The Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) is a consortium of 63

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

in the United States and 1 in Canada. SURA is the sole holder of the Limited Liability Company, Jefferson Science Associates (JSA), which holds the Management and Operations (M&O) contractor for

Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), commonly called Jefferson Lab or JLab, is a US National Laboratory located in Newport News, Virginia. Its stated mission is "to provide forefront scientific facilities, opportunities an ...

in Newport News, Virginia. In addition to Jefferson Lab, SURA supports

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of Data (computing), data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information te ...

initiatives and coastal and environmental research.

SURAnet

The chief goal of SURA was the development of a

particle accelerator A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams. Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...

for research in

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

; this facility is now known as the

. By the mid-1980s it was clear that access to high-capacity computer resources would be needed to facilitate collaboration among the SURA member institutions. A high-performance network to provide this access was essential, but no single institution could afford to develop such a system. SURA itself stepped up to the challenge and, with support from the U.S.

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

(NSF) and SURA universities, SURAnet was up and running in 1987, and was part of the first phase of National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET) funding as the agency built a network to facilitate scientific collaboration.

Current

Today, SURA consists of over 60 member universities and CEBAF is now known as the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab). SURA continues to operate the Jefferson Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy through Jefferson Science Associates, LLC. SURA also operates the SURA Residence Facility, guest house to accommodate national and international researchers who come to use Jefferson Lab's unique facilities. SURA's intramural research activities are collaborations with its member institutions, government agencies, and other researchers working to advance and exploit the transformative nature of information technology on the regional, national, and international fronts, and facilitating a better understanding of coastal, ocean and environmental phenomena that plays a prominent role in our lives.

Member institutions

Member Institutions:

References

External links

* College and university associations and consortia in the United States College and university associations and consortia in North America International college and university associations and consortia {{sci-org-stub