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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2006 Marine Researchers to Use New Fiber-Optic Connection Library of Congress Undertakes Digitization Project As Online Courses Multiply, Distinctions Blur Online Broker to Cover Fraud Losses MARINE RESEARCHERS TO USE NEW FIBER-OPTIC CONNECTION Officials from research centers on opposite sides of the United States announced a project that will link the two centers with extremely fast connections, allowing researchers at each site to collaborate with colleagues at the other as if they were in the same location. The Community Cyberinfrastructure for Advanced Marine Microbial Ecology Research and Analysis (CAMERA) project, funded by a $24.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, will use the National LambdaRail and other fiber-optic connections to link the J. Craig Venter Institute, in Rockville, Md., with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego. Larry L. Smarr, one of the project's leaders, noted that many research programs that involve disparate components are limited by the connections between facilities. CAMERA will allow researchers at the two locations to access and compare vast amounts of data on marine microbes, including genetic codes and data on water conditions at locations around the globe. Chronicle of Higher Education, 18 January 2006 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/01/2006011801t.htm LIBRARY OF CONGRESS UNDERTAKES DIGITIZATION PROJECT In February, the Library of Congress will begin transferring large collections of vinyl records and video recordings to a single location where they will be archived and digitized. The library has nearly 4 million separate items, currently stored in several states, that will be moved to a facility in Virginia that had been set up in the 1960s as a headquarters for government officials in the event of a nuclear attack. The library's holdings will be stored on 57 miles of shelves, and starting early next year, the library will begin making digital copies of the collection. Because many are covered by copyright, the digital copies will not be available online. Researchers will be able to request digital copies of specific recordings, however, and library staff will pull the original and make a digital version. Federal Computer Week, 13 January 2006 http://www.fcw.com/article91968-01-13-06-Web AS ONLINE COURSES MULTIPLY, DISTINCTIONS BLUR The number of online courses offered by colleges and universities continues to grow, as does the demand for online offerings, leaving some administrators facing questions about practices and policies. The South Dakota Board of Regents, for example, found that 42 percent of students enrolled in online classes were located on the campus that offered the course. Some institutions with similar statistics have placed restrictions on who may enroll in online courses, believing they should primarily serve distance students. Because components of online courses are finding their way into traditional classes, including message boards and chat rooms, some institutions suggest that the lines between the two types of courses are sufficiently blurry that future course catalogs might not indicate a difference. Marc Van Horne, director of distance learning at Arizona State University, said the school's online offerings increasingly play a vital role in the fulfillment of the university's core mission. CNN, 13 January 2006 http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/01/13/oncampus.online.ap/index.html ONLINE BROKER TO COVER FRAUD LOSSES Online stock broker E*Trade has announced a "zero liability" policy in which it will cover all losses resulting from online fraud. Although some other online brokerage firms said they have absorbed some or all of the costs of fraud in past incidents, E*Trade becomes the first to establish such a policy. Losses due to fraud in the online brokerage industry remain relatively small and are a fraction of losses to credit card fraud, but the number of data breaches is rising. Moreover, when people are victimized through brokerage fraud, they are harmed "to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars," according to Gerri Walsh, acting director of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Investor Education. Officials at E*Trade said they expect other brokers will follow suit and implement similar policies, bringing the entire industry to a level similar to that of credit card companies. A federal law passed in the 1970s requires issuers of credit cards to limit customer liability to $50, but most issuers cover all losses. New York Times, 18 January 2006 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/18/technology/18data.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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