HAIFA (Press Release)–The University of Haifa on Tuesday inaugurated the Sagy Center for the Study of the Internet headed by Prof. Sheizaf Rafaeli, Director of the Center for the Study of the Information Society, and one of the world’s leading experts in the research of the Internet. The Center has been established thanks to a donation from entrepreneurs Ami and Teddy Sagy. The dedication ceremony took place during the University’s 38th Board of Governors meeting.
“The Internet is already much more than mere technology and economics; it is a platform projecting on both the social and the personal. The importance of this Center is in its combining knowledge from many different disciplines and applying this multidisciplinary approach to this fantastic new area of study,” President of the University of Haifa Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev said at the dedication ceremony.
“Internet has changed our lives beyond recognition and its influence is evident in many areas. Over the past decades the world of Internet has undergone significant changes, as an integral part of its development. Therefore, the formation of a study area that is aimed at researching this magnificent tool was really only a matter of time. The Sagy Center for the Study of the Internet is a unique and important Center, and we are happy to have been able to assist in its establishment. We believe that its activities will prove fruitful in the very near future,” said Mr. Ami Sagy.
The Sagy Center for the Study of the Internet is a multidisciplinary research center combining studies in computer sciences, history, communications, business management, law, psychology, sociology and more. Its main goal is to contribute research-based theoretical and empirical knowledge to public discourse in matters relating to the accelerated development of communication technologies and their influence on society. The new Center is unique in that it will combine academic research and knowledge with the industry’s demand for developed Internet systems. The Center will support and encourage applied research that will advance Internet use, this in collaboration with Carmel Ltd., the technology transfer organization of the University of Haifa.
The focus of the Center’s research will include:
· the virtual community
· policy, power and regulation
· the people – technolgy intersection
· social implications of technological development
Rafaeli is a pioneer in Internet research. His fields of interest include: management and organization information systems; interactivity; computer-mediated communication; value of information; information sharing and Internet culture. He also consults on matters relating to Internet information for government offices and many international organizations, including the Israel Ministries of Foreign Affairs; Finance; Welfare; Industry, Trade and Labor; and Law; UNESCO, and others.
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Preceding provided by the University of Haifa