While Internet2 is primarily an organization devoted to research, it sponsors many activities of interest to those outside the research and university communities. For example, K-12 schools across the nation are utilizing Internet2 learning opportunities to expand the horizons of their classrooms. Children are meeting their counterparts in distant countries, conversing with astronauts, and observing deep-sea archaeology—all from the comfort of their classrooms.

Internet2 enables these activities by operating Abilene, its high-performance backbone network, by sponsoring development of protocols to enable the new technology and by coordinating working groups to create the many learning opportunities available across the Abilene network.

The Abilene network consists of thirty-one “gigaPoPs,” or regional internetworking aggregation points, throughout the United States. GigaPoPs serve as both switching locations for network traffic and Abilene “on-ramps” for local entities. Many gigaPoPs also serve as Sponsored Education Group Participants (“SEGP”) hosts for their state. This allows many qualifying organizations to participate in Internet2 activities without becoming a full member.

Real life applications of Internet2 technology include:

Jason Project http://omp.gso.uri.edu/omp/edu/jason/jason1.htm
The JASON Project is a unique, hands-on science education program founded in 1989 in the belief that enabling students and their teachers to do field work from the classroom is a powerful learning tool. The JASON Project integrates video programming, satellite transmissions, classroom activities, and extensive online opportunities to expose students to real science and exploration

Media Interface and Network Design Labs (M.I.N.D. Labs) http://www.mindlab.org/web2/about/about0.htm
M.I.N.D. Labs is a consortium of University-sponsored projects dedicated to research about how technology can augment human ability. Their guiding principle is that multiple minds linked via intelligent virtual environments can work better than individual minds alone. They study technology-augmented human cognition and action, human computer interaction, and communication applications of emerging technologies. In short, the interaction between the mind and a communication medium is the core of their research.

National Library of Medicine/Internet2 Presentations of Networking Applications in Medicine http://health.internet2.edu/
Modern networking offers patients in the most remote areas more accurate, and timely diagnoses as the high-speed Internet allows patient data to be quickly shared with expert consulting specialists based anywhere in the world.

MiCTA, Internet2 and Merit Qualifying MiCTA members can access Internet2 without establishing a full membership. In 2001, Internet2 created the Sponsored Education Group Participant (“SEGP”) program to allow expanded access to Internet2 for state and regional education networks. State and regional networks may include nonprofit and for-profit K-20 educational institutions, museums, libraries, art galleries, or hospitals that require routine collaboration on instructional, clinical and/or research projects, services and content with Internet2 members or with other sponsored participants. Merit Network is an Affiliate Member of Internet2 and serves as the Internet2 gigaPoP in Michigan. In addition, Merit is Michigan's SEGP provider. Through this program, Merit provides Internet2 access to nearly thirty non-member organizations, in addition to regular University, Corporate and Affiliate Internet2 Members in Michigan. For more information, please see: www.merit.edu/mn/services/i2.html or send an email to internet2@merit.edu . MiCTA members outside Michigan can determine if SEGP access is available in their state by viewing the following website: http://k20.internet2.edu/segp/currentparticipants.html