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Tennessee Tech launched its new Science DMZ communication network, designed to help universities share their research.
Assistant Director of Network Operations, David Hales said Science DMZ is a common network used by researchers. He said that universities use the network typically to conduct advanced research. What makes the program especially popular, Hales said, is the ease and speed with which data can be shared.
“It’s almost like having a separate highway that doesn’t have to be shared with other vehicles,” Hales said. “It can just take these high-speed large trucks full of data and run them super fast in between these research institutions so that they can get their work done quickly and be able to do their research in a much more nimble fashion.”
Hales said that this highway is especially useful given how often universities collaborate with each other on research projects. This collaboration between universities is done so that each institution can freely contribute its own specialties, resources, and expertise to collaboration efforts. He said the collaboration also advances the quality of the research that universities can produce.
“It will remove barriers allowing researchers to make new discoveries and advances in science,” Hales said. “It will also help us attract top talent to our University and help keep our research competitive. So through the high-speed connectivity it provides, to the research institutions and networks, it provides a variety of opportunities for that collaborative research that really drives things.”
Tennessee Tech’s Science DMZ is the result of a project that has taken almost two years to set up, Hales said. During its initial start-up phase, he said, the network had already been establishing worthwhile connections to various research institutions.
Hales said the network is fully established for researchers on the Tennessee Tech campus. His main duty now, he said, is making faculty and staff aware of the network and of how to best leverage it for their various projects.
