BHSU leader: New Internet to help colleges

| Wednesday, December 26, 2007

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The Associated Press

SPEARFISH - A high-speed data network connecting South Dakota universities and other research centers to the rest of the world will open the door to unlimited research and education opportunities in the state, according to Kay Schallenkamp, Black Hills State University president.

"With research being developed at the Sanford Lab at Homestake, this network enhancement is a crucially needed improvement which will open many opportunities for BHSU and the entire state," she said.

Gov. Mike Rounds has said the statewide Internet capacity is 2,200 megabytes per second — and that the new system boosts it to 50,000 megabytes per second.

Initially, it would not be made available to the public but would go to the state's six public universities, the EROS center near Sioux Falls, the new University Center research campus in Sioux Falls, state government officials and the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory at Homestake.

The governor has said network construction will cost nearly $11.8 million, but $8 million of that will come from a grant from the Great Plains Education Foundation, an outgrowth of the Student Loan Finance Corp. The other $3.8 million will come from within the higher education budget, Rounds has said.

In addition, Rounds' proposed state budget calls for spending nearly $887,000 next year to operate the system. If that's approved, it could be operating by late 2008.

Schallenkamp said BHSU faculty and researchers already are planning for the new Internet.

The network will be a great resource for the campus, said Holly Downing, dean of the BHSU College of Arts and Sciences. "It will greatly increase research capabilities and allow us to stay on the cutting edge with our ongoing science partnerships and enhance the quality of research we do. We absolutely must have this kind of connectivity to reach our growing activity in research. It will be a wonderful improvement to the state and region."

Ben Sayler, director of BHSU's Center for the Advancement of Mathematics and Science Education, said the system will allow many educational opportunities at the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory at Homestake. Sayler also is education outreach coordinator for the lab.

Opportunities could include online lectures and courses for undergraduate students and faculty and online classes for K-12 students and teachers, he said. Large amounts of data generated by researchers at the lab also could be made available to researchers and students alike, Sayler said.

"The new network will have a profound impact," said Steve Babbitt, a BHSU photography instructor. "Mass communications is all about communicating and this technology provides many opportunities for our students. Once the connections are made more possibilities will arise. What five years ago would have been unthinkable will now be a reality. Our imaginations are just beginning to comprehend the possibilities.