Could an online networking tool shape developing world scientists' research?

Africa Rural Connect, an online networking tool for sustainable development projects launched by the National Peace Corps Association in July, is opening the dialogue between African groups and individuals with improvement ideas and those who could help initiate the projects.

Supported by a nine-month grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ARC welcomes site visitors to vote on proposals and offer suggestions to improve or enhance submitted ideas. The organization also awards small grants of up to $3,000 each month to the three most innovative, promising entries. At the end of 2009, one winner will be awarded $20,000 to kickstart their project.

But in my opinion, the program's success might also be its downfall. Inundated with entries, the site is difficult to navigate. Beyond the project's four broad topics (agribusiness, communication, post-harvest loss, and water resources), there is no way to do advanced searches using keywords. Entries do have tag words, but as far as I can tell, these are nondescript and random.

These omissions also make it difficult to recognize if two projects are similar and could possibly be combined for a more large scale effort. For a program that hopes to foster "global collaboration," these oversights could potentially hamper the project's impact.

But overall, by getting a sense of what issues African rural communities think need to be addressed, the project could potentially help scientists and organizations shape the direction of their research and sustainable development efforts. Do you agree?

-Katherine Bagley, Editorial Intern

See an interesting article also
ATOMIC CONCEPT OF QURAN VS SCIENTIST'S ATOMOS

http://oqasa.org/YEA/Archieve%201/YEA020.htm