Ben received a combined Bachelors Degree in General Agriculture and Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana between 1993/1998. As a Ghanaian, he served his nation for one year through a mandatory National Service Program that applies to all students graduating from the country's higher education institutions and served as an Agricultural Extension Officer. He also taught agriculture in Secondary School (High School) in Ghana for few months before returning to the field.  On the field, he worked with two different organizations between early 2000 to mid 2003 prior to his admission to Cornell University.

While at Cornell, Ben enrolled in Masters in International Agriculture and Rural Development (a professional program) for a year between 2003/2004. His interest in the use of the new Information Communication Technologies (ICT) developed while in Cornell and based on his experience of working between farmers and research station in Ghana. He conducted a survey on the E-readiness of seven universities in Ghana as part of his Masters research with very interesting and  promising results to assess how prepared the country's higher education institutions are in using ICTs for teaching, research and outreach/extension.

In Syracuse University, Ben will be exploring different ways by which these new technologies could be used to enhance access by all for the benefit of all.

Contact: bkaddom@syr.edu 

Dhanya Kurup
Masters Student

Dhanya Kurup is in the Second semester of Telecommunication and Network Management graduate Program. Prior to this, she has an undergraduate degree in Electronic Engineering. She has work experience for nearly two years with companies like Electronic Data System (EDS). She also has experience working with Office of Disability Services at Syracuse University.

With Cotelco, she is currently working in collaboration with ‘Burton Blatt Institute’ and ‘South East Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center’ to build a Pilot Collaboratory. She is interested in various policies that apply to the telecommunication field.

Email: dkurup@syr.edu

Kiran Nagaraj
Masters Student
School of Information Studies
Syracuse University

Kiran is a first semester graduate student at the School of Information Studies and is enrolled in the Telecommunication & Network Management Program. Originally from Bangalore in India, Kiran has had minor stints working for a wide variety of organizations ranging from IT Multinationals to Global NGOs to research institutions.  He is also currently working as the IT Consultant for a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization run by a former Senator.

In the Cotelco lab, he aims to be at the helm of on-going research work on Global Collaboratories and studying social networks. He is also interested in Global Telecommunication policies, particularly those to do with the Internet and its governance. Movies, writing and professional scrabble are his favorite pastimes.

Email: kbnagara 'at' syr.edu