MIT and three African Universities have set up a partnership called the iLab Project which will enable students from Africa to access five MIT labs via the Internet.
Students from Makerere University, University of Dar Es Salaam and Obafemi Awolowo University will be able to perform sophisticated engineering and science experiments at MIT without ever getting on a plane.
Professor
L.O. Kehinde, coordinator of the iLab project at Obafemi Awolowo
University said, "With the dearth of funds for the purchase of
equipment for experimentation, the iLab project is an important
intervention for African universities. Not only will it afford better
access by more students to relevant experiments, it certainly will also
result in human and infrastructural development in partner African
universities."
The project also
includes a "cultural" exchange element where 6 students from MIT will
go to the African universities and the each African university will
send two students or staff members to MIT. Each visit will last about
two months.
