FSML: High Speed Data Line for the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve Field Lab

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Indiana University has been awarded a grant to enhance access to research and education at the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve Field Lab (IURTP). The lab is a new facility with a strong and ongoing environmental research emphasis. Since 2001 Indiana University has strongly supported the lab by developing a facility for studies ranging from forest, grassland, and invasion ecology to atmospheric chemistry and biogeochemistry. In its short history, the facility has established a reputation for a strong user base and impressive scientific record. The Lab has developed a strong track record of supporting minorities and other underrepresented groups in the sciences, including participation in institutional and federal programs such as the Jim Holland Summer Enrichment Program for minority high school students. The IURTP is also equipped with effective mechanisms for public outreach, K-12 education, and undergraduate training.The award will improve access to research and education at the lab by providing internet access via a high-speed, optic fiber data link. The fast data link and real-time data monitoring system will allow the remote access and retrieval of data, diversifying opportunities for participation in IURTP research and teaching activities. It will also allow researchers to access real time data from their field sites and to communicate with instruments without actually having to travel to the remote study site. The IT infrastructure will poise the facility to be a key institution in the evolving regional to continental networks like NEON. It will eventually allow teachers to conduct field courses that can be ?attended? virtually by students who are located anywhere in the world, as long as they have a computer with an internet connection. The proposed improvements in cyberinfrastructure for the IURTP provide many outlets for public outreach and science education (information displays, seminars, field trips, web broadcasts).