Feasibility Study of Scientific Communication in Africa and India

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators

Abstract

SES 00-86318 - Wesley Shrum (Louisiana State University) - "Feasibility Study of Scientific Communication in Africa and India" This award supports an effort designed to collect baseline data and to establish the feasibility of a project assessing the role of the Internet for scientific communication in developing areas. The overall objective of the broader project is to determine the actual and potential impact of the web on scientific and technological communication in less developed areas through an examination of the conditions associated with interpersonal networking and information search behavior. Researchers in three areas with different levels of research capacity -- Ghana, Kenya, and India (Kerala) -- in two organizational contexts (academic, governmental) are the focus of the study. Currently, each of these areas is planning to introduce web-based communication capacity within their research systems. The objectives of this SGER project are: (1) to provide a baseline survey of scientific communication immediately before the introduction of the web in the organizations where the larger study will be conducted; (2) to establish the viability of using local research resources to conduct the repeated surveys necessary for the broader project.