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| VPnet Officially Launched on
September 23, 2004 |
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to explain," said Jaron Lanier, a
visiting researcher and futurist famous for coining the phrase
"virtual reality."
Attracting an audience of approximately 200 people on September
23, 2004, VPnet celebrated the launch of its high speed fiber
optic network for education, science, research, development,
collaboration and innovation. Guest speakers included Jaron
Lanier, technology futurist and visionary; and Phil Bond, Under
Secretary of Commerce for Technology. Several VPnet projects and
applications were on display during the event. WSU researchers
Jay and Uma Jayram demonstrated some of their research in virtual
reality. Barb and John Gale,
CopyCat Captions, demonstrated the use of VPnet for delivering
captioning services for the hearing impaired. Dr. Kerry Brooks
from WSU Spokane displayed his research project that combines GIS
data with the Spokane Transit Authority for assisting individuals
in welfare-to-work programs to obtain access to training and
employment opportunities. And Dr. Steve Simmons from EWU
displayed his Inland Northwest Collaborative E-learning Project (INCEP),
a virtual classroom initiative for which he has received initial
grant funding. |
Scott Morris, Avista Utilities President, welcomes attendees to
the launch event
Jaron Lanier, with WSU researchers Dr. Jayaram
and YoungJun Kim,
takes a virtual tour |
| VPnet Incorporated, Elected
Board of Directors |
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| The Virtual Possibilities Network (VPnet),
a private high-speed fiber network and consortium dedicated to
education, research and development, has been officially formed
as a non-profit corporation in the state of Washington. A slate
of officers has been elected for an initial one-year term.
The new officers for VPnet include:
- Chair, Candace Wheeler, Director of Distance Education,
North Idaho College
- Vice-Chair, Jerry Johnson, Director of IT Services,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Treasurer, Nancy Vorhees, Chief
Operating Officer, INHS
- Secretary, Larry Branen, Associate Vice President of
Research and Outreach, University of Idaho Research Park
The board also appointed Avista's Steve Trabun as VPnet
President. Trabun is a loaned executive from Avista to VPnet
through 2007. Trabun said Spokane-based VPnet is intended to
function as a catalyst for new technology and innovation
throughout the Inland Northwest.
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Greg Johnson, attorney with Paine Hamblen and Scott Morris,
Avista Utilities President, proudly display certificate of
incorporation
Newly Elected VPnet Board of Directors |
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| VPnet Completes Installation of Network |
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Configuration and installation of
the VPnet network has been completed, connecting all fifteen
founding member sites together via a high speed fiber optic
network, utilizing
Cisco Systems
routing and switching technology. "We're ready for business",
said Sean Chambers, EDS Network Systems Engineer. The network
is being managed on a 24x7 basis by the Avista/EDS network
operations team.
Attention is now turning toward
the projects and applications that will utilize VPnet. Several
pilot projects are already underway that plan to utilize the
network. The first of which is
Gridstat. WSU
researcher Carl Hauser, is utilizing VPnet to connect to Avista
Corporation for access to Avista's transmission and distribution
data to assist in his team's research and development of
electric power grid management middleware. |
Connie Ham, WSU
Information Technology, works with the VPnet installation team
to complete the installation of VPnet core
equipment on the Pullman campus
Dr. Carl Hauser, Associate
Professor,
WSU School of Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science |
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Imagine what happens when ideas and
technology come together! |
| If you would like to learn more about VPnet,
including possible membership to the consortium please visit our
website at www.vpnet.org for
details, or call Steve Trabun at 509-495-2829. |
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