<<October 6, 1999>>
Prof. Jose Brenes Andre
President of Costa Rica Fulbright Association
Escuela de Fisica
Universidad de Costa Rica
San Pedro
COSTA RICA
Tel: +506-207-5019
Fax: +506-225-5511
jbrenes@cariari.ucr.ac.cr
Dear Jose:
(1) Many thanks for your msg of 10/4th.
(2) ATTACHMENT I is my revised version. Pls feel free to
revise further,
and let me know ASAP -- since Tapio is waiting for our final
report to
be done soon.
PROPOSAL FORM
BASIC ACTIVITY DATA
====================
4. Participating organizations, with contact information.
Include email
addresses when available. (Note that letters of commitment
may be required
before award of a grant.)
Universidad de Costa Rica
San Pedro
COSTA RICA
Tel: +506-207-5019
Fax: +506-225-5511
jbrenes@cariari.ucr.ac.cr
Global University System at
University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
Satamakatu 4A 11
33200 Tampere Finland
e-mail: tapio.varis@uta.fi
http://www.uta.fi/
University of Tennessee
108-I Hoskins Library
Knoxville, TN 37996-4051
USA
Tel: +1-423-974 5227
Fax: +1-423-974 5229
daj@utk.edu
http://web.utk.edu/~djohnutk/
GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association, U.S.A.
43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A.
e-mail: utsumi@columbia.edu
http://www.friends-partners.org?GLOSAS/
5. a. Activity summary: please limit this to Half A Page only.
(1) problem or opportunity to be addressed:
<<Jose:
I changed the numbering for this ASCII format.>>
The goals of the Global University for Central America (GUCA) are;
1. Set up the Global University/Central America to test some
of the latest
technologies available in order to provide affordable education
to all
of the population in the area.
Such an university will provide non-traditional curricula
and courses
of interdisciplinary character, using the technical and
scientific
base installed in the area.
2. Set up the basis for the incoming INTERNET-2 systems,
to be used both
for educational (Distant Education) and medical (Telemedicine)
purposes.
It is hoped that this effort will complement other efforts
carried
out in programs targeted to diminish illiteracy, women
education,
health, and agriculture.
3. Establish a partnership with the Universities now forming
the CSUCA
system, a consortium of all the public backed universities
in the
region.
<<Jose:
Pls spell out what CSUCA is.>>
(2) proposed activities:
1. With the possible collaboration of foundations such as
Kellog, primary
school teachers will be reached to set up a program to teach
hygiene as
well as nutritional practices to improve their living standards.
This
action is the top of the list now since the area is being
hit by
hurricanes.
2. Regional health posts will be reached via satellite using
small aperture
antennas to upgraded the academic preparation of nurses and
auxiliary
people in the field, as well as of the local population.
3. With the coming of INTERNET-2, remote medical diagnostics
will be
included as one of the services provided by GUCA
(3) the anticipated outcome:
1. It is expected that, by improving local conditions, pressure
to emigrate
from rural areas to cities, as well as from one country to
another will
be diminished.
2. Medicine level in the area will be increased by making available
to the
medical personnel with the latest techniques for diagnostics.
3. It is also believed that the population can considerably
reduced the
needs of curative medicine, by learning simple health practices.
Prevention is cheaper than cure.
STATISTICAL DATA
==================
6. infoDev Program Objective? (see guidelines for explanation):
Please choose ONE of the following:
3. Improving education and health.
7. infoDev Strategic Activity? (see guidelines for explanation):
Please choose ONE of the following:
4. Pilot projects.
8. Sector of Proposed Activity?:
<<Jose:
Underlines are the chosen ones.>>
3. Education
============
7. Health
=========
8. Infrastructure
=================
9. Internet Connectivity
========================
9. Grantee Organization Type?:
1. Academic/Research
====================
2. Non Governmental Organization
================================
5. Regional and Bilateral Organizations
=======================================
10. Geographic Location of Activity? (Specific country, or
region if a
regional project)
Central America, i.e., Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua,
Costa
Rica, and Panama
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
======================
11. What is the problem or opportunity that this activity
addresses?
Electronic means of communication have been taking an ever greater
role in our
societies. Internet business, for instance, is expected to move
money in the
order of billions of dollars. Scientific progress at universities
have been
enhanced via access to data bases via Internet. Medical equipment,
now more
than ever, is based on digital equipment, a fact that makes it
quite immediate
to send the acquired data via Internet, or process it by a PC.
In a word,
anyone not wired in a way or another will be in a great disadvantage
with
respect to their peers.
The Central American region, because of historical and political
reasons, is
composed of quite different countries, some more advance than
others. This
disparity is becoming a source of friction, causing a heavy rate
of labor
force to move from one area to another, overloading in some cases
the labor,
educational, and medical infrastructure.
Due to all this, the Global University for Central America
seeks to address
several of this points, and try to diminish their negative impact
on society.
Countries like Honduras and Nicaragua, both heavily hit by
Hurricane Mitch may
profit by having access to educational resources now available
at Costa Rica
and Guatemala, which can be put at their disposition by means
of satellite
interaction. By increasing educational level in some of this
rural
populations, standard of living may increase as diminishing the
pressure to
migrate.
Making available to this populations new ways for medical diagnostics,
be it
better trained physicians or else hard to get equipment, jointly
with
dissemination of hygiene practices that can be easily be put to
practice, may
lower significantly the impact of diseases some of which may long
be
eradicated in other countries.
This way of action will not only avoid the spreading of such
diseases, but
reduce the economical burden the recipient country has to face
to vaccinate,
and cure the illegal immigrants.
Such joint actions eventually will change the perception that
some populations
have with respect to others, lowering tensions, and paving the
way to a better
understanding among them.
12. What is the anticipated outcome of the activity? (who
will benefit, what
type and magnitude of benefits)
It is expected that the following segments of the Central American
population
will profit from the activities proposed above:
(1) Universities, on account of upgrading of professors' knowledge,
and
putting students in touch with latest technologies.
(2) Hospitals and local medical posts, for nurses and doctors
will not only
have access to better diagnostic techniques, but because
nurse training
will be improved.
(3) Scientists and engineers will also profit from partnerships
developed by
Internet access, as well as by tailor made courses provided
by local
experts.
(4) Adoption of telemedicine practices at hospitals will improved
the
services they provid to the surrounding populations
13. What specific activities will the activity undertake?
(That is, what
will the activity produce, such as training, databases created,
policy
dialogue, etc. These are the actions that will have the impact
described in
question 11.)
(1) Establishment of Global University for Central America:
Some possible forms this activity may take are:
* Teleconferences, based on text
* Videoconferences
* Web-based instructions
* Local experts assistance to medium size enterprises
* Multimedia development
(2) Establishment of two-way interactions between several
local medical
posts and regular hospitals:
Some of the forms this two-way interaction can take are:
* Access to medical data bases
* Medical training
* Remote diagnostics
* Emergency support, like in situations created by hurricanes
* Prevention care
(3) Development of conditions leading to INTERNET-2 systems
that will make
practices such as tele-medicine feasible and affordable to
large
segments of the population.
(4) Local medical personnel will improve their knowledge via
interactive
courses, delivered by highly specialized doctors and nurses.
(5) Establishment of electronic cottages in several communities,
so as to
start democratizing Internet access.
GUCA will then act as a resonance box which can make personal
efforts reach a
much bigger population, making the more efficient and have a higher
impact
with the same input.
14. What type of inputs, such as human and financial resources,
facilities,
etc. will be required for these activities?
(1) For infrastructure:
1. VSAT earth stations,
2. wireless broadband units to set up star-like networks,
3. availability of service engineers to help set them up.
(2) For contents:
1. Programmers,
2. Teacher trainers,
3. Social sciences professionals for impact evaluation,
4. Librarians.
(3) For administrative activities:
1. Accountants,
2. Fund seekers.
15. Why is this set of activities a cost effective method
of achieving the
outcome described in question 12? Is there a lower cost method?
Internet has proved to be a method by which, at a very low
cost for the end
user, (s)he may be in touch with very high quality material, at
a low cost.
Material developed for small audiences can, with low cost changes,
be
distributed to much bigger audiences multiplying its effectiveness
n-fold.
Programs now available make it possible for any individual to
prepare web-base
pages that can be of benefit to a much broader population.
Broad-band Internet will enable local universities to develop
course content
more in line with local demands, by making the appropriate changes
to the raw
material. Economic costs to do so will be much lower than what
it would cost
to set up tailor made committees to tackle every one of such demands,
with the
actual risks of repeating a good part of the job done by others.
16. Why would this activity be important for the rest of society?
Does it
represent a general solution to the problem discussed in question
11? Are its
activities replicable? How will other groups be able to utilize
the
experience of this activity?
This activity is a community development approach, firstly
with non-profit
organizations and secondly with for-profit organizations. This
activity is to
be a model replicable to other localities and regions, as leading
the use of
advanced Internet in various sectors of society. The higher educational
institution selected in the locality will have the broadband Internet
satellite earth-station, and will become the major Internet Service
Provider
(ISP) to the local community of non-profit organizations. The
higher
education institution will then provide teacher training to secondary
and
elementary schools.
ACTIVITY OPERATIONS
=====================
17. What are the specific deliverables to infoDev from this activity?
1. Formation of project teams,
2. Strategy of joint fund raising for the projects,
3. Direction for collaboratively furthering global electronic
distance
education,
4. Conference report for public dissemination,
5. Final report to infoDev.
18. How will the activity be sustained following the end of
infoDev grant
funding, both institutionally and financially?
1. It is expected that higher education institutions in the
region will
join the project supplying human and financial resources.
2. For-profit organizations will be invited to join efforts
in such a way
that they will undertake a major portion of the financial
burden.
19. What are the major risks to the success of this activity,
and how will
they be mitigated?
1. Government regulations on the establishment of broadband
Internet
infrastructure:
We plan to mitigate this risk as focusing and emphasizing
on
humanitarian purposes of distance learning and telemedicine,
with
implementation of the broadband Internet in non-profit
organizations
in the first phase, e.g., higher, secondary and elementary
educational institutions, hospitals, libraries, local government
agencies, etc
2. Disintegration of local coalition:
We plan to mitigate this risk as providing the members
of the
coalition with flexible, open, and equal information, collaboration,
and standing.
20. How will activities and outcomes be measured, and evaluated?
Include
plans and schedule for measuring and evaluating impact.
1. Measurements of activities:
Internet usage rates, growth rates of web sites, course
wares,
outreach students, number of occurrences of telemedicine
events,etc
2. Evaluation of outcomes:
Acceptance of this venture by local community members,
increase of
outreach students with distance learning methodology, acceptance
of
telemedicine by local community,etc
21. How will ownership and control of physical or intellectual
assets of the
activity be determined? Please certify that infoDev will have
title to all
intellectual property produced using grant funds.
This subject will be determined on a case-by-case basis along
with the
formation of local coalition members
PROPONENT DATA
=================
26. Resumes of proposed staff
Costa Rica
==========
Prof. Jose Brenes Andre
Universidad de Costa Rica
San Pedro, COSTA RICA
<<Jose:
Pls include your bio here.>>
European Union
==============
Tapio Varis
University of Tampere
Tampere, Finland
Tapio Varis is currently Professor and Chair of Media Culture
and
Communication Education at the University of Tampere Finland (Journalism
and
Mass Communication and Department of Teacher Education), consultant
on new
learning technologies for the Finnish Ministry of Education and
advisor to
several international organizations. In 1996-97, he was UNESCO
Chair of
Communication Studies at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona,
Spain. He has
also been a faculty member of the European Peace University, the
University of
Art and Design in Helsinki and Communication and Media Scholar
at the
University of Helsinki.
Tapio Varis is a former Rector of the University for Peace
in Costa Rica and
Professor of Media Studies in the University of Lapland, Finland.
He has
published approximately 200 scientific contributions, the latest
being Media
of the Knowledge Age, published by Helsinki University Press 1995
(in
Finnish). He is listed in Who's Who in the World (1984 &
1995) and Men of
Achievement (1986 & 1995).
USA
====
David A. Johnson
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN
Dr. Johnson, AICP, is Professor of Planning at the University
of Tennessee,
Knoxville, and has been at UTK for 16 years. He is also an adjunct
faculty
member in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Previously he
taught in and directed planning departments at Syracuse University
and Ball
State University. Prof. Johnson received bachelors and masters
degrees in
architecture and city planning from Yale University and a PhD
in regional
planning from Cornell University. He has been a Fulbright Scholar
in India,
Thailand, and the Soviet Union, and is a past President of the
Fulbright
Association of the United States. He has directed educational
projects in
Amazonas, Brazil and Coimbra, Portugal.
Professor Johnson also has served as a professional planner
on the staffs of
the Washington National Capital Planning Commission and the Regional
Plan
Association of New York. His published writings have focused on
planning
theory and history and most recently have examined planning activities
of the
Tennessee Valley Authority and the development of the New York
Metropolitan
Region. He has served on the editorial board of the Journal of
the American
Planning Association and is the author of Planning the Great Metropolis,
Chapman & Hall, 1996. Dr. Johnson is active in international
distance
education and is an advisor to the Global University. He was a
member of the
planning design team for Tennessee's Bicentennial Mall at the
State Capitol in
Nashville, dedicated in June 1996.
Takeshi Utsumi
GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association, U.S.A.
Global University System (GUS)
Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., is Chairman of the GLObal Systems
Analysis and
Simulation Association in the USA (GLOSAS/USA) and President of
the Global
(electronic) University (GU/USA) System (a divisional activity
of GLOSAS/USA).
He is the 1994 Laureate of Lord Perry Award for the Excellence
in Distance
Education. His public service has included political work for
the
deregulation of global telecommunications and the use of e-mail
through
ARPANET, Telenet and the Internet; working to extend American
university
courses to the Third World; the conduct of innovative distance
teaching trials
with "Global Lecture Hall(GLH)" multipoint-to-multipoint
multimedia
interactive videoconferences using hybrid technologies; and lectures,
consultation and research in process control, management science,
systems
science and engineering at the University of Michigan, the University
of
Pennsylvania, M.I.T. and many universities, governmental agencies
and large
firms in Japan and other countries.
Highlights among his more than 150 related scientific papers
and books are
presentations at the Summer Computer Simulation Conferences (which
he created
and named) and the Society for Computer Simulation International.
He is a
member of various scientific and professional groups, including
the Chemists
Club (New York, NY); Columbia University Seminar on Computers,
Man and Society
(New York, NY); Fulbright Association (Washington, D.C.); International
Center
for Integrative Studies (ICIS) (New York, NY); and the Society
of Satellite
Professionals International (Washington, D.C.).
He received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Polytechnic
University
in New York and his M.S.in Ch.E. from Montana State University,
after studying
at the University of Nebraska under a Fulbright scholarship.
His professional
experience in simulation and optimization of petrochemical and
refinery
processes was gained at Mitsubishi Research Institute, Tokyo;
Stone & Webster
Engineering Corp., Boston; Mobil Oil Corporation and Shell Chemical
Company,
New York; and Asahi Chemical Industry, Inc., Tokyo.
**********************************************************************
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA
*
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.)
*
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education
*
* Founder of CAADE
*
* (Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance Education)
*
* President Emeritus and V.P. for Technology and Coordination
of *
* Global University System (GUS)
*
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A.
*
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-939-0656 (day time only--prefer
email) *
* Email: utsumi@columbia.edu; Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676
*
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/
*
**********************************************************************
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Web page by Steve McCarty,
World Association for Online Education
President