This article reports on new programs that focus on training skilled scientists and mathematicians who will help solve Africa's myriad problems. The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, in Cape Town, South Africa, offers one of the first working examples of a growing effort to develop a cadre of highly trained, practically minded scientists…

Internet II, a higher-speed information network under development, is supported by almost 100 colleges and universities. It would let researchers develop advanced tools, but would be costly for institutions. A similar but more limited project, the Very High Speed Backbone Network Service (VBNS), has also garnered college support. Technical,…

H-NET (Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine) is a new, rapidly expanding international online network of scholars that was established to increase electronic mail communication among individuals. Currently, the program is devoting more attention to World Wide Web-related projects providing information and reference sources. Internal conflict…

Describes how institutions in Britain are working together to create a national e-University, a government-sponsored effort to bring together an assortment of distance-learning programs and courses to be sold to students all over the world. However, some officials are skeptical of its need or its prospects for success. (EV)

As Internet 2 takes shape, the university administrators and researchers behind it are taking care to address the political and economic challenges experienced by the original Internet. The new, privatized system will be faster and more powerful, but some fear privatization has shifted the balance of power toward profit-making instead of meeting…

While Internet content relating to black culture is burgeoning, and scholars want to make more available, the cost of selecting and organizing materials is hindering their efforts. Some innovative approaches are being used, including an online course on media, technology, and diversity and a compact-disk collection of research on slave trading.…

Developers of Internet 2, an improved computerized information system designed for research purposes, are seeking federal support, suggesting that the new network's benefits would extend well beyond the academic realm. The educators behind the system propose that the system will create not only better electronics, but also new network applications…

Internet 2, a project intended to provide member universities with new computer network services and faster connections, is criticized for growing too large and too difficult to administer cooperatively. Its organizers are working closely with the Clinton Administration's Next Generation Internet Initiative, but some lawmakers feel the program is…