May 13th 2008
New initiative for exchange of scientific resources, information
Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the festivities surrounding the launch of an exciting new venture, Scientists Without Borders.
The site is a joint undertaking by the New York Academy of Sciences and the United Nations Millennium Project. There are a number of other partners as well.
The idea is to connect scientists, individuals, and organisations to exchange information about knowledge, skills, and resources they are willing to share, as well as projects for which they need help. The information, provided by users, becomes a database that can be searched in many ways, including geographically. A research group in Ghana that has a truck for distributing medicines might make their vehicle available to other groups who need it. But they are also looking for a pharmacist to work with them. Perhaps there’s a way to trade or share resources, or people interested in volunteering their skills can find a match in an organisation that needs them. . . . You get the idea.
It’s a great project, I think. Take a look at the site. I’ll be writing more about it tomorrow.
Faith McLellan
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