Maker Pioneers From Iraq Visit MIT Campus
MIT - The Tech Online
Three Iraqi technologists who founded the first makerspace in Basra, Iraq visited MIT on Monday and Tuesday to meet with various labs and student groups as part of a tour hosted by the Media Lab and the Undergraduate Association Innovation Committee.
Their trip was part of a larger initiative by PeaceTech Lab to encourage the use of technology in minimizing violence in conflict regions. Tim Receveur, director of the program called PeaceTech Exchanges, said they have worked in Iraq for about two years on “better governance, citizen engagement.” While they usually host events in the countries they work in, this was a unique case where they helped bring Arif and his co-founders to the United States. In addition to visiting MIT, the three attended the New York Maker Faire on Sunday.