Southern Crossroads (SoX) to help expand research at HBCUs

Georgia Tech’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) was recently awarded a $995,550 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enable network and research enhancements for nearby historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Southern Crossroads (SoX) is partnered with Georgia Tech to connect these universities, colleges, and a library to the national research and education (R&E) backbone.

The NSF grant will fund at 100 percent a two-year project titled Promoting Research and Education at Small Colleges in the Atlanta University Center and at Tuskegee University Through Network Architecture Enhancements. Through this project, Georgia Tech, in collaboration with Southern Crossroads (SoX), will extend advanced networking services and cyberinfrastructure access to Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Tuskegee University. The project includes a robust training and support program to ensure proper adoption and success for researchers and educators at participating institutions. The Atlanta University Consortium (AUC) Woodruff Library will benefit from network upgrades through the grant as well.

Cas D’Angelo, Georgia Tech president of SoX and Georgia Tech OIT associate vice president and chief operating officer, serves as principal investigator for the project.

“We started preparing a compelling proposal package that would demonstrate the need and value to the research community in early 2021,” said D’Angelo. “For years, we have been working to get institutions within the AUC — the oldest and largest contiguous consortium of African American higher education institutions in the U.S. — connected to the SoX regional network, given their proximity. This project provides us with that opportunity.”

This project will also lay the groundwork for expansion to other HBCUs.

The NSF has solicited proposals to support traditionally underserved institutions of higher education through partnerships with regional entities that have experience in high-performance research and education networking like Georgia Tech. Special emphasis has been placed on HBCUs, tribal colleges and universities, and other traditionally minority-serving institutions.

Southern Crossroads (SoX), for over 25 years, has been serving non-profit education, research, and government entities in the Southeastern United States. SoX implements reliable cyberinfrastructure, high-performance global connectivity, and services within its region. SoX is committed to enabling collaboration and partnerships for its community, most recently with an emphasis on under-served and under-resourced institutions. www.sox.net