2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: News
With imagination, a hope for peace
'Ambitious' MIT-sponsored contest in search of creative minds to solve Arab-Israeli conflict
Mordechai Treiger
"We don't know of any projects that are as ambitious as this one," Davis said.
Still, some Middle East experts are not as optimistic about the project's ability to come up with useful solutions.
"It's a good idea, if you believe imagination is what lacks in this conflict," said Meyrav Wurmser, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Middle East Policy: "I don't think imagination lacks at all."
"It's not a wrong approach; it's a naive approach," she said. "The problem is too serious, and it's much too deep."
But the MIT program has received positive feedback on Penn's campus.
"I wish more universities followed MIT's pursuit of actively trying to solve some of the problems our world faces in practical ways," Wharton junior and Penn Israel Coalition president Max Schapiro said.
Engineering junior Mariam Sebti, president of the Penn Arab Student Society, likewise called the competition a "good approach" and passed on information about the competition to fellow board members.
"There could be a lot of interesting ideas that could come from it," Sebti said.
Still, some Middle East experts are not as optimistic about the project's ability to come up with useful solutions.
"It's a good idea, if you believe imagination is what lacks in this conflict," said Meyrav Wurmser, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Middle East Policy: "I don't think imagination lacks at all."
"It's not a wrong approach; it's a naive approach," she said. "The problem is too serious, and it's much too deep."
But the MIT program has received positive feedback on Penn's campus.
"I wish more universities followed MIT's pursuit of actively trying to solve some of the problems our world faces in practical ways," Wharton junior and Penn Israel Coalition president Max Schapiro said.
Engineering junior Mariam Sebti, president of the Penn Arab Student Society, likewise called the competition a "good approach" and passed on information about the competition to fellow board members.
"There could be a lot of interesting ideas that could come from it," Sebti said.
Be the first to comment on this story