RJ Macklin Associates and University of Denver Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East (ISIME) Join Forces to Establish a Visual Channel of Communication between the Two Alienated Nations
Lifesize®, the high definition video communications company, and Codian®, the leading manufacturer of high definition videoconferencing infrastructure, today announced that ISIME in partnership with RJ Macklin Associates have selected Lifesize and Codian as the high definition video communications providers for a historic peace summit between Israeli and Iraqi students taking place at the Cable Center on the University of Denver campus today at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time.
Led by Executive Director Professor Shaul Gabbay and human rights activist Barb Vogel, 25 Iraqi high school students visiting the University of Denver will have the opportunity to see faces, hear the voices, ask questions and begin a dialogue of mutual respect and understanding with teens in Israel representing Arabs, Jews, Christians and Moslems.
“The Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East (ISIME) is devoted to pursuing peace in the Middle East,” said Shaul Gabbay, professor and executive director of ISIME. “Our ‘Building Bridges for Peace HD Videoconference’ allows us to bring teenagers together from Iraq and Israel for the first time in history. We are thankful to RJ Macklin Associates for introducing us to Lifesize’s and Codian’s HD technology, knowing that without it, this opportunity would not be possible.”
The Israeli students will be teenagers from the Galilee and the Negev regions of Israel. Their backgrounds will be Arab, Jewish, Christian and Moslem. They will travel to the AVCOM facilities in Tel Aviv where they will be led by Shaul Amir, the ISIME Israel Director. Shaul Amir, a professional Social Worker and long-time Israel Director for the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado, will facilitate the dialogue of the Israeli teens in Israel. Amir is working closely with the Denver ISIME staff to prepare students for participation in this significant historical event.
Teenage Iraqi students will be guests of ISIME on the University of Denver campus. These Iraqi teens are in Denver on the Iraqi Youth Leaders Exchange Program sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U. S. State Department.
“We are honored that the University of Denver and ISIME selected Lifesize as their high definition video communications provider of choice for this historic event,” said Craig Malloy, CEO of Lifesize Communications. “Today’s event demonstrates that video communications is more than just a business application. It can be used as an enabler for bringing people of different countries and cultures closer together in a meaningful way.”
The relationship between Israel and Iraq has been a challenging one since 1948. From the early stages of Iraqi and Israeli statehood, relations between the two countries have remained at best hostile. After enduring two wars (1948 and 1967) and strategic missiles volleys from both sides (1981 and 1991), the young states of Israel and Iraq matured as enemies, and, to this day, the two countries have yet to reconcile their differences.
“This historic event shows how communications technology, when thoughtfully and creatively applied, can help break down barriers that have existed for generations,” said David Holloway, CEO of Codian. “We see limitless potential for high-definition video to foster better understanding among countries, their peoples, and their cultures.”
Today’s videoconference will utilize Lifesize Room and a Codian MCU 4500 Series conferencing bridge, the only true high-definition voice and video conferencing bridge on the market along with a Codian IP-VCR video conference recorder.
Lifesize Room can handle high definition video at 1Mbps, DVD quality at 512kbps and Cable TV quality at 384kbps. Lifesize Room redefines the video communications experience by allowing executives, managers, project teams, educators, and anyone with dispersed colleagues and operations to collaborate more clearly and effectively. And unlike specialized, costly telepresence suites, Lifesize Room can turn any space into a high definition video communications environment at a comparable price range to that of traditional, low-resolution videoconferencing systems.
As the only true high-definition voice and video conferencing bridge on the market, the Codian MCU 4500 Series provides crystal clear, full-motion, high-definition video on every port. Codian’s MCU 4500 Series supports the highest video resolutions, speeds, frame rates and codecs of all the latest high-definition endpoints. The Codian MCU 4500 Series includes full Continuous Presence for all conferences, and with Codian® ClearVisionTM, it enables the mix of high, standard and enhanced-definition, so that organizations make the most of high-definition installations. The Codian IP VCR 2200 Series is a unique digital recorder specifically designed for video conferencing, enabling valuable video content to be preserved for future viewing. This innovative system streams live or plays back content on-demand to a PC or any video conferencing endpoint.
About ISIME
ISIME is a center at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of International Studies and is devoted to the scholarly, cultural and economic study of Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East, providing education in the pursuit of peace. Attention is paid to both internal and regional issues confronting Israel, with an emphasis on delivering diverse points of view. All work at the Institute is done with the intention of pursuing peace and prosperity for all peoples living in the Middle East.
Additional information on ISIME can be found at www.isime.org.
About RJ Macklin Associates
RJ Macklin Associates is an innovative nationwide design and integration company, which was founded in 2000 and is based in Centennial, Colorado. With a network of skilled technicians located in major cities on three continents, RJ Macklin Associates in an authorized channel partner of both Lifesize and Codian.
Additional information on RJ Macklin Associates can be found at www.rjmacklin.com or call 303.300.3939.
About Codian
Codian® is one of the fastest growing voice and visual communications companies in the world. With a rapidly growing global customer base, Codian is renowned for delivering quality customer service and satisfaction. Codian solutions offer unrivalled reliability and ease-of-use. Codian is proven to provide the best available voice and video quality for conferencing throughout an enterprise: in the boardroom, on the move and on the desktop. Furthermore, Codian’s conferencing product family is unique in its ability to deliver a truly lifelike, interactive, telepresence-style experience for all meeting participants.
