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NASA, U.S. Embassy and Cisco Join Forces to Bring NASA's Digital Learning Network Programme to Qatar
Published Jun 12, 2013
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Cisco, NASA, and the U.S. Embassy in Qatar have joined forces to deliver Qatar's inaugural NASA Digital Learning Network (DLN) programme, a distant learning initiative designed to offer students and educators the opportunity to connect with NASA scientists, engineers and researchers, virtually, without leaving the classroom.
Utilizing the power of Cisco TelePresence technology, students, teachers and parents from the Al Yarmouk Independent School for Boys and the Al Aqsa Independent School for Girls have participated in three NASA Digital Learning Network events. The events took place on February 18th and April 11th and May 23rd 2013.
"The U.S. Embassy, Cisco, and the Al Yarmouk and Al Aqsa schools have worked closely together to realize a remarkable joint project that will spark the imaginations of Qatar's next generation of leaders in the sciences," Susan L. Ziadeh, U.S. Ambassador to Qatar said.
"We look forward to identifying further opportunities to partner with Qatari educational institutions and the American business community to promote Qatari innovation in the STEM fields," she added.
Cisco's TelePresence solution offers a video experience so intuitive, life-like and natural that it feels as if people are in the same room even when they were many kilometers apart. What started out as a way to save travel costs and optimize employee time at large companies has evolved into a way of accelerating time to market, expanding access to experts, and transforming how companies do business and how education programmes can be delivered.
NASA's Digital Learning Network, which began in 2003 with three sites, has since expanded to include all 10 NASA field centers. The DLN has reached close to 1 million students and teachers with videoconferences and webcasts that feature NASA-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction. With standards-based IP videoconference systems and high-speed Internet connectivity, participants can take advantage of free interactive lessons and professional development events through distance learning technologies.
Over the last three months, the Qatar based students and teachers have attended live video conferencing events at Cisco's Doha headquarters. NASA experts based in the U.S. chatted with the students in real-time about the 'Mars Curiosity Rover Mission', the Solar System and Solar Energy. The NASA experts also engaged the students in hands-on activities which included a simulation of how NASA scientists communicate with the Mars rover. The programme has been an enormous success given Qatar's interest and investment in STEM education.
"It has only been a couple of years since we deployed the Cisco TelePresence solution in our offices Qatar and yet what we are achieving with this technology is already helping to make a difference to the lives of so many. We are not only helping to extend the reach of technology to even the most underprivileged communities, we are also using the benefits of this collaborative solution to facilitate learning experiences that will help contribute to shaping the next generation of leadership in the Gulf region," commented Tarek Ghoul, General Manager, Cisco Gulf, Levant and Pakistan.
Posted by
VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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