Never has the impact and potential of computer networks been more evident than in recent years. Computer networks have invaded and revolutionized research labs, industry, education, government, medicine, commerce, the arts, and entertainment. Recognizing the importance of networking, the University of Kentucky is determined to establish itself as a national leader in research, instruction, and outreach programs involving computer networks and their applications. Over the past several years, the University has been taking steps to achieve this goal, including the establishment of the Laboratory for Advanced Networking .

A major objective of the Laboratory is to advance the state-of-the-art in networking by investigating and exploring fundamental network research issues such as wide-area network architectures, protocol design, switching/router design, and multimedia communication.

Another goal of the Laboratory is to promote, foster, and support collaborative efforts between the University and industry. The Computer Science Department has already developed ties with several companies such as CISCO, Verizon, Databeam/Lotus, and Lexmark. Collaboration and ties to industry allow the Laboratory to provide guidance and insight into the problems facing industry as well as training their next generation workforce.

Distributed computing and network communication are becoming ubiquitous in all academic disciplines. Because of the widespread use of networks, we understand the importance of providing network advice, recommendations, and expertise on implementing advanced network solutions for the UK campus and public colleges and universities in Kentucky.

Finally, the Laboratory will significantly enrich educational programs offered by the University in the areas of networking and multimedia communication systems. In addition to current networking courses, UK faculty and industrial research associates will offer a variety of new special-topic networking courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels.