CENIC Recognizes UC ANR Project to Extend Broadband to Rural Researchers
February 20 2018 - 2:00PM
Business Wire
CENIC announces recipient of 2018 Innovations in Networking
Award for Broadband Applications
The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural
Resources (UC ANR) is being recognized for its work to extend
high-speed broadband to UC researchers in rural communities across
the state by connecting UC ANR sites to the California Research and
Education Network (CalREN). UC ANR has been awarded the CENIC 2018
Innovations in Networking Award for Broadband Applications.
Project leaders being recognized at UC ANR are Tolgay Kizilelma,
Chief Information Security Officer; Tu Tran, Associate Vice
President for Business Operations; and Gabriel Youtsey, Chief
Innovation Officer.
“The Internet at Kearney was like a drinking straw delivering
and retrieving information, when what we needed was a fire hose,”
said Gabe Youtsey, Chief Innovation Officer for UC ANR.
“High-speed, broadband Internet at our Kearney Research and
Extension Center, just south of Fresno, will allow UC ANR to lead
innovative, on-farm agriculture technology research and extension
for UC in the Central Valley. It will allow UC researchers to share
big data and big computing with colleagues at campuses and
globally.”
Until recently, UC ANR facilities had been hamstrung by poor
Internet connectivity, hindering their ability to support the
academic researchers and Cooperative Extension scientists who are
engaged with community and industry partners to ensure that
California has healthy food systems, environments, and communities.
Extending from the Oregon border in the north, through the Sierra
foothills and Central Valley, along the Pacific Coast, and south to
the Mexican border, these facilities are situated among
California’s rich and unique agricultural and natural resources.
This allows for the application of scientific research to regional
challenges and issues. Today, nearly all research and data analysis
involves remote collaboration. To work effectively and efficiently
on multi-institutional projects, researchers depend heavily on
high-speed networks and access to large data sets and computing
resources. The high-speed broadband connection also provides a new
way for Cooperative Extension advisors to collaborate with farmers,
naturalists, and others in these rural regions.
In 2016, CENIC began working with UC ANR to connect their nine
Research and Extension Centers to CalREN, thereby equipping them
with Internet speeds comparable to those found on UC campuses. For
example, the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center in Mendocino
County and the UC Desert Research and Extension Center in Imperial
County are both connected at 500 Mbps, five times their previous
level of connectivity.
Due to the remote locations of most of these facilities, the
work involved in identifying suitable pathways for connections
between each site and the CalREN network was extensive. Engineers
from CENIC and UC ANR collaborated on network design, deployment,
and troubleshooting to equip these facilities with the high-speed
Internet they need. High-speed connectivity with significant
bandwidth now enables researchers to use infrared cameras to
collect data on how crops respond to heat, among many other
electronic tools. Farmers who are unable to visit the Research and
Extension Centers can now connect virtually to real-time video
streams and benefit from the latest information.
Also now connected to CalREN is one of UC ANR’s Citrus Research
Center and Agricultural Experiment Station in Riverside County. In
the process of being connected are Elkus Ranch, the environmental
education center for Bay Area youths; the UC ANR administrative
offices in Davis; and 30 UC Cooperative Extension sites.
“You can’t do big data with dial-up Internet speed,” said
Jeffery Dahlberg, Director of the UC ANR Kearney Research and
Extension Center. “Before this upgrade, our Internet was slower
than my home Internet speeds. Now we have speeds more like you will
find on UC campuses.”
Dahlberg noted that high-speed Internet is a powerful research
tool that enables researchers to collect and share data in real
time. “For instance, a researcher can use an infrared camera in a
field collecting readings to determine how a crop responds to heat
as it changes throughout the day, but even this modest instrument
needs significant bandwidth,” he said. “We now have the bandwidth
to do that.”
“Getting the CalREN network to UC ANR researchers has been an
absolutely critical undertaking. Forging this partnership with UC
ANR leaders and innovative ISPs who serve rural California has
opened our eyes to some imaginative ways to connect many more of
our associates in rural and agricultural communities,” said Louis
Fox, President and CEO of CENIC. “We hope to connect many more UC
ANR sites and more rural community anchor institutions in the
coming months.”
The CENIC Innovations in Networking Awards are presented each
year at CENIC’s annual conference to highlight the exemplary
innovations that leverage ultra-high bandwidth networking,
particularly where those innovations have the potential to
transform the ways in which instruction and research are conducted
or where they further the deployment of broadband in underserved
areas. The CENIC conference will be held March 5 – 7, 2018, in
Monterey, California.
About CENIC • www.cenic.org
CENIC connects California to the world — advancing education and
research statewide by providing the world-class network essential
for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. This nonprofit
organization operates the California Research and Education Network
(CalREN), a high-capacity network designed to meet the unique
requirements of over 20 million users, including the vast majority
of K-20 students together with educators, researchers and
individuals at other vital public-serving institutions. CENIC’s
Charter Associates are part of the world’s largest education
system; they include the California K-12 system, California
Community Colleges, the California State University system,
California’s public libraries, the University of California system,
Stanford, Caltech, the Naval Postgraduate School, and USC. CENIC
also provides connectivity to leading-edge institutions and
industry research organizations around the world, serving the
public as a catalyst for a vibrant California.
About UC ANR • ucanr.edu
The Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) is a
statewide network of University of California researchers and
educators dedicated to the creation, development and application of
knowledge in agricultural, natural and human resources. UC ANR's
advisors, specialists and faculty bring practical, science-based
answers to Californians, working hand in hand with industry.
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CENICLee Ann Weber, 714-220-3465lweber@cenic.orgorCENICMelissa
Lucas, 714-220-3405mlucas@cenic.org