Science and Technology: USAID donates computers to Macedonian schools

28/04/2008

As part of an effort to boost education and use of classroom technology, nine Macedonian primary schools received computers and software. Also in science and technology this week: cancer cases are on the rise in Albania, and Bucharest ranks as the most polluted city in the EU.

Nine primary schools in Macedonia received portable computers with software from USAID. [Getty Images]

USAID donated 130 top-of-the-line portable computers, accessories and software to nine pilot primary schools in Macedonia on Thursday (April 24th). Designed for classroom use, the cable-free Earthwalk laptops feature waterproof keyboard protectors, wireless internet and remote long-life batteries. The donation is part of USAID's project to boost students' technical knowledge and improve the quality of education in Macedonia.

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Albania's telecom company, Albtelecom, signed a 100m-euro loan to upgrade its technology resources and increase capacity. The company, which holds a 10% market share, said that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will lend 75m euros, while the rest will come from the Black Sea Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

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An estimated 4,000 people receive diagnoses of tumour-related diseases every year in Albania, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday (April 24th). According to the WHO, the main causes of high cancer incidence include alcohol and tobacco consumption, diet and lifestyle. WHO is concerned with the rising incidence of cancer among youth in Albania.

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A robot designed and operated by students at the Business and Technology University in Pristina will represent Kosovo in the June European Football Robotics Championships EUROBY 2008 in Austria. The organisers of EUROBY 2008 are the Federation of International Robot-Soccer Association and the Vienna University of Technology's Institute of Handling Devices and Robotics.

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Romania's capital, Bucharest, leads the latest EU list of the most polluted cities in the Union, followed by Sofia, Athens and Rome, Adrian Catrina, executive director of the Bucharest Environment Protection Agency, said on Thursday (April 24th). Currently, eight fixed monitoring stations register potential pollution in Bucharest, while data are available on three signboards mounted in the city's most crowded areas.

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Montenegro's 650,000 citizens make for 1.11 million cell phone users, Montenegro's State Telecommunications Agency reported on April 19th. The number of mobile telephone users rose by 68% compared to March of last year, according to the agency.

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Six Romanian students won NASA's 2008 Space Settlement Design Contest grand prize with their research project on Sunday (April 27th). The team competed against 156 projects fielded by 840 students from 11 countries and ten US states.

(Various sources – 21/04/08 - 28/04/08)