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OHIO CENTER RECEIVES GRANT TO BUILD SATELLITE STATION

The federal Department of Energy will provide the Ohio Supercomputer Center with $6 million to construct and staff a satellite supercomputing center in Springfield. The Center's first Energy Department grant would also mark its first expansion project as well.

Initial plans have the satellite station placed in between the Ohio Supercomputer Center and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base outside Dayton. The Ohio Center will collaborate with Wright-Patterson's Major Shared Resource Center to place the satellite station at an advantageous position for networking.

On December 1, when he signed the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act to fund the Energy Department's programs, President Bush made the money for the project available. U.S. representative Dave Hobson (R-Springfield) initiated the idea for the project which would focus on scientific applications, including large-scale data mining, regional and global climate modeling, materials science and high-energy physics.

LexisNexis, the Miami Township database and information provider, is also building a center in Springfield to be used as backup, storage and research space. Officials believe the two projects indicate a major high-tech step forward in linking Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.

Operations are hoped to begin within six months, although there are details that need to be worked out first, such as the size and location of the facility. The federal funding has excited officials and researchers, however. They also hope to have some state backing as well.

There are also plans to put homeland security efforts into effect with these new projects. The new facility is expected to be connected to the Ohio Supercomputer Center's Third Frontier Network, a high-speed statewide network.

The Turner Foundation of Springfield, a nonprofit economic development organization, has been trying to attract technology businesses to the area in recent years. Officials say that the organization will work with the Supercomputer Center as a liaison with the city of Springfield in order to further their efforts.