Extending the Montana Northern Tier Network to Strategic Partners

提案编号：EPS -1006932提案标题：将蒙大拿北部网络扩展到战略合作伙伴机构：蒙大拿大学该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。北层网络联盟（NTNC）成立于2003年，旨在扩展宽带和高性能光网络，将北层与国家研究和教育网（NREN）连接起来。这项研究基础设施改善校际和校园内网络连接项目的目标是扩展蒙大拿州大学系统（MUS）新激活的自有光纤网络——蒙大拿州北部层网络（MT-NTN）的覆盖范围和能力。将建立三个新的连接点，以促进本地站点与位于蒙大拿州迈尔斯市的蒙大拿州迈尔斯市数据中心（MCDC）的计算和数据存储设施的连接；并使用新的和现有的连接站点来创建和支持蒙大拿州立大学-比林斯（MSUB），萨利什库特奈学院（SKC，部落学院），迈尔斯城市社区学院（MCCC）和道森社区学院（DCC）的站点连接。MT-NTN的扩展将允许MSUB， SKC， MCCC和DCC的学生和教师通过加强与系统内其他学院和大学的合作，参与扩大的本科研究项目。该项目还将为蒙大拿州的研究人员提供一个企业级数据存储和计算设施。该设施将通过一个安全、高带宽、高容量的网络为大量研究数据提供备份、存储和灾难恢复能力。两个核心研究重点领域是：环境与生态系统科学，健康与生物医学科学。改善连接将加强从环境传感器到当地数据集结点的数据收集和流动，并将能够在国家网络规模上实时观察生态系统的变化。将该网络扩展到农村和服务不足地区将有助于研究和了解影响蒙大拿州农村、土著和社会经济地位较低人口的健康状况。调查人员和其他研究人员将与参与蒙大拿州卫生信息交换（HIEM）的同事合作，这是一个由五家独立拥有和经营的医院和两家联邦资助的社区卫生中心组成的农村卫生网络。这种合作是有价值的，因为该州的距离非常大，这为这种时间敏感的合作带来了额外的困难。更广泛的影响该项目利用了蒙大拿州立大学（MSU）和蒙大拿大学（UM）目前通过刺激竞争研究实验计划（EPSCoR）资助的正在进行的多样性活动。该项目将通过向所有参与机构提供联机访问，增加在研究和教育活动方面的合作机会。将扩大劳动力发展活动，以便在部落学院的本科和研究生职业生涯中提升和留住来自STEM学科的美国原住民学生。将为包括两年制和部落学院在内的本科生项目开发一个研究经验。DCC和MCC的学生将有机会直接与UM和MSU的教师和学生合作。这些机构的教师将在密歇根州立大学的国家教师提升网络（NTEN）框架内增加新的研究生水平课程的机会。这些涵盖能源、生态和相关主题的新课程将成为永久课程目录的一部分，并为EPSCoR建立一个模式，为全国的科学教师提供及时、准确的科学内容。

Proposal Number: EPS -1006932Proposal Title: Extending the Montana Northern Tier Network to Strategic PartnersInstitution: University of MontanaThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009(Public Law 111-5).The Northern Tier Networking Consortium (NTNC) was formed in 2003 to extend and expand broadband and high-performance optical networks, connecting the Northern Tier to the National Research and Education Network (NREN). The goal of this Research Infrastructure Improvement Inter-Campus and Intra-Campus Cyber Connectivity project is to extend the reach and capability of the Montana University System's (MUS) newly activated owned-fiber network, the Montana Northern Tier Network (MT-NTN). Three new connection points will be built to facilitate local site connections to computational and data storage facilities in the State of Montana Miles City Data Center (MCDC), located in Miles City, Montana; and to use new and existing connection sites to create and support site connections for Montana State University-Billings (MSUB), Salish Kootenai College (SKC, a Tribal College), Miles City Community College (MCCC) and Dawson Community College (DCC). Intellectual Merit This extension of the MT-NTN will allow students and faculty at MSUB, SKC, MCCC, and DCC to engage in expanded undergraduate research programs through enhanced collaboration with other colleges and universities in the system. The project will also provide access for researchers in Montana to an enterprise level data storage and computational facility. Access to this facility will provide back-up, storage and disaster recovery capabilities for vast amounts of research data through a secure, high bandwidth, high capacity network. The two core research focus areas are: environmental and ecosystem science, and health and biomedical sciences. Improved connectivity would enhance the collection and streaming of data from environmental sensors to local data aggregation points and would enable real-time observation of ecosystem changes on a national network scale. The extension of the network into rural and underserved areas would support research and understanding of the health conditions that affect Montana's rural, indigenous, and lower socioeconomic populations. The investigators and other researchers would collaborate with colleagues participating in the Health Information Exchange of Montana (HIEM), a rural health network consisting of five independently owned and operated hospitals and two federal funded Community Health Centers. This collaboration is valuable as the distances in the state are very large, presenting an additional difficulty for such time-sensitive collaboration.Broader ImpactsThe project leverages ongoing diversity activities funded through current Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) at Montana State University (MSU) and The University of Montana (UM). This project will increase opportunities for collaboration in research and education activities by providing on-line access to all participating institutions. Workforce development activities will be augmented in order to advance and retain Native American students from the Tribal Colleges in the STEM disciplines throughout their undergraduate and graduate careers. A research experience for undergraduates program that includes the 2-year and Tribal Colleges will be developed. Students at DCC and MCC would have the opportunity to collaborate directly with faculty and students at UM and MSU. Faculty at these institutions would have increased access to new graduate-level courses within the framework of MSU's National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN). The new courses, covering energy, ecology, and related topics, will become part of a permanent catalog of course offerings and establish a model for EPSCoR to nationally reach teachers of science with timely and accurate science content.