CC* Regional Networking: Connectivity through Regional Infrastructure for Scientific Partnerships, Innovation, and Education

Edge, a regional research and education network, is collaborating with seven higher education institutions in New Jersey, including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and community colleges, to improve access to advanced research networks and related cyber-infrastructure, aiming to reduce disparities for smaller and less resourced institutions. This initiative focuses on enhancing internet connectivity, deploying network monitoring and optimization capability, and offering specialized training programs to bolster research and education and enhance professional IT support. The initiative establishes essential infrastructure elements like perfSONAR for network monitoring and optimization, a regional, centrally managed Data Transfer Node (DTN) for efficient data transfers, and Science DMZ for direct access to regional and national resources, secured by the InCommon Federation for remote access to instruments and HPC resources. The architecture includes interfaces that facilitate the sharing of datasets by federating with the OSDF (Open Science Data Federation). A comprehensive training and support program ensures IT staff and the academic community can effectively utilize these resources, fostering collaboration between larger and smaller institutions and enhancing the academic network's resilience and capability. This effort not only promotes economic, gender, and racial inclusion in advanced cyber-infrastructure careers but also serves as a model for similar national efforts, enhancing the overall quality and accessibility of higher education. The project creates new and diverse research collaboration opportunities for faculty across New Jersey, while enabling further data-intensive research and education in a wide range of disciplines including physics, astronomy, biology, genomics, earth and environmental sciences, data science, and cybersecurity. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.