Lambda Rail access will benefit Clemson

Published: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 2:00 am

Clemson University is inching closer to completing a very important step that will bring it on par with many of this nation's top research universities: creating a connection to the National Lambda Rail. This is an important effort that should be completed quickly to give Clemson the same advantages that other top schools have.

The Lambda Rail is an ultra-high-speed Internet backbone that lets researchers across the nation rapidly share information and advanced computer models. Without access to the line universities can't compete for -- or even apply for -- some federal grants, including some from the National Science Foundation.

The Legislature recently overrode a veto by Gov. Mark Sanford, giving Clemson, USC and the Medical University of South Carolina each $1.5 million to create an in-state network called the South Carolina Light Rail. That network will eventually link all three universities to the national network.

Also, at a recent staff meeting, Clemson President Jim Barker told faculty and staff that Clemson would connect to the Lambda Rail by fall, according to a report in The Greenville News. That will be accomplished through private gifts and in-kind donations, Jim Bottum, the university's vice provost for computer and information technology, told the newspaper.

This is an essential project. Only about 12 states lack a connection to the Lambda Rail. South Carolina must remove obstacles in the way of transitioning to a knowledge-based economy.

Connecting to the Lambda Rail may sound like a high-tech pipe dream, but it's a concrete way this state can enhance the advantage of having top-quality research universities.

This is a sound investment in South Carolina's future.