ORION Newsletter

May / June 2005

ORION launches survey of collaborative research
ORION is working with CANARIE to launch a survey to gather data from the research community on their activities in collaborative research. This is the first comprehensive survey of its kind in Ontario. John Levay, former Director of Information Technology at Brock University is working with ORION and CANARIE to design and help implement the survey. ORION is coordinating with the research community on the survey, which targets college and university VPs of research and academic services, scientists and researchers. The purpose is to assess researchers' current knowledge and use of the ORION and CA*net 4 networks, and assess their needs and future requirements. ORION expects to circulate the survey later this summer.

$512M in NSERC grants
Science and Engineering Research Canada (NSERC) has announced $512 million in new grants and scholarships, following national, peer-reviewed competitions - with nearly 40 per cent earmarked for Ontario professors and students in natural sciences and engineering fields. Included are 1,210 grants worth $158.6 million and 2,354 scholarships worth $46.2 million. These funds provide primary support for research in fields such as chemistry, life and material sciences, mathematics and civil engineering. The lists of grants and scholarships winners can be downloaded www.nserc.gc.ca/news/news_rel_e.htm.

Science, Kids and Grids
The QuarkNet Cosmic Ray Collaboration Web portal - a new National Science Foundation-funded project - is exploring the idea of using distributed computing grids in high school physics classes. The project gives high school students access to experimental particle physics data from cosmic ray detectors installed at 200 high schools across the U.S. Students build a cosmic ray detector at their school, collect data and upload it to a central site using the new web portal. Schools with cosmic ray detectors upload data to a "virtual data grid" portal where the data resides. This approach allows students to analyze a much larger body of data and to share analysis code. Also, it allows schools that do not have cosmic ray detectors to participate in research by analyzing shared data. Learn more at at http://quarknet.uchicago.edu/elab/cosmic/project.jsp

York prof wins Steacie Prize
Dr. Doug Crawford, Canada Research Chair in Visual Motor Neuroscience, is this year's winner of the Steacie Prize in the Natural Sciences. The York University professor has been recognized for his contributions to neuroscience and vision research. Prof. Crawford and his associates used measurements of eye and head movements, computer simulations and brain recordings, to determine how we use vision to guide our movements. The $15,000 Steacie Prize is presented once a year to the country's outstanding young scientist or engineer for research carried out in Canada.

ABEL Summer Institute
Ontario school boards are invited to participate in the fourth annual ABEL Summer Institute, presented by the Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning (ABEL) Program. This year's theme is "Engaging the Learner: The ICT Advantage." The August 22-24 event will be held at two primary locations. York University and the Radisson Conference Centre in Canmore, Alberta will make use of the ORION and Netera regional advanced networks and the CA*net 4 national backbone to connect the sites. The focus of the event will be to provide teachers and faculty with opportunities to plan and develop innovative teaching and learning programs, using Information Communication Technologies (ICT). Learn more at www.abelearn.ca.

Access Grid used in pre-budget media event
A Canadian first - and of note to Ontario political trivia buffs - Sheridan College and Ryerson University recently teamed up to host a live webcast of the traditional pre-Ontario Budget media event with the Finance Minister Greg Sorbara, via Sheridan's Access Grid node. The May 10 event, with the Minister participating live from the Rogers Communications Centre at Ryerson, connected with Sheridan at its Oakville campus over the ORION network, where a team at Sheridan helped the minister design a new pair of budget shoes, using computer graphic design software. An archived copy of the a live stream of event is available for viewing at http://www1.sheridaninstitute.ca/live/0510/archive.cfm Learn more at http://www-acad.sheridanc.on.ca/accessgrid/

From Atikokan to Los Angeles
Several Ontario schools joined students from 200 schools in over 29 countries in the annual K-12 Megaconference Jr. videoconference May 19, carried live over Internet2, CA*net 4, ORION and high-speed networks around the world. Students and teachers gave presentations or tuned in to view live streams, chat or interact with presenters in real time. A live performance by students of King George School in Kenora featured aboriginal dancing and drumming in full First Nations dress. Their spirited performance elicited queries from students from Los Angeles to Alaska. Third grade students from Northern Lights Public School in Aurora spoke of their experience interacting with e-Pen Pals at Edmonton Public School, through the Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning Program. High school students from the Atikokan High School also participated, sharing their experience on canoe and solo trips in remote wilderness. View streams at www.megaconferencejr.org.

Fire reinforces need for route diversity
The recent fire that forced the evacuation of Cobourg residents brought home the critical importance of fibre route diversity for the ORION network. ORION's connection to Trent University and Fleming College was severed by the April 25 fire at Horizon Plastics, which melted the fiber cable that linked the eastern route through ORION's PoP in Peterborough. Repair crews responded to the outage within two hours but were turned away twice due to the severity of the fire and the risk to their safety and the environment. Restoration was completed April 27 after crews replaced more than 600 meters of damaged fiber. "This incident highlights the critical importance of backup facilities and path diversity for ORION," says ORION Senior Director of Operations and Engineering Sam Mokbel. ORION added diversity onto the network over the past year and it is aggressively pursuing more comprehensive diversity solutions, he said. He credits Trent University and Fleming College for their cooperation over the outage and acknowledges the efforts of partners Hydro One Telecom and CANARIE, which provided back-up services, for working with ORION's engineering team to ensure speedy restoration of the service.

Back to Headlines