The Global University System (GUS) [Utsumi, et al, 2003] is a worldwide initiative to create advanced telecommunications infrastructure for access to educational resources across national and cultural boundaries for global peace. GUS aims to create a worldwide consortium of universities to provide the underdeveloped world with access to 21^st Century education via broadband Internet technologies. The aim is to achieve “education and healthcare for all,” anywhere, anytime and at any pace.

      The GUS works in the major regions of the globe with partnerships of higher education and healthcare institutions. Learners in these regions will be able to take their courses from member institutions around the world to receive a GUS degree. These learners and their professors from partner institutions will also form a global forum for exchange of ideas and information and for conducting collaborative research and development with emerging global GRID computer network technology.

      Globally Collaborative Innovation Network (GCIN) with a globally distributed computer simulation system will foster creativity of youngsters around the world. Globally Collaborative Environmental Peace Gaming (GCEPG) project [Utsumi, 2003] will be its powerful demonstration. The GUS will supply game players from around the world.

Keyword: global education, GRID, globally distributed computer simulation, globally collaborative environmental peace gaming and innovation network

1.     Background

      Economic interdependence among nations and cultures is spawning a global economy. Globalisation also highlights clashes of divergent cultures and belief systems, both political and religious. If global peace is ever to be achieved, global-scale education, with the use of the modern digital telecommunications, will be needed to create mutual understanding among nations, cultures, ethnic groups, and religions. The Internet is the future of telecommunications and can be a medium for building peace.

      GUS has a long history of concept development and testing of multiple hardware configurations suitable for remote Internet access. These initial steps are summarized in our recent book, Global Peace Through the Global University System [Varis, et al, 2003]. The purpose of this book is to make internationally known the philosophy, past and present actions, as well as future plans of the GUS, which have resulted from years of development and a seminal working conference at the University of Tampere, Finland, in 1999, with fund from the World Bank, US National Science Foundation and others.

      The editors’ paper in the book, ”Creating Global University System” [Utsumi, et al, 2003] emphasizes the important role of higher educational institutions not only as the knowledge centers of their community for the eradication of poverty and isolation, but also as the gateway to the world for collaboration of creating new knowledge in global knowledge society of the 21^st Century. This paper summarizes GUS accomplishments and shows that GUS is poised to begin implementation of broadband Internet access and academic programs in remote areas of the world.

2.     Global University System

      GUS is a worldwide initiative to create satellite/wireless telecommunications infrastructure and educational programs for access to educational resources across national and cultural boundaries for global peace. GUS aims to build a higher level of humanity with mutual understanding across national and cultural boundaries for global peace. The GUS helps higher educational institutions in remote/rural areas of developing countries to deploy broadband Internet in order for them to close the digital divide. Education and job skills are the keys in determining a nation’s wealth and influence.

      The GUS has task forces working in the major regions of the globe with partnerships of higher education and healthcare institutions. Learners in these regions will be able to take their courses, via advanced broadband Internet, from member institutions around the world to receive a GUS degree. These learners and their professors from participating institutions will form a global forum for exchange of ideas and information and for conducting collaborative research and development with emerging global GRID computer network technology.

2.1            Proposed Infrastructure

      As diagrammed in Figure 1, GUS programs and services will be delivered via regional satellite hubs, typically located at a major university, that connect via high-speed satellite (~ 45 Mbps) to educational resource cites in the E.U., U.S., and Japan. In a sense, the regional satellite hub is to be the major Internet Service Provider (ISP) for not-for-profit organizations in the region and the gateway to the outside world. The major university may also be connected to very high speed broadband Internet, as similar to the optical fiber network at 3 Gbps of the Multimedia Broadband Internet (MBI) of the Ethiopian government.

      Regional hubs link to branch campuses or other regional educational institutions via micro-wave (~ 45 Mbps) over relatively short distances (25-50 miles). Communication from the hub and branch campuses to local sites, over distances up to 10 miles, is to be achieved by spread-spectrum wireless (~ 2-10 Mbps) Internet networks, which do not require licenses in most countries.

      The buildings with a broadband Internet connection will then also become relay points for the low-cost “Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity)” networks at 10 Mbps that are now rapidly appearing in Japan, USA and Europe. This advanced wireless communication with laptop computer will make e-learning possible for anyone, anywhere, and anytime with capabilities of Internet telephony, fax, voice mail, e-mail, Web access, videoconferencing, etc. This is not only to help local community development, but also to assure close cooperation among higher, middle and lower levels of education.

Figure 1

2.2            Current GUS Projects

      The major university will then connect to secondary and elementary schools, libraries, hospitals, local government offices and NGOs, etc., with broadband wireless Internet at drastically discounted rates or free of charge.  GUS projects are now starting in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Malawi in Africa, Cambodia in Asia, etc., and have received inquiries for the same from others, too.

2.3            Organization

      GUS is headquartered at the Global E-learning Center at the University of Tampere in Finland, under the direction of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair, held by Dr. Tapio Varis. Currently, institutions with faculty members who are participating in GUS development projects are numerous in various countries. GUS will serve as an educational broker for universities, thus helping them gain international influence and access to students that they would otherwise not reach. Those institutions affiliated with GUS become members of the GUS/UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair Program.

3.     Future Direction of Engineering Education

      The trends of the 21st Century are; (1) the shift of the technology from analog to digital (e.g., slide rule to digital computer, circuit switching telephony to packet switching digital telecommunication), (2) the globalization of society, commerce, and culture, and (3) the emergence of new knowledge/creative economy out of manufacturing industrial structure.

      The engineering is the realization of innovation, which is the commercial application of invention, which is based on creativity, which is the essence of Knowledge Economy Society of the 21st century. In the age of globalization, creativity ought to be made collaboratively in global scale, which in turn brings the mutual understanding among youngsters, and hence global peace. Attaining global peace ought to be the utmost aim of education rather than mere enhancement of job skills as conventional education do.

      Bearing these, the followings are my humble suggestion to the readers as for the future direction of engineering education, with my engineering career of the past half century as creating Summer Computer Simulation Conference in early 1970s with pioneering works on the analysis of chemical reaction with computer simulation (late 1950s to early 1960s) and on the creation of process control simulation system of petrochemical plant (in late 1960s), and as worked on the extension of ARPANET and its commercial version network to various countries (which were the predecessors of Internet) (in 1970s to early 1980s), and initiated the concept of GRID networking technology (early 1970s), conducting global gaming simulation (mid 1980s) and multipoint-to-multipoint, multimedia, interactive videoconferencing with hybrid technologies as spanning globe (in mid 1980s to present), etc.

      Computer simulation and its successor, virtual reality/virtual laboratories, are always at the forefront of scientific and engineering research and development to create new knowledge. It has successfully replaced hardware-oriented experiments, e.g., design of aircraft, architecture, bridges, chemical plants, automobile crash testing, and even the design of pharmaceutical molecules, etc. With the advent of broadband Internet around the globe (e.g., GLORIAD [Cole, 2005]) and GRID networking technology, such research and development can now be conducted in distributed computer simulation mode in global scale as aggregating creativity of youngsters around the world.

3.1            Creativity and Innovation

3.2            Culture of America (Unique crucible for innovation)

      The culture of America is particularly suited for the creative mind. America is so much more innovative a place than any other country. America allows you to explore your mind. America is the greatest engine of innovation that has ever existed, and it can’t be duplicated anytime soon, because it is the product of a multitude of factors (Friedman, 2004):

·     Extreme freedom of thought,

·     An emphasis on independent thinking,

·     A steady immigration of new minds,

·     A risk-taking culture with no stigma attached to trying and failing,

·     A non-corrupt bureaucracy, and

·     Financial markets and a venture capital system that are unrivaled at taking new ideas and turning them into global products.

      These institutions, which nurture innovation, are the real crown jewels of American culture. The whole process where people get an idea and put together a team, raise the capital, create a product and main-stream it -- that can only be done in the U.S. The U.S. tech workers must keep creating leading edge technologies that make their companies more productive -- especially innovations that spark entirely new markets. This is America’s real edge.

     An innovation economy demands that society be open, dynamic, educated, international, and risk-taking. Given chance, innovation can improve all our lives. Financial risk-taking is the fuel that powers the process of change. Worldwide innovation networks are the new keys to R&D vitality and competitiveness. Such networks – broadband, 24/7, wired and wireless -- in the knowledge economy society of the 21^st century would nurture the “connected community” and build youngsters’ collaborations to provide the kind of leadership the digital age requires; and above all else, begin promoting the process of enhancing, encouraging and fostering creativity and innovation in all its forms -- in the schools, in the workplace and throughout the community (Eger, 2005).

      We are now in the early stages of a new era, “Creative Age,” in which creativity and innovation will be the hallmarks of the most successful communities and vibrant economies. This age will thrive and prosper if the communities have tolerance for dissent, respect for individual enterprise, freedom of expression and recognition that innovation is the driving force for the new knowledge economy, not mass production of low-value goods and services.

      At a time of intense division, with deep political and religious fault lines splitting the world, innovation stands out as a powerful integrative force. It ties countries, companies, and consumers together in creating value, solving problems, and generating wealth (BusinessWeek, 2004).

3.3            GRID Technology

      GRID-based technology enable the sharing, exchange, discovery, and aggregation of resources (processors, storage, scientific devices, information, knowledge, etc.) across geographically distributed sites. Many now consider GRID technology as the next generation Internet, which concept I initiated in 1972 [McLeod, 2000]. It has demonstrated all of the effectiveness in the scientific domains as becoming a de-facto e-Science technology infrastructure. This technology promises to do what the Internet has done with data on the applications. Grid computing extends the scope of distributed computing to encompass large-scale resource sharing, including massive data-storages, high-performance networking and powerful computers, highly expansive equipments (i.e., microscopes, telescopes, 3D Cave), etc. GRID technology defines a new powerful computing paradigm by analogy to the electric Power Grid. Users of the GRID will then be able (a) to use his/her private workplace to invoke any application from a remote system, (b) to use the best suited system for executing their desired particular application, (c) to access data securely and consistently from remote sites, (d) to exploit multiple systems to complete complex tasks in an economical manner, or (e) to use multiple systems to solve large problems that exceed the capacity of a single one. In this vision, the sharing doesn’t mean simply exchange of data or files but rather a concrete access to resources (e.g., computers, software, data, etc.).

      GRID technology has great potential in education, offering a framework that opens new ways of teaching and learning that have not been possible before. E-mail and multimedia World Wide Web of Internet so far contributed significantly to the world society on the dissemination of information. The next phase of the Internet development with global GRID computer networks should be the globally collaborative experiential (the so-called “hands-on”) learning and constructive creation of wisdom with interactive actions on virtual reality simulation models of joint global research and development projects on various subjects. It is said “Knowledge applied with interaction becomes Wisdom.” Globally collaborative experiential learning through broadband Internet, across national, continental and oceanic boundarie would realize such wisdom creation. The principle of the 21^st century education should be inheriting wisdom more than the mere transfer of knowledge.

3.4            Globally Collaborative Environmental Peace Gaming (GCEPG)

      Globally Collaborative Environmental Peace Gaming (GCEPG) [Utsumi, 2003] with a globally distributed computer simulation system, focusing on the issue of environment and sustainable development in developing countries, is to train would-be decision-makers in crisis management, conflict resolution, and negotiation techniques basing on “facts and figures.” The GUS will supply game players, simulationists, tech support from around the world. With global GRID computer networking technology and Beowulf mini-supercomputers of cluster computing technology, we plan to develop a socio-economic-environmental simulation system and a climate simulation system in parallel fashion, both of which are to be interconnected in global scale – see Figure 2.

      The GCEPG with a globally distributed computer simulation system is a computerized gaming/simulation to help decision makers construct a globally distributed decision-support system for positive sum/win-win alternatives to conflict and war. The idea involves interconnecting experts in many countries via global Internet to collaborate in the discovering of new solutions for world crises, such as the deteriorating ecology of our globe, and to explore new alternatives for a world order capable of addressing the problems and opportunities of an interdependent globe. Gaming/simulation is the best tool we have for understanding the world's interwoven problems and the solutions we propose for them. System analysis for systemic change at the global level is a precondition for any significant resolution to today's global-scale problems. The understanding gained with scientific and rational analysis and critical thinking basing on “facts and figures” would be the basis of conflict resolution for world peace, and hence ought to provide the basic principle of global education for peace.

Globally distributed socio-economic-environmental simulation system

Figure 2: Globally collaborative environmental peace gaming networks

      The purpose of an interactive gaming mechanism is to help find appropriate alternative policies by establishing consensus among participating parties. It is suggested here that globally distributed computer simulation should be tested interactively with the game player inserting pseudo-policy parameters into the models whenever necessary, during the execution of simulation. This is called peace gaming/simulation [Utsumi, 1977] similar to war games practiced by military strategists [Schram et al., 1971]. With the advent of global broadband Internet and standard interface protocols for interconnecting various dispersed, dissimilar host computers, the potential exists for ensuring the coordination of international efforts by providing more frequent communications and an environment for shared development, enabling more credible simulation study than was previously possible.

3.5            Globally Collaborative Experiential Learning with ELeGI

      European Learning GRID Infrastructure (ELeGI) Project [Allison, et al, 2003], which is now funded by the European Commission, aims to design and implement advanced service-oriented Grid-based software architecture for learning. This project with 23 prominent educational and industrial organizations in Europe will develop a new paradigm focused on knowledge construction using experiential based and collaborative learning approaches in a contextualized, personalized and ubiquitous way. This will replace the current information transfer paradigm, which is based on content, and on the key authoritative figure of the teacher who provides information.

      GCEPG project could be a complete and powerful demonstrator of ELeGI Project to show (1) the advantages coming from using advanced technologies (i.e., GRID for accessing to computing resources and collaboration environments) for supporting simulations execution, data analysis, etc., and (2) simulations for learning through the definition of innovative pedagogical models (i.e., socio-constructivist contextualized learning approach), and (3) to show all the benefits coming from the harmonized and synergistic use of advanced technologies together with innovative pedagogical models for learning (i.e., ELeGI).

      The cooperation with ELeGI project will assure the development of globally collaborative experiential, distributed learning with globally distributed simulation system for joint research and development on various subjects by youngsters around the world. This will then foster their creativity, and hence promoting mutual understanding among them, also, -- Senator Fulbright once said;

“Learning together and working together are the first steps towards global peace.”

3.6            Globally Collaborative Innovation Network (GCIN)

      The principle of packet-switching technology (the basis of Internet) is “SHARING” to bring drastic cost reduction of expensive high-speed telecom lines, -- we are extending this principle to the sharing of knowledge and even wisdom with the creation of GUS. The principle of GRID networking technology is “COLLABORATION.” Those two principles of sharing and collaboration are the very basis of attaining global peace, which ought to be the ultimate aim of education rather than mere enhancement of job skills, as in the conventional educational institutions around the world. We hope to attain global peace by proliferating the use of Internet and GRID technologies around the world with e-learning and e-healthcare/telemedicine.

      The growth of advanced economies is driven largely by knowledge workers, such as scientists, engineers, managers, professionals, and artists. We now need to bring youngsters around the world to become the world-class knowledge workers with global e-learning and create the environment for them to collaborate with the use of advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and GRID networking technology. This is because the entire global economy increasingly revolves around innovations that flow from the creative classes.

4.     Expected Benefits

      With rapid advancement of computer simulation with GRID networking technology, such a network of mini-supercomputers around the world can also be used by researchers, even in developing countries to perform with their counterparts in developed countries for joint collaborative researches with virtual reality and virtual laboratory of various academic and engineering subjects. They can also be used in high energy, nuclear and fusion energy physics, atmospheric science, geological sciences [Cole, 2005], micro-biology, chemical molecular study, human genomics, DNA analysis, medicine/bioscience, telemedicine, commerce, nanotechnology, joint advanced engineering design, etc. [Sterling, 2001].

      In a sense, our GUS/UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair project aims to construct global scale knowledge forum with advanced ICTs, i.e., with the use of massive parallel processors of globally distributed and yet interconnected mini-supercomputers through global GRID computer network. This will be a paradigm shift of research and development in global scale, out of the so-called isolated, academic “Ivory Tower” approach.

5.     Financing GUS and GCIN

      GUS projects will combine (1) the Japanese government's Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds and (2) Japanese electronic equipment with (a) the Internet technology and (b) content development of North America and Europe.

6.     Conclusions

      The GUS program is a comprehensive and holistic approach to building smart and creative communities [Eger, 2003-a and Eger, 2003-b] in developing countries for e-learning and e-healthcare/telemedicine. Initiatives are underway to create the necessary infrastructure and educational liaisons, and some near-term educational access is expected.

      GUS and GCEPG are clearly ambitious programs, one that cannot be achieved by any one group, university, or national government. The programs require substantial collaborative contribution of ideas, expertise, technology resources, and funds from multiple sources. Those who value the visions of GUS and GCEPG are invited to join this great and noble enterprise.

7.     References (All URL below were retrieved on September 18, 2005.)

Allison, C., et al, (2003), Human Learning as a Global Challenge: European Learning GRID Infrastructure, Global Peace Through The Global University System, University of Tampere Press, Tampere, Finland

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BusinessWeek, (2004), “How to Fire Up The Innovation Machine,” October 11, Page 240

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Cole, G. and N. Bulashova, (2005), “GLORIAD: A Ring Around the Northern Hemisphere for Science and Education connecting North America, Russia, China, Korea and Netherlands with Advanced Network Services,”

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Eger, J., (2003-a), Athens in the Information Age, Global Peace Through The Global University System, University of Tampere Press, Tampere, Finland

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Eger, J., (2003-b), “The Creative Community: Forging the links between art culture commerce & community,”

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Kautto-Koivula, K. and M. Huhtaniemi, (2003), "Evolution Towards Human-Centric Knowledge Society. Can Societies Learn from Global Corporations?," Global Peace Through The Global University System, University of Tampere Press, Tampere, Finland

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McLeod, J., (2000), "Power (?) Grid!," Simulation in the Service of Society, Simulation, September

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Schram, S., Marks, H., Behrens, W., Levin, G., and McLeod, J., et al., (1971), Macro-system simulation, Panel Discussion Session at the 1971 Summer Computer Simulation Conference (SCSC), 1972 SCSC Proceedings, Society for Computer Simulation, pp. 1491-1502

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