Imperial College International Development Conference
Dhanvi Bosamia introduces you to the inaugural event
Imperial Hub will be bringing to you Imperial College’s inaugural International Development Conference (IC IDC) on 23rd February 2013. The conference will bring together leading thinkers in academia, government and global development to consider “The Role of Science and Technology in International Development”.
With Imperial College having some of the brightest young minds in science and engineering, the theme for this IDC at Imperial is the ideal way to introduce the topic of international development.
But why is development so important? In 2008, 1.29 billion people were living below the poverty line (on less than $1.25 per day). You might say it’s not possible for us to make a difference and lift these people out of poverty, but estimates have suggested that the extreme poverty rate between 1990 and 2008 was halved! So it’s not just negative statistics that are hanging about, but instead the positive ones like these are inspirational.
Imagine what a difference the use of science, technology and engineering in developing countries could make; healthcare accessibility could be rapidly improved through the use of mobile technologies, access to education and learning could also be made equally accessible. Engineering applications can bring clean water to rural communities, something which we take for granted on a day to day basis. We only have two years left to reach the UN’s 2015 Millennium Development Goals and progress towards reaching these targets varies country by country. This is where we as young scientists and engineers play an increasingly important role. Over the next decade, we will be the leading figures in the world and we will be the ones who have the chance to make a change and reach the next set of targets, what better place to start than at the IC IDC?
The IDC will bring together speakers from a range of backgrounds together to discuss international development in an inspiring environment. Speakers include Dr Kirsty Newman, from the UK’s Department for International Development and Imperial’s own Professor Alan Fenwick OBE talking on infectious diseases.
Early bird tickets are now on sale at www.imperialidc.org at £6 for students, which includes a day of seminars from leading speakers and your lunch!
IC-IDC will be youropportunity to hear from leading speakers in the realm of international development to see how you can be the one to make a change and a positive global impact.
_More information: _
Visit www.imperialidc.org
Twitter: @ic_idc
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