Multimedia
A Network of Opportunity
Radio Commentary of
President Michael A. McRobbie
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN
May 27, 2008
Introduction
In 1998, Indiana University set out with a bold plan to make IU a "leader in absolute terms in the use and application of information technology." I am happy to say that we have achieved that goal. In doing so, we worked to provide faculty, students, and staff on all our campuses with cutting edge technology. We negotiated software agreements that saved us millions of dollars. To support the data-intensive research undertaken by our faculty, we acquired some of the nation’s most powerful supercomputers. We pioneered development of a digital library and innovative approaches to cybersecurity.
We also built the ultra-high speed I-Light network so we could instantly share IU’s resources with the rest of the state. This month, we will celebrate the completion of that network, which will enable us to connect all 40 of Indiana’s public and private higher education institutions. Indiana is in the vanguard of states to build such a network.
What Is I-Light?
The first phase of I-Light was initiated in 1999 with a $5.3 million state appropriation by the General Assembly. It connected supercomputers at IU-Bloomington, IUPUI in Indianapolis, and Purdue. It was the first university-owned optical fiber network of its kind in the country.
In 2005, Governor Mitch Daniels announced funding to expand I-Light to all of the state's colleges and universities in support of their research and education programs. And he asked IU to build these extensions of the network. Today, one thousand miles of fiber reaching to every corner of the state bridges the distance between Indiana’s colleges and universities, and does so at the speed of light.
Let me tell you a little about the benefits this network offers.
What I-Light Enables Us To Do
It will provide access to more bandwidth than most Hoosier colleges and universities could otherwise afford. It will facilitate the development and use of high definition distance learning tools, such as Telepresence. This is a new way of video conferencing that gives users the appearance of being at the same location. I-Light also will enable faculty to work in closer collaboration with their colleagues in other locations, including overseas. It will bring more research dollars to the state, as it has already done at IU and Purdue.
As we look to the era of translational medicine, I-Light will connect every region of Indiana to the resources of the IU School of Medicine, the state’s only medical school. It will provide real-time, three-dimensional sharing of information among physicians and researchers who confer to diagnose and cure diseases. In terms of economic development, I-Light is one of the advantages the state has been able to leverage in promoting Indiana as a destination for life sciences and biotechnology investment.
Conclusion: Public/Private Partnership
We are able to extend this network across the state by leasing optical fiber from existing Hoosier telecommunications companies. These are the kinds of partnerships that enable states to make progress, even in difficult economic times. These are the kinds of collaborations that create win-win situations for Indiana’s universities, its business community, and its citizens.
