Perspectives On Line - Donated computers to help agrarian university in Moldova

Dr. Larry Nelson (left), Dr. Gerald Elkan and international programs visiting scholar Al-Hassan Seidu prepare computers for shipping to Moldova.

tudents and faculty members at the State Agrarian University in Moldova now have badly needed computers, plus keyboards, monitors and mice, thanks to a partnership spearheaded by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

In May, 150 desktop computers and peripheral equipment were shipped from Raleigh nearly 5,000 miles to Chisinau, Moldova. The effort was part of a federally funded grant project aimed at strengthening the Moldovan university.

SAS Institute and Goodwill Industries’ GCF Community Foundation donated the computers, and N.C. State University’s Materials Management Department provided warehouse space and used computer monitors, keyboards and mice.

N.C. State students from the Circle K service club spent hours testing the equipment and helping prepare the equipment for shipment. Then the nonprofit development organization Counterpart International stepped in to help with the packing and financing of the shipping.

The computers should fill a high-priority need at the Agrarian University, the leading agricultural university in a country heavily dependent on agriculture. Over the course of a five-year partnership with N.C. State University, faculty members at the Agrarian University have repeatedly asked for help with computers, says Dr. Larry Nelson, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ assistant dean for international programs.

The computer donation is one facet of project aimed at strengthening the Agrarian University’s curriculum in postharvest technology so that Moldova’s farmers can become competitive in the world market. Moldova depends heavily on agriculture, especially production of vegetables and fruits. Working mainly on small, recently privatized plots, the country’s farmers have little access to technology and to university research and information.

N.C. State faculty members leading the university partnership project are Nelson, Dr. Gerald Elkan, emeritus professor of microbiology, and Dr. John Riddle, professor of history and botany.

— Dee Shore


		Donated computers to help agrarian university in Moldova tudents and faculty members at the State Agrarian University in Moldova now have badly needed computers, plus keyboards, monitors and mice, thanks to a partnership spearheaded by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In May, 150 desktop computers and peripheral equipment were shipped from Raleigh nearly 5,000 miles to Chisinau, Moldova. The effort was part of a federally funded grant project aimed at strengthening the Moldovan university. SAS Institute and Goodwill Industries’ GCF Community Foundation donated the computers, and N.C. State University’s Materials Management Department provided warehouse space and used computer monitors, keyboards and mice. N.C. State students from the Circle K service club spent hours testing the equipment and helping prepare the equipment for shipment. Then the nonprofit development organization Counterpart International stepped in to help with the packing and financing of the shipping. The computers should fill a high-priority need at the Agrarian University, the leading agricultural university in a country heavily dependent on agriculture. Over the course of a five-year partnership with N.C. State University, faculty members at the Agrarian University have repeatedly asked for help with computers, says Dr. Larry Nelson, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ assistant dean for international programs. The computer donation is one facet of project aimed at strengthening the Agrarian University’s curriculum in postharvest technology so that Moldova’s farmers can become competitive in the world market. Moldova depends heavily on agriculture, especially production of vegetables and fruits. Working mainly on small, recently privatized plots, the country’s farmers have little access to technology and to university research and information. N.C. State faculty members leading the university partnership project are Nelson, Dr. Gerald Elkan, emeritus professor of microbiology, and Dr. John Riddle, professor of history and botany. — Dee Shore