Sun Unites Educators

SAN FRANCISCO -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: Java) is bringing together researchers, ministries of education, thought leaders, professors, technology innovators and students from over 30 countries to discuss the future of education in San Francisco this week. Under the overarching theme, The Power of Communities,” attendees learn how open communities can foster collaboration and learning, improve access to education, and encourage innovation around eco-responsibility.

The Sun Worldwide Education and Research Conference features renowned speakers such as Neil Howe, author of Millennials Rising; Barry Libert, author of We Are Smarter Than Me; Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, astronaut and director of the Battelle Center for Math and Science; among other leading thinkers from around the world. In his keynote today, Sun’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Scott McNealy will share ideas on “open sourcing” education.

Multiple sessions throughout the two-day event provide attendees and speakers a forum to discuss education for the 21st century—opening up education for anyone, any time for today’s massively connected network. Conference panels and breakout sessions also examine the further erosion of boundaries between educational communities as well as new immersive technologies that bridge virtual and real-world environments, in what some are calling "Education 3.0." Finally, speakers focus on ways the educational IT community can join together to mitigate the environmental impact of campus datacenters and reduce emissions, energy consumption and e-waste.

“The way we learn and work is currently undergoing a dramatic transformation around the world,” said Joe Hartley, vice president of Global Government, Education and Healthcare, Sun Microsystems. “Sun is opening new doors to community development and collaboration. We call this new way of learning and working Education 3.0, which is representative of the boundaries that are being broken down between educational and global communities by open source tools, open content, and Web-based teaching and learning platforms. Sun is proud to be a key catalyst in the transformation to Education 3.0, which is exemplified in the approach we take with our education customers today.”

Sun Microsystems Inc.