CC* Network Design: Network Upgrades to Improve Engagement in Science Discovery and Education

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Truman State University, with the support of the Missouri Research and Education Network (MOREnet) and the University of Missouri, is upgrading the campus network and infrastructure to better enable access to, and use of, scientific data through improved data transfer capabilities for large datasets. The enhanced infrastructure supports faculty and undergraduate research in understanding star spots, quantifying light pollution in geographical areas, understanding the inhibition mechanisms of drugs to treat global health issues, natural language processing to improve approaches in artificial intelligence, and building low-cost, real-time, soil sensors. An expanded curriculum that includes hands-on training in cybersecurity and IPv6 technologies is also enabled by utilizing these network resources. The improvements include upgrades to the network switch and distribution technologies that result in a ten-fold increase in data transfer and access rates for faculty in STEM-related disciplines, as well as increases in the data transfer bandwidth to the campus observatory, deployment of IPv6 in support of the computer science curriculum, establishment of network performance metrics to inform continued growth, and robust and secure access (through federated identity management) to off-campus research tools and intra-institutional collaboration opportunities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.