June 29 - July 1, 2021 Virtual Zoom Workshop, 1-5 pm US CDT (6-10 pm UTC)
Attendance capped at ~50 active participants
YouTube live stre
am with chat open to all (Days 1 and 3), archived for asynchronous viewing<
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More information will be posted to the < a href="https://www.pgc.umn.edu/workshops/antarctic-cable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">workshop website as it is available.
This National Science Foundation (NSF) funded workshop wil l produce a report outlining the science advances and other impacts that wo uld be enabled by massive improvements in digital connectivity to Antarctic a. Given recent synergistic opportunities, NSF is interested in a visioning exercise to understand the transformational potential of a submarine fiber optic telecommunications cable between New Zealand and McMurdo Station in the type, kind and conduct of research supported by the United States Antar ctic Program. Terabit-scale networking capability could eliminate current b andwidth constraints faced by researchers, educators and support functions while also reducing the latency of current satellite-based communication. T he cable infrastructure can itself also serve as a scientific platform (a “ SMART” cable) with capability to monitor ocean conditions and seismic activ ity. Direct fiber connectivity to McMurdo may also enable improved connecti vity to Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and science infrastructure there.
The three day workshop will include a d ay of short presentations spanning the breadth of Antarctic science support ed by NSF, existing need and opportunities for improved networking capabili ties, and how science and operations in Antarctica would benefit from drama tically increased connectivity.
Day 1: Scene Setting, Lightning Talks
Day 2: Wor kshop Breakout Sessions
Day 3: Summary and Plan for Drafting Report
If you are interested in participa ting in the workshop, we would appreciate your initial response to this survey to help gauge interest and determine how a new, instrumented fiber optic cable to Antarctica would advance science. < /strong>We welcome participation from US and international research scienti sts, US Antarctic support providers, education and outreach experts, and su bmarine cable and digital networking experts.
Thank you for your interest, and if you have suggestions for addition al members of the research, education, digital networking and science suppo rt community who could contribute, we would appreciate your help in providi ng us with their contact information at the end of the survey.
Initial Organizing Committee Members
Peter Neff, Assistant Research Professor, Univ
ersity of Minnesota
Gwen Jacobs, Director of Cyberinfrastructure, Univ
ersity of Hawaii
David Lassner, President, University of Hawaii
J
onathan Pundsack, Managing Director, Polar Geospatial Center, University of
Minnesota
Heidi Roop, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Garret Yoshimi, Vice President for IT and Chief Information Officer, Uni
versity of Hawaii
Bruce Howe, Chair, Joint Task Force (JTF), ITU/WMO/IOC SMART Cables for Observing the
Ocean
Support for this workshop is provided by the National Science Foundation (Award 2130663). Questions and correspondence should be directed to project PI Peter Neff, This e mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.