NSF Org:	OAC Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC)
Recipient:	NJ EDGE.NET INC
Initial Amendment Date:	May 29, 2024
Latest Amendment Date:	November 5, 2024
Award Number:	2346648
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Kevin Thompson kthompso@nsf.gov  (703)292-4220 OAC  Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) CSE  Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering
Start Date:	June 15, 2024
End Date:	May 31, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$851,076.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$851,076.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2024 = $851,076.00
History of Investigator:	Forough Ghahramani (Principal Investigator) forough.ghahramani@njedge.net James von Oehsen (Co-Principal Investigator) Tabbetha Dobbins (Co-Principal Investigator) Stefan Robila (Co-Principal Investigator) Eric Marshall (Co-Principal Investigator) Balamurugan Desinghu (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	NJEDge.Net 625 BROAD ST STE 260 NEWARK NJ  US  07102-4418 (973)699-2203
Sponsor Congressional District:	10
Primary Place of Performance:	NJEDge.Net 625 BROAD ST STE 260 NEWARK NJ  US  07102-4418
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	10
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	HW47DVSTKBC9
Parent UEI:	HW47DVSTKBC9
NSF Program(s):	Campus Cyberinfrastructure
Primary Program Source:	01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s):	808000
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.070

ABSTRACT

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.

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