News

Thursday 22 February 2007

Education Without Borders 2007 (International student conference, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 25-27)

Ten Nottingham Trent University students – the largest number of winners from any UK university – have achieved a place at a prestigious international student conference in Abu Dhabi. They will fly out to the United Arab Emirates this weekend for Education Without Borders 2007, which aims to create networks across cultures in order to understand and generate solutions for some of the world’s greatest challenges.

The students were selected because of the quality of papers they submitted to the conference organisers. One student, Stuart Easter, produced such an outstanding paper that he has been selected to speak at the conference, which brings together 1,000 students from more than 100 countries. His paper focuses on how eLearning can be used to create wealth in developing countries.

Nottingham Trent University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Neil Gorman, will also attend the conference as a keynote speaker along with other distinguished speakers including 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Professor Muhammad Yunus; Nobel Laureate, Rita Levi-Montalcini; Managing Director of CNN International, Chris Cramer; and founder and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Laboratory, Nicholas Negroponte.

Stuart (21) a Secondary PGCE student, will present his paper – The Convergence of Humanity and Technology: eLearning as a Tool to Create Wealth in Developing Countries – alongside other high-achieving students from major institutions across the globe.

Under the conference section Harnessing Education and Technology to End Poverty, his paper will cover the history of eLearning, its implementation in the developed world and how this can be echoed in the developing world.

Stuart said: “I was elated when told I would be getting the chance to present my paper at the conference. Supporting governments of developing countries in creating the wealth needed to participate in today’s global economy is something I feel very strongly about; I’m really grateful to be able to share my work and opinions with such a distinguished group of students.”

Nottingham Trent University’s International Development Director, Tim O’ Brien, said: “As a university we are very proud that Stuart’s paper has been selected for presentation and that such a large group of our students is attending. This conference will help shape the future of these students and provide them with networking opportunities which will change the way they see the world forever.”

Notes for editors: Education Without Borders engages the world’s most innovative students and leaders of business, technology, education and the humanitarian sector in a collaborative forum that culminates with commitment to action.

It aims to:

• Provide a forum of mutual respect and understanding for participants from six continents.
• Build a network of highly achieving college, business and governmental leaders around the globe.
• Share and discuss solutions to some of the world’s most pressing social challenges.
• Inspire a commitment to social change in each country and community represented by its delegates.
• Ensure that commitments are implemented upon each delegate’s return to their home country.

ENDS

For more information please contact: Dave Rogers, Press Officer, on Tel: 0115 848 8782, or via email: dave.rogers@ntu.ac.uk

or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on Tel: 0115 848 8774, or via email: therese.easom@ntu.ac.uk