A high-speed network capable of delivering content up to 100 times faster than regular Internet is making life easier for scores of researchers across the nation.
Internet2 is a consortium of 207 universities and research facilities across the world -- including founding member Penn -- with the shared aim of creating cutting-edge technology and collaborating for advanced research.
Just last week, Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Keeper of American Collections Lucy Fowler-Williams discussed traditional Native American weavings with two Tlingit women in Alaska.
Rather than hiking up north, however, Fowler-Williams used Internet2 video-conferencing technology to host the discussion from the comfort of the University Museum.
This showcase was just one of the many events at the Internet2-member conference held at Penn.
Fowler-William said that without the Internet2 network, she would never have been able to have a live discussion with people responsible for creating the Native-American artifacts that she studies.
"To bridge Philadelphia and Anchorage, Alaska, is tremendous," she said. "This kind of technology is really going to help me in my research."
Museum Director Richard Leventhal was also impressed with the Internet2 technology on display.
"It's as close as you can get to actually being in the same room as the other person," he said.
He added that that the technology will have important implications for research in the future.
"We will have a much better ability to exchange ideas and information," he said.
Representatives of Internet2 were generally pleased with the outcome of the conference.
"The meetings are always a way for members to come together and talk about the latest technology advances and find new ways for research collaboration," Internet2 spokeswoman Lauren Kallens said.
Even before hosting the member conference this year, Penn has had a long history of association with Internet2. As one of the founding members, the University hosts and maintains a regional Internet2 aggregation point, known as the Mid-Atlantic Gigapop in Philadelphia for Internet2.
MAGPI provides Penn and other universities in New Jersey, Delaware and Eastern Pennsylvania with access to the high-speed Internet2 "Abilene" network.
In addition to this, MAGPI has conducted several educational projects attempting to promote the use of Internet2.
"The important component of the Internet2 is not the high-speed connection, but the applications that are developed to take advantage of it," MAGPI Director Greg Palmer said.
One of these applications can be found in the Pathology Department at Penn, which has used Internet2 technology to develop a method of transmitting live images of microscope slides between the three hospitals at the University.
"We needed high-fidelity video. Internet2 technology helped us to do that," Penn Pathology professor Michael Feldman said. "I think there is a lot of upside potential to the Internet2."
However, Palmer feels that Internet2 still has potential for better utilization at Penn and other universities.
"It's rather heavily underused today, although its becoming more commonplace," he said. "In the future, the relationship between research and the Internet2 will only grow."
This usage may increase as the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America mull the possibility of using the network to distribute media content online.
However, even if the two organizations decide to embark on this venture, they may encounter resistance. Kallens ruled out the use of Internet2 for commercial purposes -- at least for now.
