Colloquium in Benin, Africa
Sight from Cotonou

Colloquium in Benin, Africa

January 19 week, 2004

Mathematics, Science and Society

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. - R. W. Emerson.
A woman of Benin

We have held a week-long colloquium in Porto-Novo, Benin.
The latest draft of our schedule for your perusal, as a word document. Some abstracts we have accumulated from some of our presenters in pdf format. This will turn out to be our Proceedings.
For the moment a PowerPoint presentation by Peter Lor on Intellectual property, and a paper (word doc) by Sandy Turner on teaching with technology will be here shortly.
We have met at Ecole Normale Superieure with a few internet demonstrations at the IMSP.
Am glad you could join us!
You may contact
Dr. Netiva Caftori or Joel Toyigbi Hounsou, or call 229- 28.01.57 (my mobile) or 229-22-02-04 (my home phone).

Suggested topics were:

  • -Information assurance (computer security) with an international spin on it.
  • -The information economy, the digital divide, and North-South relationships in respect of information, with special emphasis on South-North information flows. Events like the WSIS and the North-South power relationships in the information arena.
  • -International business, Global knowledge measurement, Total quality management,entrepreneurship, international trade and export.
  • -South Africa's nuclear non-proliferation policies, and issues surrounding the Pelindaba Treaty, nuclear weapons and NEPAD.
  • -Children's understanding of mathematical concepts.
  • -Differences between the creative process of scientists and artists-- using Piaget's theory.
  • -Protection of Civil Liberties in light of technologies such as the Internet, Internet Crime (all aspects of this: investigating, prosecuting, the types of crimes like child porn, fraud ...).
  • -navigation, usability, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge management. The technologies behind dynamic web sites, the construction of knowledge (not meant in the philosophical sense here) and how/where it reposes in master form so as to permit and enable re-use.
  • -Naturalistic research methods; especially Grounded Theory, and reflective writing (and of course thinking).
  • -"Information and Communications Technologies(ICTs) for Develompment: putting words into Action"
  • -Simulation of Wireless Digital Communications Systems. M
  • -The music of Sub-Sahara Africa and/or comparison with Western European music using recorded examples of music. We would sing, dance, etc. - perhaps see excerpts of a video or two.
  • -"Paradigm Shifting" - In terms of Social and Management Aspects of living in a world full of shifting paradigms.
  • -Digital authentication, authorization and auditing with applications to e-government.
  • -ICT for Development in Africa: the role of Open Source.
  • -The media dynamics of the African Information Society.
  • -African American scientists/inventors and American society.
  • -A comparative study of developing countries (maybe Ghana, Togo, Benin) and the impact of IT on the economy.
  • -Educational technology and digital divide public policy with focus on international digital divide policy.
  • -Society, Globalization, International Business, TQM.
  • -Automated Essay Grading (AEG) research.
  • -Civil liberties and the problems of secrecy.
  • -The delivery of public goods under democratic and authoritarian regimes in Nigeria.
  • -The House Government Reform and Oversight Committee's investigation into the Bush Administration's "abuse of science" for "ideological" purposes.
  • -Post-Cold War academic inquiry.

    • A woman with a triplet

    Snail mail

    If you'd like to send me a snail-mail letter please send it via

    The diplomatic pouch address:
    c/o Public Affairs Officer
    Dept of State
    2120 Cotonou Pl.
    Washington, D.C. 20521 2120     		                   

       
    or send faster international mail to:
    Centre culturel americain
    01 B.P. 2012
    Cotonou, Benin

    		       
    or contact me at the institut:
    IMSP
    B.P. 613
    Porto Novo, Benin

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    Something about language

    Today Africa is home to more than 50 countries, some 1000 languages, and a rich mosaic of stories, drumbeats, and landscapes. The English language has borrowed words from many of those languages: trek, aardvark, impala, gnu, okra to name a few.

    See my lexicon

    Last updated 3/16/04

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