Future robots to teach maths and work in nursing homes – Irish Times

Future robots to teach maths and work in nursing homesIrish TimesThe future of robotics was on display on the closing day today of the British Science Association's festival of science at the University of Birmingham. There is a growing trend of “social robotics”, where robots are programmed to act as partners to …and more »

The Power of the Classroom (dipnote)

In certain parts of the world, how many things have to go right in order to get a girl into a classroom?

And what type of life can that education can provide her?

As the senior gender coordinator for USAID, these questions fill my mind constantly as I seek to carry out my mandate — helping empower women and girls to participate fully and benefit from the development of their societies.

Earlier this summer, I traveled with Dr. Jill Biden, USAID administrator Raj Shah, and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Cathy Russellto Zambia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where I was able to see these questions answered firsthand.

The decision to allow a child to go to school is fraught with obstacles. Some are material: uniforms, socks, shoes, notebooks and pencils. Some reflect the economic and cultural realities of poverty-stricken families. But these concerns also often pale in comparison to the serious danger that many women and girls face every single time they step out of their homes to pursue an education.

In the eastern part of the DRC, I met a young woman who was kidnapped from her own home and taken into …