CC* Regional: Integrating the Colorado Western Slope Research and Education (R&E) Community into the National R&E Infrastructure

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High-speed, reliable networking infrastructure is vital to an organization's ability to thrive in today's rapidly evolving scientific and technical environments. Such network connectivity is essential for success in business, science, communication, global collaboration, education, and outreach. The network connectivity in the Western Slope Rocky Mountain region of Colorado is challenged. This project will bring together research and education (R&E) stakeholders to identify specific areas of need, work with public and private partners to identify infrastructure and other network resources, define the scope of the network to be constructed, and design a network. Stakeholders benefit from gaining knowledge of available resources for better network connectivity, building relationships with the regional and national network providers, technical training, and access to high-performance network connectivity. Project goals include ensuring underserved populations from rural areas of Colorado and Northern New Mexico have a diverse, well-educated workforce and that students are offered the highest caliber educational opportunities and resources. Improved network access supports economic development and growth, increased diversity, and development and expansion of employment opportunities.The project team identifies and documents network resources and provides a network design that addresses feasibility, costs, and deployment of the network. The team performs site visits to identify, document, and assess network paths, and one-time and recurring costs. Regular meetings with stakeholders and vendors are conducted. A workshop is planned to teach stakeholders about advanced network tools and technology.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.