November 22, 1996
APEC unveils Internet-based “Education Network,” and launches its inaugural project
MANILA –. U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Philippine Foreign Minister Domingo Siazon today announced both the creation of the APEC Education Network, an Internet based network linking all 18 APEC economies, and the launch of its first collaborative scientific project on integrated coastal management.
This inaugural electronic ‘collaboratory’ based research project marks the first step toward building the Trans-Pacific Internet University, a ‘virtual campus’ accessible by computer from anywhere in the APEC region.
A multimedia demonstration of this first phase of the Trans- Pacific Internet University was presented by the APEC Study Center at the University of Washington. It included a fly-through of the Virtual Campus demonstrating the varied functions and capabilities of the APEC Education Network, combined with a live interactive video- conference involving students in four member’s universities from across the entire region: Mindanao State University (Philippines), University of Chile, three Korean universities (Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University), and the University of Washington. Student representatives spoke with ministers about how they will use the Education Network to share their expertise, pool information and develop findings that can benefit the region. The APEC Education Network is an Internet-based interactive network linking scholars, students, scientists, business leaders and policy makers. Its primary purpose is to facilitate research, collaboration and educational exchange regarding the critical economic, political, health care, resource management and scientific policy issues in the world’s most rapidly developing region.
The network builds on the International Consortium of APEC Study Centers. It is sited at, and hosted by, the University of Washington, which provided start-up resources and conceived, designed and built the requisite technological infrastructure. The University will continue to work with technology partners in universities, government, and the private sector across the APEC membership to continuously enhance and extend its capabilities.
The vision for so linking the enormous pool of talent that has been the foundation of the economic renaissance of the Pacific Rim lies in several major actions by APEC: President Bill Clinton’s APEC Leaders Education Initiative (Seattle, 1993) which led to the creation of APEC Study Centers; Secretary Christopher’s APEC Education Telecommunications Initiative (Jakarta, 1994); and the “People-to- People Relationships” theme forwarded by President Fidel Ramos at the current Manila meeting. The transformation of this vision into the reality of the APEC Education Network was the result of initiatives by the University of Washington, particularly under the leadership of Professor Donald C. Hellmann (Director), his staff in the APEC Study Center and their technical colleagues in both the University of Washington’s division of Computing & Communications and UWTV.
The first scientific project of the Trans-Pacific Internet University will be a study of integrated coastal management, a topic based on an agreement among APEC Environmental Ministers to support policies for the sustainability of the marine environment. Secretary Siazon, on behalf of the 18 ministers, issued a call to APEC Study Centers and other institutions to undertake this project using the APEC Education Network. Sustainable development has been identified as a key theme for Canada’s year as chair of APEC in 1997. This will be among the first of many projects to take place on this APEC network platform.
Further information, including frequently asked questions and instructions for other institutions who wish to participate is available on the world wide web at http://www.apec.org (or send email to comments@apec.org).
