Last April 9, 2005 occurred the inauguration meeting of the Gems of the Earth Network (GOTENET). This meeting marked the partnership between GOTENET and the Loyola Center of Excellence in Telecenter Integration (LCETI). The Computer Science Department at Loyola Colege was represented by Dr. Roger Eastman, Dr. Roberta Sabin and Dr. Benokraitis. You can see pictures of the event in the PHOTO GALLERY. You can also find a presentation shown in the meeting in the DOWNLOADS section.

A video showing the communities and their telecenters was presented during the meeting. A live connection with the telecenter in Rodeador was also estabilished. Dr. Eastman presented the software engineering laboratory utilized by LCETI and Dr. Benokraitis presented the Distance Learning Classroom, which is another resource available to LCETI and GOTENET. Dr. Sabin presented the view of Loyola College in the creation of LCETI. Marco Figueiredo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GOTENET, guided the audience through a tour of the pilot project in Brazil, the LCETI partnership and the structure of GOTENET. Also present were Anthony Prado and Paulo Kluber, treasurer and secretary of GOTENET, respectively. Several people made donations to the project and claimed their interest in becoming part of the organization.