Georgetown SFSQatar Advances the Research and Education Connectivity Agenda in Amman

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (SFSQ) played a central role in further advancement of knowledge and research in the Middle East as an active participant in the first international platform on integrating Arab e-infrastructure in a Global Environment (e-AGE) conference held in Amman, Jordan recently.

SFSQ chief information officer, Johnathon Chapman spoke on the topic of ‘Enabling Inter-Institution Scientific Research’ at the conference that was organized by the Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN), and which brought together more than 200 high-level delegates from Arab governments, the European Union, UN and academia, who discussed the opportunities and challenges for advanced academic research in the Middle East and North Africa region. Separately, Chapman also led a break-out meeting of the Internet2 Emerging National Research & Education Network (NREN) Special Interest Group, of which he is the regional leader.

In his presentation, SFSQ official explained that research is no longer carried out by individuals or local groups, but is essentially a web of collaborators located anywhere from across the street to the far side of the globe.

“Research investigators are not isolated to advanced universities. Participants can be scientists in a university, faculty in a college, students in schools, or even interested amateurs. Researchers therefore require robust communication networks with global connectivity for the sharing, movement, and processing of large amounts of digital data,” said Chapman.

“In the Arab States regions of the Middle East and North Africa, several countries have dedicated research and education networks, but regional and global connectivity is limited,” added Chapman.

The official went on to encourage the conference attendees to call for more action in joining national research and education networks and facilitating academics’ participation in the global network of researchers. The conference, e-AGE, aims to be the launching pad for research connectivity and cooperation in the Arab States. Internet2 Emerging NREN Special Interest Group meanwhile, works to bring together the international community to address advancing the state of high-performance networking for research and education in under-served places around the world through regional chapters.

In the Internet2 NREN SIG session Chapman led, the meeting included presentations by existing research and education networks in Qatar, the UAE and Jordan, developments in Oman and the telecommunication industry, and research projects in the Middle East.