Enterprise Information Technology Services Press Release
The University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

WRITER: Bert DeSimone, 706/542-5110, bert@uga.edu
CONTACT: Dr. Bi-Cheng Wang, 706/542-2215, wang@bcl1.bmb.uga.edu

UGA eminent scholar Dr. Bi-Cheng Wang collaborates with state and national researchers to pioneer advanced, network-facilitated research

ATHENS, Ga.— An initiative undertaken jointly by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office of the Chief Information Officer to provide high-speed network connectivity to UGA researchers made significant strides at a symposium held at Georgia State University on March 10, 2006. The high-speed network, known as the Southern Light Rail, is a local branch of the National LambdaRail, a nationwide high-speed network dedicated to research.

Dr. Bi-Cheng Wang, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Structural Biology, successfully demonstrated an innovative use of a high-speed, point-to-point connection between Georgia State University and the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. Dr. Wang collaborated with a team from Georgia State University, the Southern Light Rail, and the Argonne National Laboratory. The team successfully controlled instrumentation and robotics at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at the Argonne National Laboratory, which allows scientists to gather information about materials that make up inner Earth, outer space, and all points in between.

Dr. Greg Derda, Information Technology Manager for UGA's Research Computing Center and a research scientist, explained the significance of the demonstration in terms of practical, human application. "Dr. Wang's work in X-Ray Crystallography is used to determine the structure and function of proteins and other molecules. Understanding the make up of these molecules can lead to great discoveries, including the cure for human ailments and diseases," said Derda.

Dr. Wang is director of the Georgia X-Ray Crystallography Laboratory (GXRCC) at the University of Georgia and founder and director of the Southeast Regional Collaborative Access Team (SER-CAT), a consortium of 20 universities, two industrial companies, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, NASA, and the National Institutes of Health. The SER-CAT is managed by GXRCC and has built and operates a synchrotron X-ray facility at the APS, located outside of Chicago.

"Crystallography is a tool that allows structural biologists to discern protein structures to the highest degree of detail possible in three dimensions," said Wang. "The interest of the SER-CAT consortium is to use the high brilliant X-rays at the APS to study the structure-functional aspects of molecular machines in living cells, relevant to health, environment, and energy."

The crystallography laboratory at UGA is one of the most advanced academic X-ray crystallography laboratories in the world in terms of both availability of state-of-the-art equipment and new technology development.

According to information released by Georgia State University, who hosted the 3rd Annual SER-CAT Symposium, attendees agreed that "the SER-CAT and Southern Light Rail had made a historic advance and set the bar in using high bandwidth optical networking for automated remote access to scientific instrumentation."

A second demonstration is planned at the University of Georgia on April 7. Dr. Wang and the SER-CAT will host researchers from Japan in Athens, Georgia. A similar, high-speed connection will be established between Athens and the Argonne National Laboratory for the purpose of controlling instruments and robotics in real time over the network.

For more information on Dr. Wang, his work, the Georgia X-Ray Crystallography Laboratory, and SER-CAT, please see http://www.uga.edu/biocryst and http://www.ser-cat.org.

About the Research Computing Center
The Research Computing Center is a partnership between the UGA Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of the Vice President for Research. The Center provides high-performance computing hardware and network infrastructure, as well as consulting and training services, that enhance the productivity of researchers, accelerate the rate of new scientific and artistic breakthroughs, and enable collaborative research between UGA and other research institutions.

About EITS
Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS) is committed to providing information technology resources and services in support of the mission of the University of Georgia as articulated in the overarching strategic plan for the University. Under the leadership of the University's Chief Information Officer, EITS executes its mission via eight core initiatives: strategic planning and governance, instructional technology, research computing, client support, information security, outreach and partnerships, business operations and administrative applications, and infrastructure support. For more information, please visit the EITS Web site: www.eits.uga.edu.