The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) seeks to highlight network applications and projects by identifying exemplary innovations that leverage the network and have the potential to improve the way instruction and research is conducted, even when the impact of the innovation may not be felt immediately. CENIC is seeking nominations from CalREN participants for the most innovative uses of the network in 2007.

Awards will be given for innovations in the following four categories:

• Education Applications
• High-Performance Research Applications
• Experimental/Developmental Applications
• Gigabit/Broadband Applications

We are especially interested in collaborative efforts developed in 2006-07 which engage multiple segments of the K-20 community and/or international partners. A committee selected by the CENIC Board of Directors will determine the award winners on the basis of submitted materials, and additional interviews if necessary.

[ Past Innovations in Networking Award Winners ]

CENIC will present the awards at its 12th annual conference March 10-12, 2008, at the Oakland Marriott City Center. Award winners will also be given the opportunity to present and discuss their application in a special session at the conference.

The nomination procedure is as follows:

The deadline for submission of nominations is December 14, 2007, by 5:00 p.m. (The deadline has been extended!) Nominations may be submitted via e-mail to cenic08-proposals@cenic.org. Submissions may be made by the individual(s) who worked on the project, or by others, and should include:

• Name, title, and contact information of submitter
• Award Category
• Names of project/application leader(s) and team members
• A summary paragraph that highlights the significance of the project (100 words)
• A project description (not to exceed 5 pages), including the project URLs
• The technology utilized in the project
• The timeframe of implementation
• Objective summary of benefits attributed to the project (not to exceed 2 pages)

General questions about the program or nominations may be addressed to Doug Hartline, Conference Chair, at cenic08-proposals@cenic.org.

A press release describing last year's award winners is available at the website for CENIC '07: Making Waves to give nominators a general idea of the types of projects preferred.