Empowering the Youth in Iran:

The Science and Arts Foundationwww.science-arts.org

Abbas Edalat

Imperial College, London

September, 2000

Overview

• The Contribution of Iranians to the Foundation of the Computer Revolution.

• Achievements of Iranian School Children and Students on the International Level.

• 16 Months of SAF Projects.• A Program to Empower the Iranian Youth.

Overview

• The Contribution of Iranians to the Foundation of the Computer Revolution.

• Achievements of Iranian School Children and Students on the International Level.

• 16 Months of SAF Projects.• A Program to Empower the Iranian Youth.

Foundation of our computer revolution:

The Decimal System

• Imagine computing in the Roman system CCXXXII times XLVIII, i.e. 232 48.

• Zero was invented by Indian mathematicians, who were inspired by the Babylonian and the Chinese number systems, particularly as used in abacuses.

2 40 3000 3042

The Discovery of Decimal Fractions

• They discovered the rules for basic arithmetic operations that we now learn in school.

• Persians and Arabs invented the representation of decimal fractions that we use today: 042.75 3

The Long Journey

Brahmagupta, 598 ADSridhara, 850 AD

Adelard 1080 AD

House of Wisdom9thc. AD

Khwarizmi780 AD

Kashani1380 AD

Khwarizmi (780 – 850)• The greatest mathematician of middle

ages.• Settled in the House of Wisdom

(Baghdad).• Wrote three seminal books:

– Hindu Arithmetic– Al-jabr va Al-moghabeleh– Astronomical Tables

• The established words:“Algorithm” from “Al-Khwarizmi”and “Algebra” from “Al-jabr”testify to his fundamental contribution to human thought.

The Long Journey

Brahmagupta, 598 ADSridhara, 850 AD

Adelard 1080 AD

House of Wisdom9thc. AD

Khwarizmi780 AD

Kashani1380 AD

Adelard of Bath (1080 – 1160)• First English Scientist.• Translated from Arabic to

Latin Khwarizmi’s Astronomical Tables with their use of zero.

• After a long rivalry between Algorists and abacists, the decimal system replaced the abacus.

The Long Journey

Brahmagupta, 598 ADSridhara, 850 AD

Adelard 1080 AD

House of Wisdom9thc. AD

Khwarizmi780 AD

Kashani1380 AD

Kashani (1380 – 1429)• Completed the development of

arithmetic algorithms for fractions.

2 793 589 653 592 141.3• Computed up to 16 decimal

places:

•Kashani invented the first mechanical special purpose computers:

–to find when the planets are closest,–to calculate longitudes of planets,–to predict prayer times, lunar eclipses.

Kashani’s Zarghaleh

Mechanical Computers in Europe:Two Centuries after Kashani

Leibniz(1646 –1716)

Pascal(1632 – 1662)

Napier(1550-1617)

Oughtred(1575 – 1660)

Babbage(1792 – 1871)

The Information Revolution• Computers and the Internet are radically changing

our life on this planet.• The impact of this revolution is deeper and more

extensive than any previous technological invention.• It will totally tranform the education system in the

US in the next 5-10 years. (Business Week, 25 Sep, 2000)

A Historic Turning Point• History has imposed a reversal of fortune:

Nations who developed the foundation of our present computer revolution in the very dark ages of Europe, later experienced a much stifled development.

• For the first time in history, we have a truly empowering tool, which can bridge the gap between the developing and developed world.

• World Economic Forum, Dec 99: Left by itself, the Internet will sharpen the digital divide.

• The Internet can be a global equaliser if, but only if, we make it available free and effectively to the youth of the developing countries.

Overview

• The Contribution of Iranians to the Foundation of the Computer Revolution.

• Achievements of Iranian School Children and Students on the International Level

• 16 Months of SAF Projects.• A Program to Empower the Iranian Youth.

Iranian University Students in International Robotics Competition• Robocup 1999 • Eurocup 2000

• Mathematics: top 10 since 93, first in 98, 18 gold medals

Achievements of Iranian School Students in International Science

Olympiads

• Chemistry: first in 95 and 96, 9 gold medals

• Physics: top 5 since 95, second in 99, 10 gold medals

• Informatics: top 10 since 95, 2 gold medals

Overview

• The Contribution of Iranians to the Foundation of the Computer Revolution.

• Achievements of Iranian School Children and Students on the International Level.

• 16 Months of SAF Projects.• A Program to Empower the Iranian Youth.

Empowering the Youth in Iran

• Science and Arts Foundation was launched in March 1999 at Imperial College, London:• To provide Computer/Internet Sites for school children and university students, support libraries• Using two strategic resources: (1) Universities in Iran (2) Expatriates abroad

Roshd High School, Naazi-Abad

• Five Olympiad medals• Over 90% acceptance in university entrance• 20% of former graduates aid in teaching

SAF’s First Project: Roshd • First school computer site in Iran, May 99• 15 Pentium 233 PC’s including two servers• Dial-up Internet connection via Sharif

University

• 21 school computer sites, 10 boys, 11 girls: 10 in Tehran (8 in deprived areas) 3 in Shahr-e Ray

2 in Gaz-e Borkhar, Isfahan 1 in Rasht

2 in Varamin 1 in Shiraz 2 in Islam Shahr• Sharafat teachers’ training college• Raad School for the Disabled• Children’s Book Council• University of Tehran Medical School• Tehran School Information Centre

Completed Computer/Internet Sitesin May 1999-September 2000

GhamsarGhamsar

School Information Centre http://www.schoolnet.sharif.ac.ir

Was set up in Oct. 99 at Sharif University:• It provides Internet access to schools.• It trains teachers in Information Technology

and the Internet.• It produces and downloads educational

websites for the use of school children in Iran.• It organizes: (1) homepages for schools, (2) discussion bulletin boards for schools, (3) Internet based collaborative projects

between schools in and outside Iran.

First Iranian School Joins I*EARNwww.iearn.org

• International Education & Resource Network• I*EARN organises school collaborative projects in 88 countries.• It enables children across the world to use the Internet interactively as a means of education and communiction.• Hedayat School (Abu-Zar Square, Tehran) joined I*EARN in August 2000.• A team of Iranian teachers will participate in I*EARN conference in Cairo in November 2000.

IT and Internet Seminars• For Tehran model state schools, held in

Roshd High School, May 2000.

• For all Tehran teachers’ training colleges, held in Sharafat College, May 2000.

Overview

• The Contribution of Iranians to the Foundation of the Computer Revolution.

• Achievements of Iranian School Children and Students on the International Level.

• 16 Months of SAF Projects.• A Program to Empower the Iranian Youth.

A Program to Empower the Youth• 20 School Information Centres in 20 major

regions in Iran.• 200 School Computer Sites with leased line

Internet connection to the 20 School Information Centres.

• Each School Information Centre in a major region supporting (an average of) ten schools.

• Two University Students Internet Clubs in each of the 20 major regions.

• The project to be carried out in 10 phases. In each phase:

2 School Information Centres + 20 School Computer sites + 4 University Internet Clubs

GhamsGhamsarar

A Standard School Computer Site • 10 Pentium II 333 Celeron (or higher) PC’s with 10.2 GB

hard drive, 32 MB RAM, 15 inch monitor = $8,236• One Pentium III 500 server with 17 GB hard drive, 128

MB RAM, 15 inch monitor = $1,295• Four multimedia (50X CD drive), including CD, speaker,

and sound card = $400• Hubs and wiring equipments = $470• Printer, HP 1100 with HP tuner = $530• Tables and chairs = $776• Telephone and Modem = $270• Man power for installation = $412

• Total = 105,300,000 Rials• Total = $12,389

A Standard School Information Centre • One Server = $1,191• 2 workstations = $1,647• 10 telephone lines = $1,765• 10 modems = $1,177• Internet access for 1 year = $11,765• Man power for 1 year = $7,059

• Total = 209,000,000 Rials• Total = $24,604

For each region: One School Information Centre +

Ten School Computer Sites + 2 University Internet Clubs

School Information Centre

school

school

school

school

school

school school

school

school

school

$24,604 + 12x $12,389 = $173,272 Annual Labour Cost = 12 x $600 Total for One Region = $180,472 Total for Two Regions = $360,944 (Budget required for each phase)Total for Twenty Regions = $3,609,440 (Total Budget required)

UniversityInternet Club

University Internet Club

• Internet Bus $42,800 • Computer/Internet Sites for Foster

Houses, between $4,100 and $12,389• Internet based education programmes

to prevent drug addiction• Educational Websites• Internet Camps• Research Centre for IT in Education

Other Projects

A Historic Opportunity for Change• The youth in Iran have shown their potential

for outstanding achievements.• They can be empowered by IT & Internet.• The expatriate Iranian community can play a

historic role to accomplish this ideal.• SAF’s one year campaign has shown that, by

acting now, this mission is within our reach.• SAF needs your support to make a change.

Help the Iranian youth to stand on their own feet and take the future in their own hands.

THE END

Agreement documentThe attached set of computer equipments is donated to the Roshd High School under the following conditions :

1. The Roshd school is responsible for safeguarding this set which will only be used within the school premises for the education of the children.

2. The Roshd school will devise an educational program for promoting information technology and science. For this, it will create information sites in astronomy, physics, mathematics, chemistry and other subjects as much as possible.

3. With a view to provide opportunities for extra-curriculum education, the Roshd school will organize teachers training courses in information technology.

4. The Roshd school will also give service to students in the region 16 of Tehran as much as it can.

5. Inspectors of the Science and Arts Foundation on behalf of the donor will be able to investigate the implementation of this agreement and produce the relevant reports.

6. The donor will withdraw its donation if any clause of this agreement is violated.