GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026 has ended

GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026

Welcome to the GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026 schedule. Use this page to browse sessions, view speaker and session details, and build your personal agenda for June 22–24 in Rogers, Arkansas. Check back through May as additional sessions and details are added.

9:30am CDT

*Workshop: Setting Up and Maintaining a Science DMZ - Part I NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson AuditoriumJason Zurawski

12:30pm CDT

*Workshop: Setting Up and Maintaining a Science DMZ - Part II NWACC Shewmaker Center For Global Business Development-Peterson AuditoriumJason Zurawski

8:15am CDT

Keynote: The State of Fiber with Its Role in Building A.I. Infrastructure Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom VGary Bolton

8:45am CDT

Beyond the Campus: Securing Student Data Across Third‑Party Apps and Cloud Platforms Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & BBrian Scharlin • Fortinet Campus Under Pressure: Practical DDoS and Application Security Readiness for Research and Education Networks Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador CGeoff Kreiling • Radware

11:00am CDT

GlobalNOC Gateway Overview & Announcement of Release for ARE-ON Member Institutions Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & BScott Ramoly • Ben Geels Phantoms in the Portal: Ghost Students and Financial Aid Fraud Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador CNatalie McNish Moving Beyond Pain Points in the University Data Center Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom VTrini Grinspan • Nokia/PIER Group

1:00pm CDT

Keynote: Internet2's Support for State Networks Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom VTripti Sinha

2:00pm CDT

Leveraging Layered Storage Architectures for Scale & Performance Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & BSteven Umbehocker • OSNexus M365 A3 vs. A5: Making Informed Decisions Around Security, Compliance, and Budget Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador CChristopher Jennings • Pinnacle Business Systems Securing the AI Era: Infrastructure Evolution and Operational Reality Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom VSteven Karp • Bernard Morvant • Michael Renshaw • Brady Bell • Anthony Gloriana • Ciena/Lumen

4:00pm CDT

ARE-ON Technical Updates Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom VScott Ramoly Building Collaborations Using Non-Research Funding Mechanisms Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & BMichael Wallace • Martin Maize

4:30pm CDT

Coherent Optics Transforming Regional Networks Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador CSteven Karp GPN Statewide Initiatives in Quantum Technologies Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom VTom Coffin

9:45am CDT

State of Research Cyberinfrastructure Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom VFrank Wuerthwein • Derek Weitzel • Ryan Johnson • Matthew Keeler • Dan Andresen • Brian Burkhart Designing Networks for Student Housing Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & BZak Chalupka • HPE Infrastructure Engineering for Efficiency and Performance Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador CKevin Grissom • Lenovo

10:45am CDT

State of the State Networks Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Grand Ballroom VJohn Hennessey • Scott Ramoly • Chris Kolsrud • Andrew Buker • Natasha Angell • Chris Crook OAK Supercomputing Center: Resources Overview Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador CChristopher Fennell Resilient IT: Winning with People and Process Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & BWesam Helou

11:30am CDT

Birds of a Feather: Resources and Funding to Support Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & BDana Brunson • Amy Apon • Dan Andresen • Nick Eggleston

1:15pm CDT

*Workshop: perfSONAR Workshop Embassy Suites Conv. Center - Ambassador A & BMark Feit