CC* Networking Infrastructure: Improving the University of the Virgin Islands’ Scientific Research Data Movement Infrastructure and Network Capacity

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This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), through its Information Services and Institutional Assessment department and in collaboration with Virgin Islands Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, aims to upgrade campus network switching electronics, implementing a Science DMZ (a perimeter network), and providing training opportunities for undergraduate students. The project will deliver increased network capacity and redundancy required to enable the movement of scientific data to conduct various network-based research activities, permit advanced computing, and take advantage of public cloud computing and storage resources. These improvements will increase UVI’s ability to support ongoing scientific research and teaching and attract new researchers. Network switching upgrades from 10/100BASE transmission speeds to high performing multigigabit network switches allow for increased network capacity and redundancy required to enable the movement of scientific data to conduct various research activities, permit advanced computing, take advantage of public cloud computing and storage resources, and also support the Internet of Things (IoT). These network improvements will build upon past NSF cyberinfrastructure investments, support UVI-based marine and environmental research that informs federal and territorial natural resources managers focused on marine ecosystems health, increase data sharing between researchers and collaborators, and help to facilitate time-sensitive environmental monitoring and real-time model validation. UVI's Science DMZ will offer a network environment tailored to the needs of high-performance science applications, including large data transfers, remote experiment control, data visualization, and addresses network performance problems that occur when large research data sets traverse through firewalls. It also will enable faster processing of data for UVI’s collaborating partner, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, a radio telescope facility used by the international scientific community. Additionally, computer science and computational biology undergraduate students from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM will be provided opportunities for hands-on training and work experience. This project has potential to facilitate professional development, help build high-demand technical capacity within the university and across the Territory, and make a sound and long-term investment in campus-wide research and education at UVI.This project is funded through the collaborative efforts of the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.