Kettering University and Flint, Mich., to join hyper-fast Web network US Ignite

FLINT, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kettering University researchers and entrepreneurs will soon be building futuristic tools and connecting them to a hyper-fast Web network thanks to a new public-private national partnership called US Ignite.

“We’ll be one of only 25 cities with this technological capability. We’ll be one of the few places in the country with this next-generation technology. It will give Flint a tremendous lead to be in the first wave.”

Flint, Mich., is one of the first 25 cities and Kettering University is among the 60 nationally respected universities singled out in the first round of this national partnership that will serve as a workshop for next-generation internet users.

Kettering President Robert K. McMahan said US Ignite will bring the fastest broadband research network in the world to Flint and the region. “This is a community asset,” he explained. “We’ll be one of only 25 cities with this technological capability. We’ll be one of the few places in the country with this next-generation technology. It will give Flint a tremendous lead to be in the first wave.”

Read more on Kettering University and US Ignite at http://www.kettering.edu/us-ignite

Flint’s Charles Stewart Mott Foundation provided US Ignite with a planning grant to help kick-start US Ignite’s non-profit partnership and has helped engage other national and local partners to bring the technology benefits to Flint. Mott believes US Ignite has the potential to help people improve their lives and their communities and enhance the work of Flint partners, including Kettering University, in the areas of clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and education, as well as the development of local workforce training activities that can help people overcome barriers to the labor market. Ultimately, the foundation seeks to leverage its investment in Ignite, along with the passion and energy of local partners, to help open new doors to opportunity in Flint and beyond.

Merit Network, Inc., joined the US Ignite Initiative and the GENI project to help create a platform that will drive next-generation innovation. Merit has a strong history of providing innovative technologies to its membership, including currently developing a Cyber Security Range that is based on Open Flow and GENI technologies. Merit’s participation in US Ignite will play an important role in this critical undertaking, and has the potential to benefit all of its membership, from higher education and libraries to K-12 schools, healthcare providers, and more. Formed in 1966, Merit Network is leveraging its experience managing the precursor to the modern Internet, the NSFNET, and its participation in US Ignite will add to a lineage of innovation as Merit continues to support leading-edge network technology in Michigan and beyond.

The US Ignite Partnership will create a new wave of services that take advantage of state-of-the-art, programmable broadband networks running up to 100 times faster than today’s Internet. By bringing software developers and engineers from government and industry together with representatives from communities, schools, hospitals, and other institutions that will benefit from faster and more agile broadband options, the partnership aims to speed up and increase the development of applications for advanced manufacturing, medical monitoring, emergency preparedness, and a host of other services. These applications will improve services to Americans and drive job creation, promote innovation, and create new markets for American businesses.

About Kettering University

Kettering University is a nationally-ranked STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and Business university and a national leader in combining a rigorous academic environment with rich opportunities for experiential learning and cooperative education. Kettering's focus is on the learning experience of the individual student. Kettering’s nearly 2,000 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students choose from 14 undergraduate and 14 master’s degrees, plus more than 50 minors, specialties, concentrations and courses of study. Some of Kettering’s fastest growing academic majors are Bioinformatics, Chemical Engineering and BioChemistry. For more information, visit www.kettering.edu.

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