Baylor Brings Next Generation Internet Capability To Campus
Baylor University has joined the growing list of universities that have connected to Internet2, a state-of-the-art high-speed research network connection that will strengthen the "next generation" capabilities for Baylor faculty and students. The faster connection will provide more reliable video-conferencing and will allow Baylor researchers to transfer large datasets to other researchers across the country in a matter of minutes, instead of hours. Students also could see accelerated load times when using the Internet if they connect to other Internet2 member institutions.
"If an art professor wants to show his class different art from The Louvre, for example, he can give a live video-tour without the glitches," said Dr. Truell Hyde, who is Baylor's vice provost for research. "If our faculty wants to transfer and compare research data, they can do it much faster."
The Lonestar Education and Research Network (LEARN), of which Baylor is a member along with 33 other Texas institutions, has built a 2,100-mile network across the state that provides connection points to Internet2 for its member universities in 13 Texas cities. Baylor has leveraged the membership with LEARN to provide transport to Dallas where they connect to Internet2 through an organization called the Trans-Texas Videoconference Network (TTVN).
"Many of the goals in Baylor 2012, the university's 10-year vision, require or are stimulated by access to Internet2," said Reagan Ramsower, vice president for finance and administration at Baylor. "We are indeed fortunate to be in a location facilitating access to it. If we want to continue to be on the cutting-edge, we have to provide our faculty, staff and students with the necessary tools."