Louisiana's Cyber Connectivitity via LONI

路易斯安那州通过LONI的网络连接计划编号：EPS-1006891机构：路易斯安那州董事会项目主管：迈克尔·M·康萨里该奖项由2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公共法律111-5)资助。路易斯安那州光网络倡议(LONI)提供了一个现代化、强大的网络基础设施环境，可加强研究、促进和促进跨学科合作，并整合整个路易斯安那州的研究和教育。目前，LONI为路易斯安那州的几乎所有公立高等教育机构以及密西西比州的四所研究型大学提供网络连接。这项提案要求提供资金，将Loni的高带宽光纤网络扩展到位于新奥尔良的路易斯安那州泽维尔大学。泽维尔是一所私立的、历史悠久的黑人大学，其科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)课程在全国范围内得到认可。这一重大举措预计将缩小泽维尔的网络基础设施差距，并促进泽维尔的教职员工和学生与该州领先的计算和实验科学家之间积极的研究关系，以及与全国主要机构的伙伴关系。通过这项计划，泽维尔将成为路易斯安那州第一所研究活动以本科课程为主的机构，该课程以充分利用光网络能力的带宽连接到LONI。智力价值通过为全州和全国的合作者和导师提供高带宽网络网关，这项将LONI扩展和链接到泽维尔大学校园的提议承诺以多种不同的方式加强基础研究和教育。增强的网络基础设施环境侧重于在材料科学的广泛领域已经在进行的合作研究项目，计划支持：(1)分子磁性的研究，以帮助设计更高性能的磁体，以增强例如高密度信息记录介质的能力；(2)研究用于能量转换和自旋电子学应用的新型材料；(3)表面活性分子与纳米颗粒晶面之间相互作用的能量的分子动力学模拟；(4)旨在减少设计用于识别分子特征的纳米流体装置所需的时间的数值模拟工作，从而有助于生物发现中的各种应用；(5)消除薄膜电池制造过程中针孔的研究；(6)药物活性有机晶体的多态研究。这一研究基础设施改善(RII)网络连接(C2)项目建议通过缩小路易斯安那州泽维尔大学的网络基础设施差距，提供与该州主要研究机构相当的宽带连接，以加强该州对尖端网络基础设施的投资。这些投资将加速国家认可的HBCU的学习和发现，使Xille的教职员工能够完全融入全州范围的跨学科研究合作。通过课程改进、本科研究和高性能计算培训，Xille的学生将为进入研究生院以及在计算和材料科学领域的终身职业生涯做好更好的准备。广泛影响该项目将通过以下方式影响该州的研究和教育、多样性和劳动力发展：通过Xille与LONI的联系，未被充分代表的本科生将获得更多的研究和教育机会，这将使他们为在研究生院取得成功做好更好的准备。La RII C2通过在目前正在开发的课程中增加计算内容，利用Xavier的3+2工程计划以及其新的材料科学研究和教育计划。计算机科学系将开发数据挖掘、机器人学和生物信息学的跨学科课程。十名本科生将参加计算机科学和计算材料领域的学年和暑期研究项目，有机会得到Xavier和其他参与EPSCoR RII Track 1计划的机构的教职员工的指导。此外，教职员工和学生还将接受LONI工作人员的高性能计算培训，并参加国家超级计算中心的研讨会。多样性：在过去十年中，泽维尔获得生物、化学和物理本科学位的非裔美国学生数量在全国名列前茅，在整个物理科学领域也是如此。就STEM专业继续在科学和工程领域获得博士学位的人数而言，泽维尔目前在全国排名第八。使用LONI将增加泽维尔的研究能力，并将增加该州从事高性能计算的少数族裔学生人数。它将更充分地将泽维尔的教职员工和学生融入路易斯安那州EPSCoR计划目前提供的合作研究和教育项目中。劳动力发展：路易斯安那州需要更充分地利用其先进技术劳动力中的非裔美国人人口(占其居民的32%)。泽维尔处于独特的地位，能够帮助这一努力培养出满足当前和未来对科学和工程专业人员需求的领导者。通过研究机会、课程改进和高性能计算培训，泽维尔的本科生将更好地为研究生院和STEM领域的终身职业生涯进行培训。

Louisiana's Cyber Connectivity via LONI Proposal Number: EPS-1006891Institution: Louisiana Board of RegentsProject Director: Michael M. KhonsariThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (LONI) provides a modern, robust cyberinfrastructure environment that enhances research, fosters and facilitates cross-disciplinary collaborations, and integrates research and education across Louisiana. Currently, LONI provides network connectivity to virtually every public institution of higher education in Louisiana, as well as four research universities in the state of Mississippi. This proposal requests funding to extend LONI's high-bandwidth optical network into Xavier University of Louisiana located in New Orleans. Xavier is a private, historically-black university, which is nationally recognized for its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. This major initiative is expected to close the cyberinfrastructure gap at Xavier and facilitate active research relationships between Xavier faculty and students and the State's leading computational and experimental scientists as well as partnerships with major institutions nationally. Through this program, Xavier would become the first Louisiana institution whose research activities are anchored in a primarily undergraduate curriculum that is linked into LONI at a bandwidth that takes full advantages of the optical network's capabilities.Intellectual MeritBy providing a high-bandwidth network gateway to collaborators and mentors across the State and the nation, this proposal to extend and link LONI into the Xavier University campus promises to enhance fundamental research and education in many different ways. Focusing on collaborative research projects that are already underway at Xavier in the broad arena of materials science, the enhanced cyber-infrastructure environment plans to support: (1) studies of molecular magnetism to aid in the design of higher-performance magnets to enhance the capabilities of, for example, high-density information recording media; (2) research on novel materials for energy conversion andspintronics applications; (3) molecular dynamics simulations of the interaction energies between surfactant molecules and the crystal planes of nanoparticles; (4) numerical modeling efforts aimed at reducing the time required to engineer nanofluidic devices used to identify molecular signatures and thereby aid a variety of applications in biological discovery; (5) research aimed at eliminating pinholes during the fabrication of thin-film batteries; and (6) the investigation of polymorphism in pharmaceutically active organic crystals. This Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Cyber-Connectivity (C2) project proposes to build on the State's investments in cutting-edge cyberinfrastructure by closing the cyberinfrastructure gap at Xavier University of Louisiana, providing broadband connectivity equivalent to that of major research institutions in the State. These investments would accelerate learning and discovery at a nationally recognized HBCU, allowing Xavier's faculty and staff to be fully integrated into statewide interdisciplinary research collaborations. Through curricular enhancements, undergraduate research, and high performance computing training, Xavier's students will be better prepared for graduate school and life-long careers in computational and materials science fields.Broader ImpactsThis project would impact research and education, diversity, and workforce development in the State in the following ways:RII C2-enabled Research and Education: Through Xavier's connection to LONI, underrepresented undergraduate students would receive enhanced research and educational opportunities, which will better prepare them for success in graduate school. LA RII C2 leverages Xavier's 3+2 engineering program as well as its new materials science research and education program by adding computational content to courses currently under development. The Computer Science department would develop new courses in data mining, robotics, and an interdisciplinary course in bioinformatics. Ten undergraduate students would participate in academic year and summer research projects in computer sciences and computational materials fields, with the opportunity to be mentored by faculty members at Xavier and other institutions participating in the EPSCoR RII Track 1 program. In addition, faculty and students would receive training in high performance computing from both LONI staff members and through attending workshops at national supercomputing centers.Diversity: During the past decade, Xavier has ranked first nationally in the number of African American students earning undergraduate degrees in biology, chemistry, and physics, and in the physical sciences overall. Xavier currently ranks eighth in the nation in the number of its STEM majors who go on to earn their doctorates in science and engineering fields. Access to LONI would increase the research capacity at Xavier and would increase the number of underrepresented minority students engaged in high performance computing in the State. It would integrate Xavier's faculty and students more fully into the collaborative research and educational projects currently offered by the Louisiana EPSCoR program.Workforce Development: Louisiana needs to more fully utilize its African American population (32% of its inhabitants) in its advanced technology workforce. Xavier is uniquely positioned to aid in this effort to produce leaders to meet the current and future demands for science and engineering professionals. Through the research opportunities, curriculum enhancements, and high performance computing training Xavier's undergraduate students would be better trained for graduate school and lifelong careers in STEM fields.