INDUSTRY
Internet2 Marks Five Year Anniversary of its Sponsored Education Group
SEGP Program Grows to 36 U.S. State Education Networks; Internet2 Commits to Continued Support of Valuable Program - This summer, Internet2 is pleased to mark the five year anniversary of its Sponsored Education Group Participant (SEGP) program which has successfully promoted the use of advanced networks among the K-20 community by providing state education networks access to the nationwide Internet2 network. The SEGP program was initiated in 2001 based on feedback and support from The Quilt, the Internet2 Network Planning and Policy Advisory Council and the Internet2 community. To date, 36 state networks have been able to participate in the program through generous sponsorships by Internet2 university members. 
"We are proud of the success of the SEGP program and the Internet2 K-20 Initiative which today has grown to connect more than 46,000 U.S. K-12 schools, community colleges, libraries, performing arts centers and museums to the Internet2 network," said Douglas Van Houweling, Internet2 president and CEO. "Internet2 is committed to supporting and enhancing the SEGP program as it continues to gain momentum. In bringing together innovators at all levels of research and academia, the program has encouraged the development and use of new technologies to advance our country's educational resources and capabilities." Internet2 SEGPs, in partnership with the Internet2 K-20 Initiative, have been responsible for creating virtual classrooms and laboratories that are revolutionizing the way young students learn - regardless of their physical location. Today, students have access to world-class learning experiences such as taking master music classes taught by world-renowned musicians using DVD-quality videoconferencing or performing science experiments with advanced electron microscopes using remote imaging instruments or observing profound environmental events in real-time. For example, the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, California and an early adopter of Internet2 technology, provides students access to their museum collections and staff expertise. Last Spring, the Exploratorium partnered with NASA to provide K-12 schools and local museums around the country a real-time high definition video stream of a total solar eclipse from Turkey over the Internet2 network. "Internet2 connectivity has allowed us to extend the personal Exploratorium experience far beyond the physical walls of the museum in San Francisco." said Rob Semper, executive associate director of the Exploratorium. "Through webcasting and on-line exhibits using the high bandwidth of Internet2's network, we are able to provide teachers and students throughout the country with engaging experiences in science." Not only are students viewing the skies like never before, they will soon be experiencing the oceans in unprecedented ways. Through the NEPTUNE ocean research and education program at the University of Washington, K-20 students will eventually be able to access - from their desktop - real time data and images of ocean and sea floor activity associated with the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Students may even be able to remotely configure education-dedicated portions of the undersea sensor network to design and run experiments for science class projects and assignments. "As the world's first ocean observatory spanning an entire tectonic plate, NEPTUNE will open an unprecedented window into the northeast Pacific Ocean and seafloor," said John Delaney, professor of Oceanography at University of Washington and director of NEPTUNE. "By connecting this undersea infrastructure to advanced research networks like Internet2, NEPTUNE will provide a platform for young scientists around the world to participate firsthand in ocean exploration, discovery, and understanding." Science is certainly not the only discipline benefiting from advanced network technology. Organizations like the Cleveland Museum of Art, Internet2's first museum member, leverage Internet2's network and its international partner networks to extend collaboration among artists and curators throughout the world. Technologies like IP-based videoconferencing have allowed remote curators to combine their expertise in real-time to investigate the origins of rare art pieces. "These are just a few examples of the many ways that innovators in the K-20 community are using advanced Internet technologies to change the educational landscape," said Louis Fox, director of the Internet2 K20 Initiative and vice provost at the University of Washington. "We applaud the efforts of our participants in enabling students at all levels to become deeply involved in new scientific, artistic, and cultural discovery." The new Internet2 Network, scheduled for deployment in 2007, promises to provide the K-20 community even greater capabilities and will serve as an enhanced development platform for innovations yet to be imagined by this important segment of the Internet2 community. For more information, visit: its Web site
"We are proud of the success of the SEGP program and the Internet2 K-20 Initiative which today has grown to connect more than 46,000 U.S. K-12 schools, community colleges, libraries, performing arts centers and museums to the Internet2 network," said Douglas Van Houweling, Internet2 president and CEO. "Internet2 is committed to supporting and enhancing the SEGP program as it continues to gain momentum. In bringing together innovators at all levels of research and academia, the program has encouraged the development and use of new technologies to advance our country's educational resources and capabilities." Internet2 SEGPs, in partnership with the Internet2 K-20 Initiative, have been responsible for creating virtual classrooms and laboratories that are revolutionizing the way young students learn - regardless of their physical location. Today, students have access to world-class learning experiences such as taking master music classes taught by world-renowned musicians using DVD-quality videoconferencing or performing science experiments with advanced electron microscopes using remote imaging instruments or observing profound environmental events in real-time. For example, the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, California and an early adopter of Internet2 technology, provides students access to their museum collections and staff expertise. Last Spring, the Exploratorium partnered with NASA to provide K-12 schools and local museums around the country a real-time high definition video stream of a total solar eclipse from Turkey over the Internet2 network. "Internet2 connectivity has allowed us to extend the personal Exploratorium experience far beyond the physical walls of the museum in San Francisco." said Rob Semper, executive associate director of the Exploratorium. "Through webcasting and on-line exhibits using the high bandwidth of Internet2's network, we are able to provide teachers and students throughout the country with engaging experiences in science." Not only are students viewing the skies like never before, they will soon be experiencing the oceans in unprecedented ways. Through the NEPTUNE ocean research and education program at the University of Washington, K-20 students will eventually be able to access - from their desktop - real time data and images of ocean and sea floor activity associated with the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Students may even be able to remotely configure education-dedicated portions of the undersea sensor network to design and run experiments for science class projects and assignments. "As the world's first ocean observatory spanning an entire tectonic plate, NEPTUNE will open an unprecedented window into the northeast Pacific Ocean and seafloor," said John Delaney, professor of Oceanography at University of Washington and director of NEPTUNE. "By connecting this undersea infrastructure to advanced research networks like Internet2, NEPTUNE will provide a platform for young scientists around the world to participate firsthand in ocean exploration, discovery, and understanding." Science is certainly not the only discipline benefiting from advanced network technology. Organizations like the Cleveland Museum of Art, Internet2's first museum member, leverage Internet2's network and its international partner networks to extend collaboration among artists and curators throughout the world. Technologies like IP-based videoconferencing have allowed remote curators to combine their expertise in real-time to investigate the origins of rare art pieces. "These are just a few examples of the many ways that innovators in the K-20 community are using advanced Internet technologies to change the educational landscape," said Louis Fox, director of the Internet2 K20 Initiative and vice provost at the University of Washington. "We applaud the efforts of our participants in enabling students at all levels to become deeply involved in new scientific, artistic, and cultural discovery." The new Internet2 Network, scheduled for deployment in 2007, promises to provide the K-20 community even greater capabilities and will serve as an enhanced development platform for innovations yet to be imagined by this important segment of the Internet2 community. For more information, visit: its Web site