Rural Informatics: Research Opportunities The Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking (C\CEN) <http://ccen.uccb.ns.ca> of the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) does research, development and enterprise incubation in the use of Information and Communications Technologies in support of local economic development, particularly in rural areas. C\CEN is currently working in the following areas of ICT application: * Facilitating Community Access to the Internet--telecentres, telecottages, community access and community networking * Multimedia, Digitization and Computer Applications * Entrepreneurship and Business * Community Enterprise Networks * International / Third World Internet Development * Virtual Management * Youth and Education Programming * On-line Technical Support and Conferencing * First Nations Internet Access * Community Based Health and Wellness On-line * Environmental Awareness * Culture and Heritage * Music and Arts On-line * Electronic (on-line) Democracy C\CEN's own research resources are currently fully engaged and as UCCB has no graduate research programs we would like to offer our work as a possible venue for collaborative or self-funded graduate research; post-doctoral or sabbatical study; or as a beta-test site for appropriate hardware, software or innovative rural informatics applications. C\CEN could make available limited on-site research and technical support and office accommodation, access to our current activities and programs as research venues, Internet access, and the stimulation of an extremely vibrant and creative group of researchers and program development and technical support staff. In selected cases, (joint) supervision of external Master's or Doctoral programs could be provided by qualified C\CEN staff with degrees in Sociology (Ph.D., U. of Cambridge); Psychology (Ph.D., U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); and History (Ph.D., Dalhousie U.). In addition, C\CEN currently has ongoing active institutional links with the United Nations Development Program; universities in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Malaysia; technology and development oriented NGO's; and Community Access sites and Community Networks throughout Canada, the UK, and the USA. Very limited funds might be available for selected research activities as appropriate to the development of on-going C\CEN activities. C\CEN is located in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. While Sydney itself bears the marks of its origins as a support community for heavy industry (now virtually defunct), the Island is widely acknowledged as being among the most beautiful locations in the world and has the additional advantage of being the site of an extremely vibrant music (Celtic and other) and cultural tradition and as an incubator of social innovation . Housing and overall living costs are among the lowest in North America. Indications of interest or proposals including an indication of the proposee's anticipated contribution to C\CEN's on-going activities or of possible mutually advantageous research collaborations can be sent to: Michael Gurstein, Ph.D. ECBC/NSERC/SSHRC Associate Chair in the Management of Technological Change Director: Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking University College of Cape Breton, PO Box 5300, Sydney, NS, CANADA B1P 6L2 Tel. 902-562-1055 (h) 902-563-1369 (o) 902-562-0119 (fax) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://ccen.uccb.ns.ca
