ISTEC ANNOUNCES NEW MEXICO IT CHALLENGE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE FORUM

October 31, 2003

ISTEC ANNOUNCES NEW MEXICO IT CHALLENGE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE FORUM

(Bridging the Digital Divide in New Mexico and Building Partnerships for Sustainable Community Development and Empowerment focus of forum)

ISTEC, a non-profit organization at the University of New Mexico comprised of educational, research, industrial and mutilateral orgainzations throughout the Americas and Iberian, will host a forum, “ICT Challenge for Social Change,” Nov. 6-7, 2003 at the UNM Student Union Building Ballroom.

The IT Challenge will launch a statewide strategy for generating and supporting collaborative activities among New Mexico organizations to promote community and rural development through the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT).

“The action-oriented approach of the IT Challenge will create synergy needed to make New Mexico a leader in innovative technology applications,” said Jorge Garcia, ISTEC program manager. “With the help of our community leaders, ICT can significantly improve economic development and quality of life within New Mexico.”

The forum will challenge institutions renowned for technological sophistication to engage in community capacity-building initiatives for the transfer of technology and its related skills to under-served communities. The specific objectives of this ISTEC IT Challenge include outlining how IT can:

· Improve Natural Resource Management
· Enhance Community-Based Planning
· Broaden Micro-enterprise Development
· Improve Education and Community Access to Information

Representatives from a variety of key New Mexico organizations are planning to attend this event to help their communities appropriate the benefits of IT for their own social, economic, and cultural development says Garcia.

Contact ISTEC for more information on this event or visit www.istec.org.

About ISTEC...
ISTEC is a non-profit organization comprised of educational, research, industrial, and multilateral organizations throughout the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula. The Consortium has been established to foster scientific, engineering, and technology education, joint international research and development efforts among its members, and to provide a cost-effective vehicle for the application and transfer of technology.

ISTEC membership currently includes approximately 100 educational institutions and more than 30 industrial/institutional members in 25 countries. For more information, contact Jorge Garcia at jgarcia@istec.org or phone 505-277-2985, FAX 505-277-2986. Detailed information on ISTEC is available at www.istec.org.

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