October 2009 - change - Mailing Lists

Change Meeting for CSE Affiliates Day
by Yaw Anokwa 06 Apr '10

06 Apr '10

This Thursday at Change, we will be trying something special for CSE Affiliates Day. We will be hosting the “Technology for Under-Served Regions” session. Please note the change in time and place. 11:40-11:45: Introduction and Overview, Carl Hartung 11:45-12:00: Digital Study Hall Evaluation Study, Amit Saxena 12:00-12:15: Open Data Kit, Carl Hartung 12:15-12:30: Building a Grassroots Transportation Information System, Ruth Anderson Find out more at http://www.cs.washington.edu/affiliates/meetings/talks0910.html#3-305 What: CSE Affiliates Day When: Thursday, October 22 from 11:40 to 12:30 Where: UW, Paul Allen Center, Room 305

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Fwd: UN Africa Ambassadors Panel Discussion
by Yaw Anokwa 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

-----Original Message----- From: gpaa-bounces(a)mailman2.u.washington.edu [mailto:gpaa-bounces@mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Alexandra E. Furness Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 3:01 PM To: 'gpaa(a)u.washington.edu' Subject: [Gpaa] UN Africa Ambassadors Panel Discussion Please share: UN Africa Ambassadors Panel Discussion November 10th, 2009 3:30pm - 5:30pm Mary Gates Hall, Room 389 The Evans School and Jackson School are co-sponsoring a panel discussion with six United Nations ambassadors. The ambassadors will be speaking about issues important to their countries in Africa including health issues, education, and aid to Africa (how it is allocated and its effectiveness). There will be time for a question and answer session in addition to a discussion on how to secure work in international organizations in Africa. The following UN ambassadors will be participating: Ambassador Eugene-Richard Gasana, permanent representative of Rwanda to the United Nations Ambassador Augustine Mahiga, permanent representative of the Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations Ambassador Steve D. Matenje, permanent representative of Malawi to the United Nations Ambassador Zachary d. Muburi Muita, permanent representative of Kenya to the United Nations Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda, permanent representative of Uganda to the United Nations Ambassador Gerald Scott, Africa area advisor for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. For more information about this event, please contact Alix Furness by phone at 616-1618, or Tamara Leonard at 685-2354. This event is open to: students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, general public. Alexandra (Alix) Furness Manager of International Programs Evans School of Public Affairs 109A Parrington Hall (206) 616-1618 aef4(a)u.washington.edu www.evans.washington.edu

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Fwd: CFP related to Change interests
by Yaw Anokwa 30 Oct '09

30 Oct '09

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tabitha Hart <tabhart(a)uw.edu> Date: Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 01:38 Subject: CFP related to Change interests To: yanokwa(a)gmail.com Saw this and thought it might be of interest to the Change group. Feel free to distribute! Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:28:33 +0530 Call for Applications: Maps for Making Change: Using Geographical Mapping Techniques to Support Struggles for Social Justice in India Deadline: 20 November 2009 Maps for Making Change is a two-month project specifically designed for activists and supporters of social movements and campaigns in India. It provides participants with an exciting opportunity to explore how a range of digital mapping techniques can be used to support struggles for social justice. It also allows you to immediately develop and implement in practice a concrete mapping project relevant to your campaign or movement, with full technical support. Interested in joining us? Send in your application by 20 November 2009. For more details, please look at http://cis-india.org/advocacy/others/call-for-applications-maps-for-making-… -- Nishant Shah Doctoral Candidate, CSCS, Bangalore. Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society,( www.cis-india.org ) Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 # 00-91-9740074884 -- Tabitha Hart, PhC Department of Communication University of Washington

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Fwd: A Plug for Accessible Technology
by Yaw Anokwa 30 Oct '09

30 Oct '09

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Heather Underwood <hmunderwood(a)gmail.com> Subject: A Plug for Accessible Technology A big warm hello from BookBole.com - where visually impaired readers from the world-over connect and share accessible content! What we read goes such a long way in defining who we are. Unfortunately, finding reading material in accessible formats has been a massive challenge for persons with visual impairment. At Bookbole we believe that the answer has to be a collaborative community-driven solution where the community participates to overcome the barriers. Afterall, the challenge is the entire world of reading material – multiple countries, languages and subjects. As a tool in the hands of the visually-impaired Bookbole will, no doubt, come to mean different things to different communities across the world. To some, a place to share interesting books to read, to others, a place to share learning, and to nearly all, a place to make friends, share experiences and express themselves. Imagine Dan in Canada sharing computer programming notes and articles in accessible formats, or Rob in the UK sharing the poems of Byron in accessible formats, or Kaan from Turkey sharing his mantra for success with everyone on BookBole, and how millions across the world can learn and get inspired from those experiences. >From cooking tips and product reviews to personal stories and lifestyle tips, Bookbole is all about the small stuff, but on a really large scale. The possibilities of sharing and learning from each other are endless. If you like the experience at BookBole, spread the word and help us reach out to every person with visual impairment. In just over a month Bookbole already has members from over 50 countries but this is just the beginning. Log on to www.bookbole.com that’s b o o k b o l e.com, start sharing and exploring accessible content, and in the process get connected to visually impaired readers across the world. Remember, together, there are no barriers! Team BookBole www.bookbole.com Together, there are no barriers

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Mobile Healthcare for Africa
by Yaw Anokwa 27 Oct '09

27 Oct '09

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/global/me-africa/mhealth.… Mobile Healthcare for Africa Overview Few technologies have seen such wide adoption in the developing world as the mobile phone, and few have shown themselves to be as adaptable to local cultural, social, and technological conditions. Economies of scale and the imperatives of the market place continue to decrease cost and increase capability of devices available worldwide. According to International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data, in 2007, there were more than 45 mobile phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in Africa, while at the same time, there were 16 fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants1. The mobile phone provides a significant opportunity to reach people who until now have not had access to technology solutions. A recent IDC study2 discovered that even when wireless technology is available, healthcare professionals preferentially use mobile phones on the job. We propose to demonstrate the potential of mobile phones to enable the delivery of healthcare-related services on the African continent. We invite Africa-based researchers to apply for grants of cash to conduct one-year studies. Successful proposals will use Microsoft technologies and may also employ the capability of a mobile phone to interface with other devices, such as specialist medical hardware. A fieldwork component is strongly encouraged and the potential to increase the scale of the project (to, for example, serve large populations, address multiple diseases, or service various regions) is essential. Successful projects will run for about one year, and will be expected to provide an interim status report after six months. After a year, a representative for each project will be invited to attend a meeting at Microsoft Research in Cambridge where they can present their work to an audience including Microsoft researchers working in the area of mobile computing. A maximum of five awards will be granted, of up to US$25,000 each, including airfare and travel costs for attendance at the final reporting event. While none of the one-year grants is renewable, the capstone event in Cambridge will be designed to encourage interaction between Microsoft researchers and the project principal investigator. _______________ 1International Telecommunication Union 2Silvia Piai, Massimiliano Claps, Western Europe, Healthcare Sector, Infrastructure Technology Adoption and Investment Plans: An IDC Survey, IDC Study #MS13N, Nov 2006. Top of page Schedule and Deadlines Application deadline: 18 November 2009, 17:00 (UTC) Notification of results: February 2010 Top of page Goals and Objectives There are multiple technological challenges in taking full advantage of mobile phones as a platform for healthcare. With this request for proposals (RFP), Microsoft Research supports multidisciplinary academic research in Africa that demonstrates the potential to improve the delivery of healthcare by using mobile technologies. The goal of the academic research projects must be to advance the state-of-the-art of technologies relevant to challenges in delivering healthcare in rural or at-risk African communities. Projects must address some of the following research areas: Education – Mobile technologies as delivery tools for health education and training targeted towards healthcare providers and/or patients. Remote data collection and surveillance – The potential of mobile technologies to transform the way in which clinical, epidemiological, and surveillance research is conducted. This includes, but is not limited to, the ability to capture data in rural areas, the analysis disease transmission depending on environmental characteristics, and the development of early detection systems to mitigate disease outbreak. Point of care diagnostics and remote patient monitoring – Low-cost mobile technologies can be used to reach underserved populations remotely or at the “point of care”. These could enable delivery of timely and appropriate treatment to patients, help control the emergence of drug resistant pathogens, enable monitoring of individual patients, and so forth. Top of page Awards Microsoft Research anticipates granting approximately five awards of about US$25,000 each. All awards will be made in United States dollars. Awards are made to provide seed funding for larger initiatives, proofs of concept, or demonstrations of feasibility. It is important to understand that funding will continue after the first year only in exceptional circumstances, and that the principal investigators should therefore make every effort to use the Microsoft Research funds as one component of a diverse funding base in a larger or longer-running project. Proposals with a clear plan to secure co-funding are encouraged. Top of page Eligibility The following list of conditions of eligibility will be strictly adhered to, so please read them carefully. Proposals not meeting all these criteria will not be considered. The proposing institution must be located in Africa and must be either an accredited university with non-profit status and awarding degrees at the baccalaureate level or above, or a research institution with non-profit status. Proposals that are incomplete; inaccurate; or are otherwise not responsive to the stated aims, terms, and conditions of this RFP will, at the sole discretion of Microsoft Research, be excluded from consideration. Collaborative proposals embracing multiple groups across the organisation are encouraged. While the use of Microsoft technologies is not mandatory, any proposal relying exclusively on non-Microsoft technologies should provide a justification for why this must be the case. Cross-platform development and interoperability with other operating systems and applications is encouraged. Top of page Submission Process Proposals will be accepted only through the online application tool and must be written in English. Given that applications will be sent to internal and external experts in the field for review, Microsoft Research cannot assume responsibility for the confidentiality of information in submitted proposals. Therefore, proposals should not contain information that is confidential, restricted, or sensitive. Microsoft Research reserves the right to make public proposals that receive awards, except those portions containing budgetary or personally identifiable information. The submission process includes two parts. Brief summary and contact information – Applicants must provide full contact information for principal investigators, amount requested, a brief abstract, and suggestion of two expert reviewers (one preferably working at Microsoft Research). This information should be entered into the Web form during the proposal submission process. Complete project proposal containing full details about the proposed project. This section will be available for peer-review by Microsoft researchers as well as other academics expert in the field. The research project proposal should address the following points (no more than four pages of A4 paper size with 10-point font for the first five points): Problem Statement – What is the problem addressed by the proposal and why is it important? What is the potential contribution to research if successful? Cite relevant work in the field as appropriate. Expected Outcomes – What tangible assets, if any, will be created as a result of the proposed project? How can the project scale to other types of deployment? Related Research – Give a brief summary of the current state of the art in this field, including references where appropriate. References do not count towards the four-page limit. Benefits to under-served communities – Include a description of the community served by the proposal and how the project addresses healthcare issues and challenges in that community. If applicable, also include references to collaborations with non-government organisations (NGOs) working on healthcare challenges in the target community. Schedule – When is the project to be completed? What milestones will be used to measure progress of the project and when will they be completed? (If the project described is part of a larger ongoing research program, estimate the time for completion of this project only). Dissemination and evaluation – How will the results of this project be evaluated (if appropriate), and how will they be disseminated to others? Potential collaboration with Microsoft Research – One of the objectives of this RFP for proposals is to establish collaboration between academics in Africa and researchers at Microsoft. Please, list any potential collaboration opportunity with a researcher from Microsoft Research. Learn more about us. Use of Microsoft technologies – Describe the Microsoft tools and technologies (if any) to be used in this project. If software is to be developed, give details of the tools to be used, the number of software developers, and the proposed timescale. Does the software to be developed require the incorporation of code from commercial or public-domain libraries? If so, please give details. Use of funds – Provide a budget (US$) describing how the award will be used. Microsoft software or licenses requested should be listed in the budget, but the cost should be given as zero dollars. The budget does not have to be detailed, and should be presented as a table with the total budget request clearly indicated. Other support – Include other contributions to this project (cash, goods, or services), if any, but do not include use of university facilities otherwise provided on an ongoing basis. Please note: Authors of winning proposals will be required to submit an original letter on department letterhead certifying the commitment of any additional or matching support described in the proposal. Qualifications of principal investigator – Include a brief description of any relevant prior research, publication, or other professional experience. A detailed curriculum vitae or list of publications is not required. Top of page Selection Process Proposals will be peer-reviewed by a panel of experts chosen by Microsoft Research, and which may include experts from outside the company. Based on evaluations by the review panel, Microsoft Research will select the most worthy proposals for funding. All proposals will be evaluated based upon the evaluation criteria.

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global social entrepreneurship competition
by Yaw Anokwa 23 Oct '09

23 Oct '09

just a friendly reminder, the deadline for the global social entrepreneurship competition that wren talked about yesterday is nov 11th. i have attached a brochure describing the competition. if anyone is looking for a team/team members the business school will have a information & networking session next wed at 12 pm at the foster school. students can register to attend via catalyst: https://catalysttools.washington.edu/webq/survey/gsec/86917 i think it'd be really great to put together a change team for this competition. if you are interested, please let me know -- you don't even have to have an idea yet! yaw

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Echoing Green Seed Funding and Support
by Joan Davis 23 Oct '09

23 Oct '09

Each year, Echoing Green awards 12-15 two-year fellowships to social entrepreneurs. Fellows receive up to $90,000 in seed funding and technical support to turn their innovative ideas into sustainable social change organizations. Echoing Green seeks individuals or partnerships (organizations led by two people) with: Innovative solutions to significant social problems Strategies to create high-impact, sustainable change in people’s lives The ability to grow and lead a new organization The application process is open to citizens of all nationalities, working in any country. The application deadline is December 2, 2009. More information is available at http://www.echoinggreen.org/ fellowship . ---------------------------------------------------------- Joan M. Davis Doctoral Candidate Learning Sciences / Educational Psychology The LIFE Center University of Washington 1100 NE 45th Street, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98105 http://www.life-slc.org

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Fwd: [Cs-grads] FW: EWB-UW reaching out to CSE graduate students
by Yaw Anokwa 23 Oct '09

23 Oct '09

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lindsay Michimoto <lindsaym(a)cs.washington.edu> Date: Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 08:36 Subject: [Cs-grads] FW: EWB-UW reaching out to CSE graduate students To: cs-grads - Mailing List <cs-grads(a)cs.washington.edu> Hello student of Computer Science Engineering Department! Engineers Without Borders is looking for CSE students! Have you heard of One Laptop Per Child? This project and organization was created by faculty members of the MIT Media Lab in 2005. They began with the initiative to develop a $100 laptop computer to revolutionize how the world's children are educated. The One Laptop Per Child organization oversees the actual deployment of these computers. Their mission: "To create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning." For more information about the history/status of One Laptop Per Child: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child#History EWB-UW is seeking members (new or past) to form a team working to develop educational programs for these laptops. Tim Johnson, a professional member of the EWB-Puget Sound Professional Partners chapter brought up this idea a few months ago. It turns out, at their website (OLPC), you can apply to contribute a project, for example developing software: Check it out: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Contributors, http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Developers What can you do: - Attend the meeting regarding this project - Join the team - If you're really interested, step up to lead the team The meeting will be next Thursday 10/29 @ EE Building Room 403 @ 5:30pm - 6:30pm. Tim Johnson, the lead for the Grain Mill project will be running the meeting. Please email me if you would like to be added to our general email listserve so you can receive the email reminder about this meeting I hope this email finds you well and you are excited to be involved! Thanks for your time! Elaine Chao EWB-UW Secretary UW Chemical Engineering

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ODK Collect v1.1 Released
by Yaw Anokwa 22 Oct '09

22 Oct '09

Open Data Kit (ODK) (http://code.google.com/p/open-data-kit/) is an open-source mobile data collection toolkit for the citizen science, public health, and environmental monitoring. ODK developers (and Change members), Yaw Anokwa and Carl Hartung have just released ODK Collect v1.1 (http://is.gd/4wPW9) an Android client which renders a form, survey, or algorithm into prompts that support complex logic, input constraints, repeating questions, and multiple languages. Some of the new features include barcode scanning, image/audio/video capture and playback, editing of saved forms, and device metadata (phone number, IMEI, IMSI) support. You can check out a demo video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo8LaFFSkV8

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100 Open Lectures All About Africa
by Yaw Anokwa 22 Oct '09

22 Oct '09

As the world becomes an increasingly interconnected and truly global marketplace, it becomes ever more important to learn and understand the history, culture and economic roles of nations around the world. Africa is no exception, and this collection of lectures, many from renowned scholars, researchers and innovators, will help you better understand the many varied regions of Africa and the continents changing role in the world marketplace. http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2009/10/12/100-open-lectures-all-about-africa/

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