School on the Internet-Asia meeting, policy workshop

Engineering faculty members attend School on the Internet-Asia meeting, policy workshop

Engr. Rosana J. Ferolin, Assistant Dean of the College of Engineering and Engr. Christian V. Maderazo, head of the Department of Computer Engineering Computer Networks Laboratory, attended the School on the Internet–Asia (SOI–Asia) Spring Meeting and Policy Workshop at the Institute of Technology–Cambodia last May 28–30, 2007. The three–day activity included several research presentations on distributed learning, virtual community and Internet technologies.

Engr. Rosana J. Ferolin (first row, sixth from left) and Engr. Christian V. Madarazo (second row, second from left) with participants from other SOI-Asia partner universities.

The School on the Internet–Asia was launched in 2001. The project utilizes satellite–based Internet to provide Internet environments in a less expensive, easy to deploy, and more feasible way for universities located in regions where Internet environments are insufficiently developed. The project also conducts research and development of the necessary technology for IT human resource development in Asia while using the environments. Through field experiments, SOI proposes a new educational methodology for universities in Asia and other educational institutions abroad. The project also aims to provide higher education to individuals who have the will to study using Internet–based technologies, thus eliminating traditional limitations.

As of May 2007, the project has 24 partner universities and research institutes in 12 Asian countries and has deployed receive–only satellite earth stations at each partner site to share the distribution of live (real-time) and archived lectures by professors from various universities and research institutes all over the world. Over the years around 2,900 individuals, mostly university students and professors, have entered this university and the average number of access to the lecture page per month goes up to 350,000.

The University of San Carlos–College of Engineering through the Department of Computer Engineering has been a member of SOI–Asia since 2005. Since then, the Department of Computer Engineering and the College of Engineering have been offering graduate courses and special lectures from Keio University–Japan, Asian Institute of Technology–Thailand, UNESCO–Jakarta and Nokia Research Institute–California, to graduate students in the College of Engineering via satellite.

In the Philippines, the School on the Internet–Asia has only two partners, namely USC–College of Engineering through the Department of Computer Engineering and the Department of Science and Technology–Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST–ASTI).

Author: Engr. Rosana J. Ferolin
06 / June / 2007