Historic High-Tech Partnership Between California and Mexico Announced

Linking of High-Speed Networks to Benefit Researchers and Students Alike

Sacramento, Ca., July 14, 2005 -- An enhanced link between California's and Mexico's high-speed research and education networks was announced today at the Border Governors Conference in Torreon Coahuila, Mexico, attended by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The link between California's higher-education network, known as CalREN, and its Mexican counterpart, CUDI, will allow researchers and faculty at major universities throughout the U.S. and Mexico to collaborate on a rich array of research and education projects.

"This link will allow our two countries to share information and resources and collaborate at levels previously unimaginable," said Jim Dolgonas, President of CENIC, the California not-for-profit organization that oversees CalREN, California's high-speed research and education network. "Years ago, California and Mexico would engage in cultural exchanges involving a piece of artwork or statues that would stand in museums. Now students in both countries can tour entire museums virtually and talk face-to-face with each other about the artwork and its history. The digital era is redefining cultural exchanges and building stronger cultural ties through the sharing of knowledge, information and ideas."

This network will serve as an international research platform for integrated, cutting-edge research in a number of fields, including physics, astronomy, ecology, biology, digital cinema and earth sciences. The increased bandwidth will support new projects such as extending the reach of the emerging CineGrid network, allowing professionals involved in the emerging field of digital cinema that may be working/filming south of the border to work to conduct their experiments.

The enhanced link to Mexico will allow researchers on both sides of the border to collaborate at high speed on environmental data such as ocean currents, rainfall, hurricanes, or wildfires that could potentially lead to increased public safety and a deeper understanding of the shared terrain of the Mexican/American border area.

"This network connection will enable us to manage the trans-border region as a unified whole," said Ramesh Rao, UCSD division director of Calit2. "With the sensor networks in place and those we anticipate installing, we'll be able to better monitor both the ecological and biomedical health of the region."

Another example of the benefit arising from this collaboration between CENIC and CUDI will occur through the University of California's College Preparation (UCCP) program. UCCP has developed a collection of online high school and advanced placement courses that utilize streaming video and interactive simulations to help students succeed in difficult subjects like Algebra and Calculus. The University of California system has agreed to share the online math courses with Mexico , and Mexican educational institutions will translate the courses into Spanish and will make the translations available to students in California.

"Like their counterparts in Mexico, many students in California are entering college without the basic skills they need to succeed in math and could benefit from such courses," said Moises Torres, Director of UCCP Online. "This exchange provides California 's English Language Learners with a powerful, supplemental tool to support their success in math as well as their progress in meeting California 's rigorous academic standards."

The network connection and the work of UCCP enable creation of a binational high school that will let migrants finish their high school education in Mexico online or let Mexico students take US high school courses online so they will be prepared for UC admissions.

About CENIC

The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) is a not-for-profit corporation serving the California Institute of Technology, California State University, Stanford University, University of California, University of Southern California, California Community Colleges, and the statewide K-12 school system. CENIC's mission is to facilitate and coordinate the development, deployment and operation of a set of robust multitiered advanced network services for this research and education community. For more information, visit www.cenic.org.