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As a valuable economic development tool for Barrow County, Internet2 has the potential to provide the high-speed connectivity to research universities and beyond for those industries plugged into bioscience and health science research and development.
As an educational tool, Internet2 had already put Barrow County on the globe as a having a school system preparing to provide a world-class education to its students.
For local educational leaders and business leaders, Barrow County could be the hub of the Innovation Crescent if the vision for the Barrow County Science Education Outreach Center could be realized.
The Innovation Crescent is composed of 13 counties, including Barrow, working to market the world-class opportunities the region between Athens and Atlanta can provide.
The potential has gotten the attention of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and his staffer Irene Munn, Legislative Counsel/Policy Director.Barrow County School Superintendent Dr. Ron Saunders told a recent gathering of some members of the Barrow County Economic Development Council that Lt. Gov. Cagle had a chance to experience what Internet2’s potential could be. While in Atlanta, Cagle had talked with Westside Middle School students in Barrow County with no delay.
State Rep. Terry England was able to take part in an exchange with governmental and education officials in Canada to get a first-hand look at Internet2’s possibilities for education and business.
Through its connection to PeachNet, Barrow County Schools has a gateway to Internet2 which is yielding unprecedented partnerships to enhance the learning opportunities for students.
According to Marshall Chambers, Strategic Initiatives Director for Barrow County School, the partnerships allow local teachers to "render instruction more meaningful, engaging and relevant."
After showcasing Barrow County Schools as the only Georgia system pushing ahead toward the potential of Internet2 at Splash Day, Chambers said another splash is putting Yargo Elementary School students at the Georgia Aquarium for a unique learning experience.
Imagine the potential of leveraging the connectivity of the private research and education network to enhance Barrow’s development to biomed researchers, said ADVA’s Brian Savory in speaking alongside Chambers at a gathering of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Savory is one of Barrow Schools’ partners in helping see the potential for the future of this technological opportunity. Eleven countries on six continents are partners with Barrow Schools.
With an eye on possibilities to capture some of the momentum as well as some of the pot of competitive dollars, the interest of Cagle and Mumm is seen as a real plus, especially with a move to explore whether a science-related career academy could be partnered with a new Winder-Barrow campus for Lanier Technical College.
Chambers considers Barrow County to be at a crucial moment in time: Do you act on it or let the opportunity pass Barrow by? With the Internet2 connection running along Highway 316 and Barrow already linked in, why pass up the possibility to be part of something which could have a significant impact?
Chamber Board Chairman Chris Gray said he consider the fiberconnectivity to be a significant asset for Barrow County.
Visit the Barrow County Economic Development Council’s website at www.choosebarrow.com to find out more about economic development potential in the community.
You can also visit YouTube to see scenes from the Innovation Crescent’s meeting with the India delegation at the India the International Bio Conference held May 18-21. Kong Hong and Hungary delegations were also hosted.
