INFOTECH WEEKLY, Issue No 390 3

CIT lecturer in line for Internet award

By AMANDA WELLS

CENTRAL Institute of Technology lecturer, Brian Brown, will head to Sweden in June, hoping to pick up an international Internet award.

His "Life Long Learning on the World Wide Web" project has been chosen as a finalist in the Global Bangemann Challenge's Lifelong Learning category.

Mr Brown received an email last week congratulating him on being one of five finalists in the category, and says the Invitation to the Stockholm award ceremony came as "a bit of a shock".

"Life Long Learning on the World Wide Web" provides a set of self-study guides on a variety of computing topics, which aim to assist students in understanding information technology.

"We're absolutely thrilled, be-cause it's recognition of work which has been going on for a long time, work which has benefited thousands of people around the world."

He decided to enter after seeing an article in New Zealand IntoTech Weekly last year on the competition, which was inspired by European Union commissioner Martin Bangemann. The challenge aims to highlight and promote communication technology that benefits citizens and communities.

Projects must be hosted by a city or region, and are evaluated according to their positive impact on people, society, and the environment at large.

Mr Brown and his team have been working on their project, which has also been made into a CD-Rom, for five years. "It's been a long grind to get to where it is now." "There really hasn't been any budget for it - we've basically done it in spare time. It's a hobby that has been done by me, and others, over weekends and over nights."

CIT has provided facilities and paid for traffic on the site, which has recorded up to 25,000 visitors a week. Upper Hutt City has also supported the project.

Mr Brown says CIT will fund the trip to the ceremony, where he will receive an award from the City of Stockholm. Other finalists in the lifelong learning category are from the United States, Britain, and Belgium.

The winners in each category receive a trophy from the King of Sweden, in the presence of Martin Bangemann and international guests. More than 700 entries, including 10 from New Zealand, were received for the 11 categories, with 92 finalists selected by an international jury.

Mr Brown's project is online at www.cit.ac.nz/smac/csware.htm