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The WiderNet Project is a service program at the University of Iowa that
works to improve digital communication in developing countries. Our
current focus is in Africa and our closest ties and connections are
with Nigerian universities. The WiderNet Project focuses on the
improvement of educational communication systems in Africa by
providing faculty and students with access to computers, email, and
the Internet.
The developing world lags behind the
rest of the world in their access to digital information and
communication. Currently, only 1 out of 7 people worldwide
have even heard of the Internet. Some universities have a direct
connection to the Internet but none have enough bandwidth to serve
their users adequately. A fraction of
professors and students have access to email and basic computer
programs, but the computer capacity is nowhere near what is
available to students in the United States and Europe. The
result is the exclusion of these developing regions from global communication, and the
exclusion of young people seeking a higher degree of education.
The WiderNet Project based at the
University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science addresses these problems. Composed of a staff
experienced with work in Africa, India, Haiti, international developmental
studies, and technology, the WiderNet Project is building a digital
bridge between the University of Iowa and universities around the
globe. The
project was founded by Cliff Missen, a systems analyst in the
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, who co-directs the project
with Michael McNulty, a professor of Geography, at the University of
Iowa.
Meet the WiderNet
staff
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