BIOLOGY

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Drexel University has received approval from the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development to sponsor connections to the Abilene network for Pennsylvania’s 14-school State System of Higher Education (SSHE), University President Constantine Papadakis recently announced. The approval means Pennsylvania’s 14 SSHE schools can connect to Internet2 through Drexel’s Keystone Crossroads Partnership for Internet2 (KXP2), at speeds of approximately 45 megabits per second (Mbps). Drexel, an Abilene participant and one of 50 Internet2 connectors in the United States, uses the high-speed research network to access Internet2. Abilene is an Internet2 high-speed advanced backbone research network that connects regional network aggregation points such as Drexel to support the work of over 180 Internet2 universities in developing advanced Internet applications. "The KPX2 connection will allow the SSHE institutions to collaborate with Drexel and the Internet2 community on advanced networking research opportunities, such as experiments with virtual space performance events, visual geophysical exploration, digital library access and distribution and collaborative airplane design, said Dr. John A. Bielec, Drexel’s vice president for information resources and technology and manager of this project "Drexel can now provide the SSHE schools with high speed access to universities and national research laboratories worldwide," said Papadakis. "The Internet2 link along with Drexel’s commodity Internet service of 100 Mbps and our back-up Internet connection of 45 Mbps, makes Drexel one of the most wired universities in the Northeastern U.S. Pennsylvania’s SSHE is comprised of Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities. Drexel, Philadelphia’s technological university, is a leader in integrating emerging technologies into its curriculum. In 1983, Drexel became the first university to require all students to have personal access to a microcomputer. Last year, Drexel became the first major university to operate a fully wireless CyberCampus, providing Internet access from anywhere on the university’s 60+ acre campus. Drexel ranks sixth in this year’s Yahoo! Internet Life poll of America’s 100 Most Wired Universities, receiving poll’s the highest score in the "Wireless Access" category.