UVM's New Superfast Internet Connection

By Matt Austin
Posted: Oct 28, 2010 3:17 PM EDT
Updated: Oct 28, 2010 3:20 PM EDT

Forget the days of dial-up or even cable internet. The University of Vermont will upgrade to superfast internet.   On Thursday, the university announced it will be connected by a fiber optic network to other schools in the Northeast.   Senator Patrick Leahy helped secure $3-million for the Vermont connection.   This fiber optic network is about 6,000 times faster than your typical home internet.   "This advanced fiber network will enable the university to educate the next generation of scientists," says UVM President Daniel Mark Fogel.   Professors say they need the faster service to share research more easily.   The first major project to use the network will be to study algae in Lake Champlain and other lakes.   Scientists want to know why algae blooms form and some turn toxic.