Escrito por: Rick Merrit en EE Times
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The U.S. government needs to boost spending
on research and development and K-12 math and science education,
according to Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, sounding a familiar theme in
an opening keynote at the Intel Developer Forum here Tuesday (Aug. 19).
He also announced a set of challenge awards for ideas using technology
to advance education, health care, the environment and economic
development around the world.
Most of the 30 countries he travels to every year recognize the
relationship between good education, R&D and a thriving economy,
Barrett said.
"There is only one country where we don't see this, this country right
here," he said. "R&D is how you move forward the world economic
system, and it really all does begin with education," he added.
Barrett chided U.S. lawmakers for letting the R&D tax credit
lapse. "The government refuses to acknowledge the importance of
investment in R&D as the engine that reinvigorates" the economy,
Barrett said.
In his talk, Barrett gave several examples of how information
technology including can benefit education, health care, the
environment and overall economic development.
One developer showed how he could turn an ordinary wall into an
interactive whiteboard using a Nintendo Wii, a projector and about $50
of electronics. Another talked about Kiva.org, one of many efforts
bring to the Web micro-financing approaches used in developing
countries. Separately, a medical doctor from Columbia demonstrated a
mobile device that could capture and send medical records from a
traveler to his primary care physician.
Making a small contribution to the cause, Barrett announced a
technology challenge for four new $100,000 awards to serve novel
projects in education, health care, the environment and economic
development. The awards will go to implement the best programs
submitted to an Intel Web site and will be awarded at an IDF event in the spring.
"The ideas are out there and there's an immense amount of technology out there that can do good in the world," he said.
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