NSF Award to Connect Xavier University with LONI

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With SC10 coming up in New Orleans, it seems many of us have Louisiana in our hearts and minds these days. And so it was with great pleasure that I read today the NSF awarded the Louisiana Board of Regents more than $1 million to connect Xavier University, a historically black university in New Orleans, to the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (LONI).

LONI already provides a strong foundation for the research institutions in our state, and we are pleased to enhance the network by adding a new university,” said Donald Vandal, LONI Executive Director. “Through this connection, Xavier will have unprecedented access to a high-speed optical network, allowing faculty, staff and students there to conduct research faster and more efficiently than relying on traditional network capabilities, which will ultimately make the university more competitive for grants and collaborative projects.”

This project is funded through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus package), and is administered through the NSF to help states that traditionally have lacked strong cyberinfrastructure for research. Louisiana Board of Regents is one of 17 state higher education entities to receive funding through this program. The complete list of recipients is available on the National Science Foundation’s Web site.