Birzeit University Participates in Two Regional Workshops on Data and Development
The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) at Birzeit University recently participated in two regional workshops on harnessing the power of data for use in the development of economy, transportation, environment, and telephony.
In the first workshop, held at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, Birzeit University’s team presented an innovative way of using “Internet of things” devices to collect and manage data in the fields of air pollution, databased learning objects, data journalism, and data science. The team also presented training material in data journalism, which the University of Cairo agreed to utilize in its education, and discussed the local impact on transportation and mobile operators.
The team was also part of the 7th annual Access to Knowledge for Development (A2K4D) workshop at the American University in Cairo. The two-day workshop, which included participants from Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, and Palestine, discussed knowledge-sharing from project work, possible areas of cooperation, and open data for development with a focus on health, mobility and gender, environmental data, maker spaces, and development and knowledge societies.
Birzeit University’s team also visited the organization running the Noor Project in Morocco. The team was introduced to the project, its benefits – both economic and environmental – and its technical and legal prospects. The first phase of the project is expected to be switched on by the King of Morocco on Thursday, thereby inaugurating what will be the world’s largest solar power plant.
After the visit, the team presented its multi-faceted work in the areas of learning objects, makerspace, data literacy training material and career development, and discussed future projects with regional and local partners, with another workshop planned in mid-October.
