Internet2: Closing the Access Gap to Research Cyberinfrastructure
A Q&A with Dana Brunson
Since its inception in 1996, Internet2 has been a pivotal force in advancing collaborative research. Initially established through its national network, the organization expanded its capabilities with federated identity and access management via InCommon, and more recently through cloud solutions. In 2019, Dana Brunson joined Internet2 as the executive director of research engagement, where she has been instrumental in steering research advocacy within the Internet2 community. We sat down with Brunson to discuss the evolving needs of research computing and data in higher education, and how Internet2’s Research Engagement Team is working tirelessly to bridge the access gap for diverse institutions.
Dana Brunson (center) moderates a panel with IT leaders from research and higher education at an annual Internet2 event where the community comes together to solve common challenges. (Photo courtesy of Internet2)
Maria Grush: What is the mission of Internet2’s Research Engagement Team? What are the biggest changes you have experienced in your years as a team leader?
Dana Brunson: Our mission is to ensure that researchers and educators—regardless of their discipline or type of institution—have access to the research computing and data tools, services, and resources they need. And that includes anything that may already be on campus or available regionally and nationally as government-funded or private-sector resources.
The Internet2 Research Engagement Team provides campus consulting and training to learn about research cyberinfrastructures and develop strategic plans. We also offer support to accompany institutions through the implementation of these plans.
Additionally, through CaRCC, the Campus Research Computing Consortium, we facilitate a professional research cyberinfrastructure community to develop shared tools and best practices – and also leverage other community connections to bring people together. And we are committed to ensuring that research informatics and data (RCD) professionals are seen as both research partners and part of what makes a university a competitive entity, no matter how challenging budget times may be.
Our primary focus is bridging the gap between the well-resourced R1 institutions and those that have had greater limitations in accessing research cyber infrastructure: the teaching-focused undergraduate institutions, minority-serving institutions, and all types of campuses in between.
For further exploration of how Internet2 is closing the access gap in research cyberinfrastructure, visit Here.
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