Rural Informatics: Research Opportunities
The Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking (C\CEN)
<http://ccen.uccb.ns.ca> of the University College of Cape Breton
(UCCB) does research, development and enterprise incubation in the use of
Information and Communications Technologies in support of local economic
development, particularly in rural areas.
C\CEN is currently working in the following areas of ICT application:
* Facilitating Community Access to the Internet--telecentres,
telecottages, community access and community networking
* Multimedia, Digitization and Computer Applications
* Entrepreneurship and Business
* Community Enterprise Networks
* International / Third World Internet Development
* Virtual Management
* Youth and Education Programming
* On-line Technical Support and Conferencing
* First Nations Internet Access
* Community Based Health and Wellness On-line
* Environmental Awareness
* Culture and Heritage
* Music and Arts On-line
* Electronic (on-line) Democracy
C\CEN's own research resources are currently fully engaged and as UCCB has
no graduate research programs we would like to offer our work as a
possible venue for collaborative or self-funded graduate research;
post-doctoral or sabbatical study; or as a beta-test site for appropriate
hardware, software or innovative rural informatics applications.
C\CEN could make available limited on-site research and technical support
and office accommodation, access to our current activities and programs as
research venues, Internet access, and the stimulation of an extremely
vibrant and creative group of researchers and program development and
technical support staff.
In selected cases, (joint) supervision of external Master's or Doctoral
programs could be provided by qualified C\CEN staff with degrees in
Sociology (Ph.D., U. of Cambridge); Psychology (Ph.D., U. of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign); and History (Ph.D., Dalhousie U.). In addition, C\CEN
currently has ongoing active institutional links with the United Nations
Development Program; universities in the United Kingdom, South Africa and
Malaysia; technology and development oriented NGO's; and Community Access
sites and Community Networks throughout Canada, the UK, and the USA.
Very limited funds might be available for selected research activities as
appropriate to the development of on-going C\CEN activities.
C\CEN is located in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. While
Sydney itself bears the marks of its origins as a support community for
heavy industry (now virtually defunct), the Island is widely acknowledged
as being among the most beautiful locations in the world and has the
additional advantage of being the site of an extremely vibrant music
(Celtic and other) and cultural tradition and as an incubator of social
innovation . Housing and overall living costs are among the lowest in
North America.
Indications of interest or proposals including an indication of the
proposee's anticipated contribution to C\CEN's on-going activities or
of possible mutually advantageous research collaborations can be sent to:
Michael Gurstein, Ph.D.
ECBC/NSERC/SSHRC Associate Chair in the Management of Technological Change
Director: Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking
University College of Cape Breton, PO Box 5300, Sydney, NS, CANADA B1P 6L2
Tel. 902-562-1055 (h) 902-563-1369 (o) 902-562-0119 (fax)
[log in to unmask] http://ccen.uccb.ns.ca
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