High-speed fiber optic network will expand to southern Indiana

Indiana's high-speed fiber optic Internet network, known as I-Light, will soon be canvassing southern Indiana. The network, which originally connected IU, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and Purdue, already arcs across northern Indiana. \nI-Light is planned to be used to connect colleges across the state for the purpose of increasing the speed and efficiency of sharing and collecting research data. Though IU has been connected to the system for several years, officials said they are excited about the increased scope of the network, which will now reach additional Indiana colleges by the end of the year. \nScott Ksander, executive director for networking at Purdue, said the northern system was activated a little less than a month ago. The system connects cities all across northern Indiana, including IU satellite campuses in South Bend, Gary, Kokomo and Fort Wayne. \nMark Bruhn, associate vice president for information technology for University Information Technology Services, said the size of the network makes it unique.\n"When the entire network is active, it will equal almost 1,000 miles of fiber ... more per capita than any other network of its kind in the U.S.," Bruhn said in an e-mail. \nKsander said what excites him most about the I-Light network is the potential and opportunity it would provide in the future. He said he believes it presents another area where Indiana can serve as a technological leader. \n"I think the opportunity is really the exciting part right now," Ksander said. "I think this really is setting Indiana apart. This views technology as a state-wide opportunity. You can participate from all areas of the state at equal bandwidth and equal technology." \nKsander said he believes IU and Purdue finishing the network together was an important part of the project.\n"I think it's absolutely critical (because) it takes advantage of the unique character of both institutions," Ksander said. "This is a chance for each institution to bring its unique character and its unique ability to this project." \nKsander added the network would facilitate further sharing of research because larger amounts of data could be transferred across the state quickly.\n"The opportunity for massive amounts of data to be shared amongst collaborators is really the promise of this," Ksander said. \nKsander pointed out several technological strengths Purdue and IU could share. He used IU's recently activated supercomputer, "Big Red," as an example. \nBruhn said the project could not only share research data, but bring more research grants and technological innovations to Indiana.\n"The project is about connecting all of Indiana's universities and colleges, and not a lot about IU and Purdue," Bruhn said. "The more campuses in Indiana we can get connected to a high-speed network, the more attractive Indiana higher education is to students, faculty and researchers."\nBruhn said he was encouraged by the speed at which the project was finished.\n"I am extremely pleased at what has been done to this point, especially considering that we had to catch up quite a bit from a two-year delay of the project before it was assigned to us," he said. \nKsander said his excitement has only increased as the networking and activation process comes to a close. \n"I remember watching them bore the fiber in the ground, thinking, 'What have we started?'" Ksander said. "Ten years from now I-Light is going to be so much a part of our lives in ways we cannot even fathom"