New National Networking Organization Established By 112 U.S. Research Universities

10-1-97
Gore supports University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development formed by Academic leaders

Washington, D.C., -- Leading U.S. research universities today established the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID) in the latest development of the Internet2 project. UCAID will provide a formal organization to support Internet2 members as they develop the broadband applications, engineering and network management tools for next generation Internet use in research and education.

Chief executives from three major research universities will form the initial Board of Trustees of UCAID. David Ward, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will chair a group that includes Molly Corbett Broad, president of the University of North Carolina, and Graham B. Spanier, president of The Pennsylvania State University. Gregory A. Jackson, associate provost for information technology at the University of Chicago, and M. Stuart Lynn, associate vice president for information resources and communications at the University of California Office of the President, previously members of the Internet2 Steering Committee, have also joined the UCAID board.

"Formation of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development represents the beginning of a new chapter in the use of computing and networking technology in our research universities, " said Chancellor Ward of the University of Wisconsin - Madison. "The work of Internet2 will lay a foundation for improvements in our research capabilities, in distance education, and in everyday teaching and learning activities."

The partnership formed among member universities, industry and government agencies during the first year of Internet2 will continue under UCAID direction. Representatives of both groups expressed strong support for the founding of UCAID.

"I am delighted that America's research universities and high-tech companies are working together to develop the next generation of Internet technologies and applications," said Vice President Al Gore. "This will lead to new capabilities in research, distance learning, and telemedicine that we can only dream of today. The Administration will work closely with Internet2 to meet the goals of the President's Next Generation Internet initiative," stated Vice President Gore

"We are very pleased to see this major step forward in support for advanced research and education infrastructure. This kind of consortium builds on a long standing partnership in networking between the National Science Foundation and the university community," said Dr. Neal Lane, director, National Science Foundation.

"Internet2 represents a giant step in the Internet's evolution, offering the promise of integrated voice video and data for next-generation network users," said Eric Benhamou, chairmen and CEO of 3Com Corporation, an Internet2 corporate partner. "UCAID brings increased focus to the task of deploying high speed education and research applications."

UCAID's initial president and additional appointments to the board of trustees are expected to be announced at a meeting of Internet2 members being held in Washington, D.C. on October 8th. Begun by 34 universities in October 1996, Internet2 now has over 110 members and includes every leading research university in the United States.

About UCAID and Internet2

The University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development has been formed to provide leadership and direction for advanced networking development within the university community. Its activities will include the Internet2 project, as well as other programs devoted to network research, technology transfer, and collaborative activities in related fields such as distance learning and educational technology.

Internet2 is a collaborative project by over 110 U.S. research universities, who are engaged in the development of a new family of advanced applications to meet emerging academic requirements in research, teaching and learning. Internet2 is addressing this challenge by creating a leading edge network capability, enabling a new generation of applications, and integrating these efforts with the current academic Internet services.

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For more information on UCAID, see http://www.internet2.edu/ucaid/.
For more information about Internet2, see http://www.internet2.edu.