Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College joins statewide higher education I-Light network
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS and TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) recently joined I-Light, Indiana's high-speed fiber optic network for higher education. I-Light provides Indiana colleges and universities digital communications at least 20 times faster than a typical home Internet connection.
Through the use of I-Light, Indiana colleges and universities can connect classrooms at distant locations with high-quality video-streaming; allow researchers to exchange large digital data files and access supercomputers and scientific data storage facilities at Indiana University and Purdue University; engage in multi-campus collaborative research projects; and enable the use of high-definition videoconferencing.
"We are extremely excited about joining I-Light, and we wish to thank the State of Indiana and the I-Light management team at Indiana University and Purdue University for having the vision to ensure that leading edge technology reaches every person who desires a higher education," said Michael Sims, executive director of information technology at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. "This connectivity will enable our faculty to offer more advanced academic programs and opportunities to our students on and off campus at extraordinarily high speeds. I-Light will also further enhance opportunities for collaboration and research."
Since SMWC joined I-Light its bandwidth usage of the commodity Internet has increased nearly 300 percent. Moreover, available bandwidth capacity is 900 percent higher than it was previously.
I-Light consists of more than 1,000 miles of fiber-optic cable that reaches every corner of the state, and is larger, per capita, than similar networks in neighboring states. The
I-Light network currently transmits traffic among 33 universities and colleges across Indiana, and between those campuses and the Internet, as well as to national research networks such as Internet2 and National LambdaRail.
IU and Purdue University jointly manage and operate I-Light via the IU Global Research Network Operations Center and are responsible for providing networking engineering support. Each university also provides technical and educational resources to other institutions through the high-speed network.
"The I-Light network allows all of Indiana's public and private colleges and universities to connect to the world's most important research networks at rates dramatically faster than ever before, and significantly strengthens our ability to provide unprecedented opportunities to students through immediate access to crucial sources of information and to the most advanced collaborative tools," said IU Associate Vice President for Networks David E. Jent. "The continued expansion of I-Light to all corners of the state further solidifies Indiana's position as a national leader in high-speed networking in support of teaching, learning, research, technology transfer, and inter-institutional collaboration and cooperation -- activities that are helping Indiana to better weather the current economic environment."
Indiana State Sen. Tim Skinner (D-Terre Haute) said I-Light is designed to foster collaboration between Indiana's colleges and universities, and is an investment in Indiana's future.
"The I-Light network is an investment not only in the state's digital infrastructure, but in our economic foundation," said State Senator Tim Skinner (D-Terre Haute). "I am very pleased that Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is joining the network and know that research and learning statewide will be enhanced by the college's participation."
I-Light was launched in 1999 with a $5.3 million appropriation by the Indiana General Assembly. The initial network, launched in December 2001, connected IU Bloomington, Purdue University in West Lafayette, and IUPUI. In November 2005, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced funding to expand I-Light to the state's colleges and universities to support research and education. The statewide expansion was completed in June 2008.
Founded in 1840 by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin and the Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is the oldest Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States. SMWC offers campus-based programs for women and distance undergraduate and graduate programs for women and men. The College is located on a beautiful 67-acre campus near Terre Haute, and the Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report rank SMWC as one of the Best Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest. For more information, visit www.smwc.edu.
