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 Eminent
computer scientist Dr Sugata Mitra has been selected as a Fellow
of the World Technology Network. This announcement was made at the
recently concluded World Technology Summit, in San Francisco, US.
WTN fellowships are awarded to honour individuals from technology-related
sectors selected by their peers for their innovative work that is
likely to have long-term significance. Award categories range from
biotechnology, space and energy to ethics, design and entertainment.
Congratulating Mitra on this achievement,
James P Clark, founder and chairman of the World Technology Network
said, “Dr Mitra’s contribution in the field of education
has been outstanding, and his selection as a WTN Fellow is public
acknowledgement of that fact.”
Expressing his happiness, Dr Sugata Mitra
said, “It gives me great pleasure to be a Fellow of this prestigious
body. This honour will further strengthen NIIT’s commitment
to the cause of global computer literacy and our endeavour to bridge
the digital divide.”
A long time teacher and head of NIIT’s
Centre for Research in Cognitive Systems, Dr Mitra has over 25 inventions
and first-time applications, in the areas of cognitive science,
information science and educational technology, to his credit. Known
all over the world for his ‘Hole-in-the-wall’ experiment
that provides Internet access and uses minimally invasive methodology
to teach computers to young children, Dr Mitra was recently awarded
the ‘Man for Peace Award’ from US-based Together for Peace
Foundation.
“The World Technology Awards programme
was created to recognise truly extraordinary innovation on a global
scale, the sort of work that could be described as creating our
collective future and changing our world,”' Clark added.
This year’s Fellows for the World
Technology Network were identified through an intensive, global
process in which current WTN members, comprising of winners and
finalists of previous year’s awards, nominated and then voted
their preferences of most innovative and impactful people from their
fields.
The awards were presented by World Technology
Network in association with Nasdaq, Accenture, Microsoft, Genencor
International, Dupont Textiles and Interiors, and magazines like
Time, Technology Review, Science and Business 2.0.
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