School of Music pioneers new technology

School of Music pioneers new technology

NIU’s school of music is joining with a select group to take a giant leap forward in Internet technology. The school is one of the pioneers of Internet2, a high-bandwidth, restricted access Internet. Its use is restricted to about 200 members, comprised mostly of universities and research institutions.

“Normal Internet runs slower due to the massive amount of people that use it,” said Paul Bauer, director of the school of music. “Internet2 was created to create an Internet without that congestion, so it is much faster.”

The School of Music has been using Internet2 for about two years.

Internet2 operates at a much higher bandwidth than normal Internet, which makes it ideal for video conferencing. Files are transferred uncompressed, which allows for higher audio and visual quality, without delay.

“When news reporters are broadcasting and there is a delay in conversations, it makes for an uncomfortable interaction,” Bauer said. “We run with a nearly zero delay, so it is a natural conversation.”

Internet2 has allowed the school to interact with experts at the University of Nebraska and the Manhattan School of Music, Bauer said. It also promotes making connections with other institutions around the world. A faculty member is traveling to Costa Rica next year and will stay in touch with the university using a laptop.

The School of Music is also reaching out to a school in Turkey that is looking to develop a jazz program.

“Communicating via teleconferences with Turkey saves us thousands of dollars on getting visas and other travel expenses,” Bauer said.

Other colleges at NIU are interested in using Internet2 to give lectures. Bauer said that the College of Engineering had expressed interest in presenting a class to NASA in Florida over the computer.

“Being proficient in this newly developing field elevates NIU’s reputation worldwide,” Bauer said. “People are seeking us out to help them learn and develop their own Internet2 programs.”

Tomado de http://www.northernstar.info/article/7956/