Contact: Bob Ratliff
Mississippi State is among nearly three dozen universities joining one of the world's most powerful computer networks.
In an announcement today [Sept. 18], Vice President Al Gore said 35 schools are receiving grants to link with the National Science Foundation's very high performance Backbone Network Service (vBNS) or other NSF-approved high performance networks.
In remarks at the University of New Hampshire, he said the Clinton administration is committed to collaborations with university and computer industry partners. New Hampshire is among institutions receiving the new grants.
"Together, we will usher in a new age of exploration enabled by high-performance networks that link powerful computers and vast databases," Gore said.
With Gore's announcement, a total of 128 major research universities soon will be linked together on the network. MSU is the first Mississippi school with a connection.
The vBNS's high capacity enables scientists and engineers to collect and share vast amounts of data, run complex equipment from remote locations and more effectively collaborate with colleagues across the nation.
"This will greatly enhance our collaborative research in scientific visualization with the Naval Oceanographic Office at the Stennis Space Center (in Hancock County) and other ERC projects at federal labs and other universities," said Don Trotter, director of the NSF Engineering Research Center at MSU.
Leading the program to connect with the network are Joe Thompson, MSU Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering and member of President Clinton's Information Technology Advisory Committee; Mike Rackley, head of information technology services; and Dan Brook, director of computer applications at the Mississippi State Extension Service.