The crisis in Haiti

What can you do to help? Students around the world respond.

On Friday, February 19, 2010, Florida International University (FIU) students and educators will participate in a ground-breaking three-hour virtual event called “The Crisis in Haiti: What Can YOU Do to Help?” This unique live program features presentations from students around the world via high-speed videoconference, along with scientists and agency representatives from federal and non-profit organizations worldwide all focused on what can still be done to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

“The Crisis in Haiti: What Can YOU Do to Help?” project is made available through MAGPI (the Mid-Atlantic Gigapop in Philadelphia for Internet2) with support from The World Food Program, National Youth Leadership Council, Oxfam America, Philadelphia Global Water Initiative, Global Nomads, The Exploratorium Science Center, Multicultural Youth Exchange, Florida International University in conjunction with the Center for Internet Augmented Research and Assessment (CIARA)—a unit of FIU’s Division of Information Technology, University of Porto, the University of Pennsylvania, and Tandberg. The live student presentations range in format from musical presentations including 1^st grade students in Ponder, Texas singing “Put A Little Love in Your Heart” to student-created digital projects such as the “Sending Love from Taiwan” video created by high school students at National Dali High School in Dali City, Taiwan. Additional student presentations will be given by primary and secondary schools from all corners of the world including Texas, Minnesota, Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Portugal, and Taiwan.

In addition to the student presentations, the schedule includes presentations from agency representatives and researchers from global and local organizations including:  The Word Food Program on their response to the crisis in Haiti; scientists from the Exploratorium Science Center in San Francisco, California who will be explaining “The Big Picture” on the geology of Haiti that contributed to the catastrophic event; Oxfam representatives on their efforts to rebuild; representatives from Global Nomads will be announcing their new $500,000 challenge grant for students to help rebuild schools in Haiti; a local scientist from the Philadelphia Global Water Initiative on the water and sanitation challenges; a presentation on Health Issues in Haiti by Florida International University; and The Center for High-Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania offering smart philanthropic ways to help Haiti’s earthquake victims. 

The Feb. 19th “The Crisis in Haiti: What Can YOU Do to Help?” event will also be viewable by the public at large through a live webstream available on the event webpage at http://www.magpi.net/Community/Programs/Crisis-Haiti-What-Can-YOU-Do-Help. Schools and library organizations are also encouraged to broadcast the live webstream in public areas within their communities to further stimulate awareness. Schools and individuals are also invited to communicate via social networking platforms, facilitating interaction between students worldwide in a global youth response to this crisis.

Additional information about this groundbreaking event including details on all the scheduled performances and presentations are available on the website at http://www.magpi.net/Community/Programs/Crisis-Haiti-What-Can-YOU-Do-Help.

Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida has been uniquely selected to participate in this exciting event. Area students, educators, parents, and interested community members are invited to attend. Marilys G. Randolph, Associate Professor, Physical Therapy, at FIU, will present at 11:00 AM EST, on Rehabilitation Issues in Haiti.
Dr. Randolph, a native of Haiti and physical therapy professor, is former director of physical therapy at Hampton University and Howard University. Randolph will discuss the devastating potential for increased disability and the limited rehabilitation clinics available for the Haitian population.

Technical services and facilitation of “The Crisis in Haiti: What Can You Do to Help?” project in Miami, FL are provided through Florida International University’s Center for Internet Augmented Research and Assessment.

About MAGPI
MAGPI, The University of Pennsylvania’s Internet2 hub, provides regional and Internet2 connectivity to its member institutions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. MAGPI is committed to promoting advanced applications, collaborations, and services for the K20 research and education community through high performance networking technology. For more information about MAGPI, visit http://www.magpi.net

About Florida International University
Florida International University is one of Florida’s State University System institutions and the premier public research university in the South Florida metropolitan area, the country’s fourth largest. The university is located in Miami-Dade County with campuses in West and North Miami. The university with its large and diverse student body is the largest Hispanic minority serving institution in the continental U.S. and is ranked first in awarding STEM degrees to underrepresented minorities. The university was founded in 1972 with only 5,667 students. In the four short decades since the university has grown phenomenally and now boasts a total enrollment of more than 39,000 students; 60 percent of which are of Hispanic descent. With an increasing emphasis on graduate research, the university has the Carnegie Foundation’s highest ranking and in 2008, received over $100 million in external contracts and grants. http://www.fiu.edu

About CIARA
Advancing research and education through information communication technology Researchers at Florida International University (FIU) and their colleagues around the world are searching for answers to some of science’s most important questions. They want to know how gravity works and how light interacts with sound in photonic crystal fibers; they want to advance meteorological forecasting and protein pattern discovery methods; and they are working to improve pharmaceuticals and the storage of biodiversity data. But finding solutions to these problems is no easy task. Each of them requires substantial computing capabilities, especially since the collaborators are spread around the world. 

The FIU-based CIARA (Center for Internet Augmented Research and Assessment) was created in 2003 to serve as a bridge linking these researchers with the infrastructure and knowledge they need to perform their work. CIARA hopes that by acting as a catalyst for Internet innovation and by securing external funding that contributes to the pace of research and the quality of education at FIU, they can help to create a new generation of scientists and engineers who are capable of integrating advanced Information Communication Technology (ICT) into their educational, professional, and creative endeavors. CIARA is particularly interested in providing opportunities to minority students and faculty members. As a result, they concentrate much of their efforts in strengthening ties between the U.S. and Latin America.