From advancing broadband access during a solar eclipse to preparing future generations of tech leaders, the Ohio Technology Consortium (OH-TECH) spent 2024 driving innovation and strengthening connections across Ohio and beyond. As a division of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), OH-TECH encompasses OARnet, OhioLINK and the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), organizations dedicated to supporting education, research and workforce development. Through joint initiatives and individual contributions, these organizations reached new milestones this year to engage the communities they serve and connect to new audiences.
Joint initiatives
OH-TECH’s collaborative efforts were on display at COSI’s Big Science Celebration, where OARnet, OhioLINK, OSC and Shared Infrastructure staff joined ODHE in offering engaging educational activities for families. The efforts extended to the Ohio State Fair, where thousands of visitors stopped by the booth, got creative with different hands-on activities and experimented with a virtual reality experience of Ohio’s higher education and workforce development institutions.
OARnet: Strengthening connections
OARnet focuses on uniting people through technology with its affordable resources, personalized services and outreach initiatives. Its many partnerships and engagements cement OARnet’s reputation as a leader in networking and technology, contributing meaningfully to numerous communities within and beyond Ohio.
In collaboration with BroadbandOhio and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, OARnet maximized bandwidth capacity at all Ohio lodges, parks and campgrounds during the April solar eclipse, enhancing connectivity for visitors during a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Throughout the year, OARnet fostered partnerships by contributing to key discussions on advanced networking and innovation. Staff participated in events like the Ohio Digital Government Summit, the Ohio Higher Education Computing Council (OHECC) conference at The University of Akron and the Inter-University Council (IUC) Collaborative Initiatives Summit.
OARnet also helped enhance connectivity to support the Farm Science Review at Molly Caren Agriculture Center and drone testing and data collection at the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Center at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. The project has helped pave the way for developments in uncrewed flight and transportation technology innovations through state initiatives such as FlyOhio, DriveOhio and the new National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE).
OARnet offered its expertise by participating in recurring committee meetings, including the Ohio Cyber Collaboration Committee (OC3), CyberOhio’s Ohio Comprehensive Cybersecurity Plan Committee (HSAC-Cyber) Executive Committee and Subcommittees and the IUC’s Chief Information Officers (IUC-CIO) meetings.
OARnet also hosted Spring and Fall Member Meetings and engaged with national groups such as The Quilt, The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Campus Cyberinfrastructure program and FABRIC.
On the national stage, OARnet engaged in various forums, events and working groups within organizations like the Schools, Health and Library Broadband (SHLB) Coalition and Internet2, a not-for-profit U.S. computer networking consortium. Contributions included hosting an Internet2 on-site visit and participating in the Internet2 Community and Leadership Exchanges. Additionally, OARnet’s Kristen Weimar received the 2024 Internet2 Inclusivity Scholarship, demonstrating the organization’s focus on diversity and inclusion. OARnet Executive Director Pankaj Shah also served on an NSF review panel.
Shah, alongside former Chief Relationship Officer Denis Walsh, presented at BroadbandOhio’s Community Accelerator Program, an initiative designed to leverage broadband infrastructure funding for community-driven internet expansion projects throughout Ohio.
In 2024, OARnet also made significant strides in its Next Generation Terabit Network project, continuing to upgrade its statewide fiber-optic backbone to 400 Gbps. This milestone positions Ohio as a leader in broadband innovation and prepares for an anticipated 1 Terabit (1,000 Gbps) connectivity.
OhioLINK: Enhancing access
OhioLINK is a cornerstone of Ohio’s higher education community, providing critical technical infrastructure and essential scholarly resources for 115 member libraries across the state. Its initiatives play a pivotal role in fostering teaching, learning and research. Its expertise helped member institutions avoid $1.3 billion in print and electronic library resource fees in 2024.
OhioLINK is in the midst of an ambitious 18-month, statewide systems upgrade for its libraries—one of the largest projects ever for the software provider. This upgrade involves the management of hundreds of library staff in advisory and working groups. OhioLINK’s robust communication strategy for the community ensures access to the latest information and includes quarterly CIO briefings, an extensive extranet and regular updates via Webex presentations, trainings and emails.
The organization demonstrates its commitment to the academic library community by sponsoring key events such as OpenCon Ohio, a statewide summit on resource sharing among public and academic libraries, and the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) annual conference. OhioLINK staff members actively participated in a wide array of industry events, including the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE), American Library Association (ALA), Electronic Resources and Libraries (ER&L), Ex Libris North American Users Group (ELUNA) and many others.
Executive Director Amy Pawlowski advanced conversations about library innovation and impact by presenting at national venues such as the American Library Association’s Choice360, The International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) and Charleston Conference. Additionally, she contributed her expertise as a member of the Cambridge University Press North American Library Advisory Board and the Clarivate North American Advisory Board.
OhioLINK’s Affordable Learning Open Course Redesign Grants continued to drive faculty adoption of open educational resources (OER) in 2024 to reduce student textbook costs. To further enhance support and outreach to Ohio faculty interested in OER, OhioLINK sponsored nine librarians to become certified OER specialists, making a total of 18 certified OhioLINK librarians available in Ohio, with plans for a 2025 cohort. OhioLINK also conducted faculty outreach about its extensive open access publishing options available to member authors. Agreements with five of the largest scholarly publishers helped 43 Ohio colleges and universities avoid more than $12 million in article publishing charges.
Ohio Supercomputer Center: Driving innovation
OSC maintained its leadership in research computing by advancing science, technology and education. These ongoing efforts enable OSC to participate in global conversations and contribute to the evolving landscape of computing and technological advancements.
Tours of the State of Ohio Computer Center attracted diverse groups, including representatives from Intel, Dell and AEP; students from various colleges and high schools; as well as attendees at the annual MVAPICH User Group (MUG) meeting.
On the conference circuit, OSC contributed to key events such as the ISC High Performance conference, the Gateways Conference, the Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC) conference where staff engaged in Open OnDemand and ACCESS activities, the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC) national meetings where Executive Director Dave Hudak served as a planning member of the program committee and the SC conference on supercomputing. Multiple OSC staff presented papers and tutorials, participated in birds of a feather discussions and chaired sessions at each of these conferences. OSC also served on various steering, organizing and program committees.
Closer to home, OSC hosted the ICICLE AI Institute 3-Year Review, which brought together institute members and representatives from the NSF.
Looking ahead, the first-ever Global Open OnDemand (GOOD) conference will be held March 18-20, 2025, at Harvard University to allow the community that uses OSC’s popular web portal, Open OnDemand, to share expertise and learn about advancements in technology.
OSC achieved several milestones in 2024. Open OnDemand earned a $5 million NSF grant and was recognized in the HPCwire Readers’ Choice Awards. Cardinal, OSC’s newest cluster, ranked No. 211 on the Top500 list and No. 15 on the Green500. New resources on the Ascend cluster will launch in spring 2025.
Youth education also remained a focus, with OSC hosting its Summer Institute and Youth Watershed Summer Institute for middle and high school students, who acquired skills in computer science, mathematics, science, engineering and programming.
OSC Director of Strategic Programs Alan Chalker presented “What’s So Super About Supercomputing?” with its corresponding activity book multiple times, including to advanced computer science students at Upper Arlington High School. The activity book was announced as an award winner at the 2024 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Central Ohio Chapter’s annual PRism Awards in the “Non-Profit: Single-Issue Publications” category.
OSC's commitment to advancing science and technology places it at the forefront of research computing. OSC consistently works to educate individuals, elevate research within Ohio and actively engage with the broader research computing community. These ongoing efforts enable OSC to participate in global conversations and contribute to the evolving landscape of scientific and technological advancements.
Written by Lexi Biasi
Governed by the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), the Ohio Technology Consortium (OH-TECH) serves as the technology and information division of ODHE. The consortium comprises a suite of widely respected member organizations collectively unsurpassed in any other state: OSC, OARnet and OhioLINK. The consortium drives efficiencies through common services provided to member organizations through the Shared Infrastructure and Consortia Services divisions.
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