The Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with the intention of opening dialogue and bringing to public attention Italian and International excellence in the fields of scientific, technological, and economic development, hosted a workshop on October 24th entitled, “Working together to nurture food for bodies, for minds, for hearts. The resources of human potential”.
The body, mind, and heart need to be fed, and at the same time, they feed our being and our actions in the world. Human potential is a concept related to the three aspects (body, mind, and heart) that recognize the importance of the development of those aspects in equal measure to achieve a personal and community balance. Starting from fieldwork, in particular from the projects developed by ABF in Haiti, from access and supply of food, up to scientific and technological research, as an instrument and inspiration to improve people’s daily lives and to make them independent, all this is the essence of the subject chosen.
This is therefore the concept that ABF and MIT developed, during the day, at the facilities of the Conference Center of Expo Milano 2015. The program has been full of notable names that stand out in the panorama of scientific innovation and economic development, including Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Prize for micro-credit and member of the ABF Advisory Board.
The day consisted of two consecutive workshops dedicated to the intervention programs of ABF: Challenges and Break the Barriers, both related to MIT research activities.
Through the Challenges program, ABF supports the work of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), a multidisciplinary research group at MIT, to create wearable technologies that allow blind people to walk safely inside and outside buildings, avoiding obstacles, and recognizing objects. The prototype developed by this group over three years has been presented and tested during the workshop: “Social inclusion through the increase of senses: impact of technology transfer on society. From a prototype to a product”.
Through the Break the Barriers program, the ABF works in the field of poverty alleviation, and, recognizing the importance of measurable interventions both for their impact and for the number of lives saved, closely watches the activities of The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT, an international network of researchers who seek to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence.
At the same time, having initiated actions of socio-economic development in Haiti, especially in three of the poorest and most remote communities of the island, ABF has invited Professor Muhammad Yunus to participate in this session. Professor Yunus will bring his expertise in the field of micro-credit in developing countries to this workshop.
Participation in the workshop was free. Registration is closed: www.abfmit.com
For information or contacts, please visit:
segreteria@andreabocellifoundation.org – +39 0587/643353
