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September / October 2005
ORION-CA*net 4 Days in Ottawa and Kingston
ORION and CANARIE are teaming up to host advanced networking workshops in eastern Ontario this fall. ORION-CA*net 4 Days, part of an ongoing series of workshops launched in 2003, are designed to raise awareness of advanced networking and enhanced collaboration capabilities among researchers and educators. The University of Ottawa will host the first event on Oct. 20. A second workshop is scheduled for Queen's University on Nov. 3. The events feature presentations and demonstrations from researchers and educators who outline a current project and illustrate how they are now or plan to incorporate advanced networking and collaboration technologies in their work and research.
Engineers monitor network via wireless device
ORION's engineering team has moved its Network Operation Centre in-house and rolled out a fully-integrated network monitoring system that issues network alarms to engineers over Blackberry wireless devices. Engineers can receive alerts 24/7 on the status of the network equipment. Up until recently, UNIS-LUMIN had been providing very satisfactory first-line NOC services from its location in Mississauga, but ORION decided to deploy an expanded system, managed in-house. The new system monitors network equipment, physical interfaces and issues alerts when there are problems. It also provides traffic and utilization statistics and monitors over 25 critical parameters on Cisco routers. Monitoring the network for performance and outages is a critical responsibility of ORION engineering and operations. The network includes 22 Points of Presence throughout Ontario, as well as 26 repeater or remote sites over its entire 4,200-kilometre infrastructure, among the largest R&E networks in the world.
ORION connects med school
Ontario's first new medical school in over 30 years was officially opened recently, via an advanced videoconference event over the ORION network. The event connected the new school's two main campus locations in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, as well as locations in Toronto and Ottawa. The ceremony featured Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Health Minister George Smitherman, founding Dean Dr. Roger Strasser and several special guests. "It was a wonderful illustration of the capabilities of ORION and we're glad our technology was used to mark such a momentous occasion," said ORION President/CEO Phil Baker. Billed as "the first Medical School in Canada to open its doors in the Internet Age," the NOSM is Canada's first twin site medical school, thanks in part to the school's advanced network connectivity over the ORION network.
NSF embraces Cyberinfrastructure
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has expanded the role of its cyberinfrastructure department. The new Office of Cyberinfrastructure (OCI) and the creation of an NSF Cyberinfrastructure Council reflect the growing role of cyberinfrastructure in research and education, says the agency. The OCI will coordinate and support the acquisition, development and deployment of cyberinfrastructure resources, tools and services, including high-performance computers, storage, data repositories and management, networking, software and middleware. The council will consider policies for cyberinfrastructure in NSF and develop a strategic plan that will guide NSF investments for the next five years. www.nsf.gov.
HPC Symposium
The Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network (SHARCNET) and the High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory (HPCVL) are hosting a symposium on high performance computing at Ryerson University in Toronto Oct. 11. The event is a forum for the discussion of the latest developments in computational technologies and advances in computational science and applications. Topics include computational sciences and engineering, theory and practice, advances in HPC, tools, software and applications. www.sharcnet.ca/Events/symposium2005.
York hosts SHARCNET Fall conference
York University will host SHARCNET's fifth annual fall workshop on scientific and high performance computing, Oct. 17 to 19. The three day workshop is a learning opportunity for the research community in the area of scientific and high performance computing. This fall's conference will focus on programming techniques, computational theory and large scale applications. ORION is among the sponsors helping to stage the event. www.sharcnet.ca/Events/fw2005/.
Megaconference Call for Participation
Megaconference 7, the world's largest video conference will be held on December 1. Anyone in the world with H.323 or compatible videoconferencing capability and is connected to a global advanced R&E network like ORION is invited to participate. Last year's event included 360 locations worldwide. Organizers are looking for presentations which demonstrate new or novel applications of videoconferencing technology, increase world understanding, and are interactive. Musical presentations are also invited. The deadline for a one-paragraph proposal is Oct. 1 to Bob Dixon (dixon.8@osu.edu) at Ohio State University. www.megaconference.org.
On the Move
Carleton University VP of Research Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur takes over as Chair of the Ontario Council on University Research (OCUR), replacing Dr. Alan Wildeman, VP of Research at the University of Guelph. Dr. Stan Shapson, VP of Research and Innovation at York University, is Vice-Chair. Dr. Shapson, also Chair of the ORANO Board, has been named interim president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), replacing Dr. Marc Renaud until Ottawa selects a new president. National Capital Institute of Telecommunications (NCIT) VP of Research Alliances Dr. Maike Luiken, has left NCIT to join Lambton College as the new Dean of Technology and Applied Sciences and Apprenticeship. Marti Jurmain, Director of Research and Innovation Niagara College, is Chair of the newly created National Research Action Committee of the Association of Community Colleges of Canada. Greg Weiler, Dean of Applied Research, Innovation and University Partnerships at Fanshawe College, replaces Jack Treuhaft as Chair of the Heads of the Applied Research committee of the Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario. Treuhaft retired earlier this year as head of research programs at Ottawa's Algonquin College. Project Manager Nelson Rogers is temporarily replacing Jack in his research-related functions at Algonquin. Laurentian University Director of Computer Services Bill Sandblom has left the Sudbury institution to join the private sector. Manager of Technical Services Marc Lafontaine is replacing him on an interim basis.
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