to create a leading edge network capability for the national research community; enable revolutionary Internet applications in such areas as telemedicine, digital libraries and virtual laboratories; and ensure the rapid transfer of new network services and applications to the broader Internet community.
"For the past two years, WMU has been supporting collaborative research that utilizes the capabilities of Internet2 to transfer or manipulate data," Wiener says. "This support has fostered multidisciplinary, multi-partner research activities that reach across the campus and across the country."
These are exciting times, he adds.
"We've not only had some incredible success stories, but we also have a lot of useful information to share with researchers who want to become involved in Internet2 or expand the level of their current involvement."
The symposium will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and a brief welcome from WMU President Judith I. Bailey at 8:30 a.m.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Douglas E. Van Houweling, president and chief executive officer of Internet2, who will describe the consortium and how it functions starting at 8:45 a.m.
The day's other main speaker will be Dr. Moshen Guizani, chairperson of WMU's Department of Computer Science, who will present a talk at 11:20 a.m. titled "Intelligent Resource Allocation Technique for the Next Generation High-Speed Wireless Internet Access Network."
Morning and afternoon breakout sessions will cover such topics as remote learning, conducting experiments at remote locations, environmental studies support, and applications related to engineering, computers and the fine arts.
The symposium is being organized by WMU's Research Policies Council and coordinated by its Conferences and Seminars office. For more information or to register, call Conferences and Seminars at (269) 387-4174 or visit the office's Web site at <www.wmich.edu/conferences>.
Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 269 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu