February 2010 - 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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Cliff Schmidt and Trina Gorman on Literacy Bridge
by Yaw Anokwa 25 Feb '10

25 Feb '10

This Thursday at Change, Cliff Schmidt and Trina Gorman will be discussing their work at Literacy Bridge. In rural Ghana, Literacy Bridge piloted 21 low-cost audio computers (“Talking Books”) to measure the impact of giving farmers access to health and agriculture information. In a village with 90% illiteracy and no access to electricity, farmers using these devices showed a 48% increase in crop production over their peers. The Talking Book project brings local expertise to rural farmers, similar to Digital Green, but without a moderator and in audio form rather than video. The Talking Books are therefore able to consume less power and run on locally available batteries. This Thursday, look forward to hearing about the following: Qualitative feedback. How did farmers respond to the device from a training/usability perspective? How were the devices allocated? Quantitative harvest results. How did Literacy Bridge arrive at the 48% yield increase? How frequently was guidance adopted? Future work. Literacy Bridge is experimenting with uploading/downloading messages via mobile phones, the effects of peer recognition on behavior change, and more. For a two-minute video summary, see http://literacybridge.org. For a video demonstration of the Talking Book, see http://literacybridge.org/talkingbook.html. What: Cliff Schmidt and Trina Gorman on Literacy Bridge When: Thursday, February 25 at Noon Where: UW, Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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Talk on March 4th: Making Government Work with Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra
by Rosalyn Mahashin 25 Feb '10

25 Feb '10

Hey Change folks, The Evans School is sponsoring a talk next week with Vivek Kundra, the Federal Chief Information Officer. Details are below. --------------- Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra - Making Government Work: Closing the IT Gap to Deliver for the American People March 4, 2010 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Student Union Building/HUB Room 108, University of Washington Seattle *[image: Vivek Kundra Photo]* *Vivek Kundra *was appointed as the Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States by President Obama in March 2009. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Kundra served in Mayor Fenty's cabinet as the CTO for the District of Columbia and Governor Kaine’s cabinet as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has also served in leadership roles in the private sector. Kundra has been recognized by InfoWorld among the top 25 CTO's in the country and as the 2008 IT Executive of the Year for his pioneering work to drive transparency, engage citizens and lower the cost of government operations. He has also been named to Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers. *The Federal Chief Information Officer *directs the policy and strategic planning of federal information technology investments and is responsible for oversight of federal technology spending. The Federal CIO establishes and oversees enterprise architecture to ensure system interoperability and information sharing and ensure information security and privacy across the federal government. The CIO also works closely with the Chief Technology Officer to advance the U.S. President’s technology agenda. This event is sponsored by the Wolfle Endowment for Excellence, honoring Dael L. Wolfle. <http://evans.washington.edu/info/about/history/wolfle> -- Rosalyn Mahashin University of Washington MPA '11 Evans School of Public Affairs Google Voice: (206) 651-5875

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FW: International Development Certificate information sessions
by Yaw Anokwa 25 Feb '10

25 Feb '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lindsay Michimoto <lindsaym(a)cs.washington.edu> Date: Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 15:19 Subject: [Cs-grads] FW: International Development Certificate information sessions To: cs-grads - Mailing List <cs-grads(a)cs.washington.edu> Dear Students, If you are interested in earning a certificate in International Development and Management please join us at one of the following information sessions to learn more about this program: March 8 (Monday) from 2:00 to 3:00 in Thomson 317. April 7 (Wednesday) from 12:30 to 1:20 in Parrington Hall, room 306. The International Development Policy and Management Certificate Program (IDCP) is designed to be incorporated into your graduate studies during your second and/or final year in school. Our one-year International Development Policy Certificate Program gives you the tools and frameworks needed for addressing pressing international issues in developing countries. The program explores the root causes of unique problems, and the social, economic, and political contexts in which they occur. All application materials are due by April 15th at 5pm, either in the Evans School Student Services Office (109 Parrington Hall), or emailed to devcert(a)u.washington.edu Further information can be found at this link: http://evans.washington.edu/courses-degrees/certificates/international-deve… Application materials can be found at this link: http://www.evans.washington.edu/prospective-students/apply/international-de… If you are unable to attend the session, but would like to learn more about IDCP, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you. 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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MEBI 590 Lecture Series for March 2, 2010
by Yaw Anokwa 24 Feb '10

24 Feb '10

if you have a chance, check out this talk. eduardo and instedd do great work all over the world... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Connie Ivey-Pasche <connie(a)cs.washington.edu> Date: Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 09:58 Subject: [Cs-grads] FW: MEBI 590 Lecture Series for March 2, 2010 To: faculty - Mailing List <faculty(a)cs.washington.edu>, cs-grads - Mailing List <cs-grads(a)cs.washington.edu>, cs-staff - Mailing List <cs-staff(a)cs.washington.edu> ________________________________ From: Sandy S. Turner [mailto:sst5@u.washington.edu] Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 7:43 AM Biomedical and Health Informatics Lecture Series Tuesday, March 2, 2010 12:00 - 12:50 p.m., Room T-663 Eduardo Jezierski VP of Engineering, InSTEDD (Innovative Support to Emergencies Diseases and Disasters) Palo Alto, California “Technologies and practices for exchanging information with the field” Better information leads to better decisions - and making good decisions is critical in health for low-income countries and crisis response, both for policy makers as well as health volunteers in a village. In this lecture we will give a talk about real-world experiences exchanging information with the field, challenges and opportunities in improving the timeliness and quality - and diverse technologies from SMS messages to smartphone systems that can be applied in different situations. Eduardo works at InSTEDD building technologies for health, development and crisis response. He and his team work with doctors and social workers to provide technologies that scale down into the hands of semi-literate health workers in rural villages of SE Asia, deploy collaboration and coordination platforms for responders and search and rescue teams, and build set up local Innovation Labs with local teams of engineers to accelerate the cycle of invention and deployment - creating focal points for local innovation and appropriate design. Eduardo has spent his career designing, implementing and deploying software solutions on a global scale. He originally received an MsC in Informatics after initial work in nuclear engineering and has worked on GIS analysis, machine learning and modeling for anthropology challenges - including robotics control, genetic algorithms and neural networks. He spent nine years at Microsoft as a Program Manager and Architect - including working with the office of the Chief Software Architect on starting up new product lines. Eduardo recently returned from Haiti where his team worked with Thomson Reuters foundation, the Red Cross, and local media providing information services for those who need it most - the survivors of the earthquake. More about the work can be seen here: http://instedd.org

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Internship at CARE
by Yaw Anokwa 19 Feb '10

19 Feb '10

The following CARE internship might be of interest to students in the Bay Area. ICT/Corporate Partnerships Internship opportunity with CARE in San Francisco office CARE USA is a leading international humanitarian organization dedicated to eliminating poverty by empowering women and girls to bring lasting change to their communities. CARE has an immediate opening for an intern to support the development and implementation of our corporate engagement programs. The Intern will work closely with the Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships to help build and implement a strategy with the ICT sector. CARE engages with this sector to maximize the assets of this sector for the benefit of communities living on less than $2.00 a day in the developing work. It is a unique opportunity to directly engage CARE?s corporate clients and deliver outstanding service to some of the region?s most visible and progressive companies which support international Corporate Social Responsibility. The Intern will work closely with the Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships in ICT? Information and Communications Technology (?ICT?) to help build and implement a strategy with high tech and mobile phone companies. CARE engages with the technology sector to secure money, goods, services and technical expertise for the benefit of communities living on less than $2.00 a day in the global south. The intern will join a team of fundraisers and IT professionals to help secure additional ICT resources for CARE International. CARE operates in more than 70 countries worldwide. Responsibilities: The Intern?s specific responsibilities will include: research on technology trends and opportunities, helping to build strategic plans for key ICT partners, conducting corporate and online research, maintaining a CARE Wiki site, staying abreast of ICT trends and interests, cultivating mobile, technology and social networking partners, editing proposals, and light administrative support. At the close of this 6 month internship, the intern will have helped to build individual strategic plans as well as contributed to one, macro level industry strategic plan. He/she will also have completed research profiles, contributed to concept notes and proposals for funding, helped to enhance a CARE wiki site, contributed to project management of international public-private-partnerships, donor reports on technology projects, and more. Requirements: Graduate (master's or PhD) degree-seeking student with strong a strong IT background (working knowledge of ICT tools, trends and competencies) with an interest in corporate social responsibility directed towards emerging markets in the global south. Seeking a tech-savvy, creative team player with strong problem-solving abilities, project management skills, and a strong interest in corporate social responsibility. Should be literate in the field of ICT for Development and have a passion for the potential of ICT to change the development landscape of marginalized communities living on less than $2/day in the global south. This position is located in the San Francisco office. As it is starting ASAP, priority will be given to candidates in the San Francisco area. Relocation and/or housing is not provided. Please apply on line at www.care.org/careers <http://www.care.org/careers> For questions, contact Tricia Siaso at tsiaso(a)care.org

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Sunil Garg and Clint Tseng on MultiLearn
by Yaw Anokwa 19 Feb '10

19 Feb '10

This Thursday at Change, Sunil Garg and Clint Tseng will be discussing their work on MultiLearn. "MultiLearn builds upon prior research in shared computing by creating a multi-player educational game which incorporates multiple input and split-screen UI. We utilize inexpensive USB numeric keypads and explore their utility as an input device. While related prior work has largely resulted in single-purpose applications, MultiLearn aims to provide a platform for collaborative learning which enables teachers to easily create multi-user educational content for their students, and analyze their students' performance with minimal effort. Students' performance is automatically tracked, so progress can be continuously evaluated, and class curricula adjusted, in the context of both the learning application and the classroom as a whole. This natural feedback loop empowers teachers to better educate their students. Additionally, while existing solutions in this space are traditionally focused around shared-space use, MultiLearn splits the screen for each individual, allowing for our software to adapt to the skill level of each student and cater to their individual needs." What: Sunil Garg and Clint Tseng on MultiLearn When: Thursday, February 18 at Noon Where: UW, Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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TASCHA Event - Conversation with Sheila Weir
by Rebecca Sears 18 Feb '10

18 Feb '10

The Technology & Social Change Group is hosting A Conversation with Sheila Weir on February 25, 2010 at 3:30 - 5:00pm. Join us for a discussion that covers: -An MLIS career that ranges from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the State Department Foreign Service -The ICT and library landscape in East Africa where she is currently posted with the Foreign Service -Why the State Department thinks that libraries support US public diplomacy efforts When: Thursday, February 25, 2010 from 3:30pm-5:00pm. A no-host happy hour will follow at The District<http://www.thedistrictseattle.com/>. Where: Mary Gates Hall (MGH) 420 Why: You are considering a career in an international context, are interested in information & communication technologies and libraries in East Africa, or are curious about how US embassy libraries support US policy goals What: A 60-minute conversation in an interview format Sheila Weir: As an Information Resource Officer with the State Department Foreign Service, Sheila Weir serves as a US diplomatic liaison between the Embassy and the local library and information community to help nurture professional relationships and expand access to US information resources. She currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya with regional responsibilities for ten east African Countries (Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritius, Madagascar, Sudan, Somalia). Prior to Nairobi she lived in Frankfurt, Germany and worked in the Baltics, Switzerland, and Germany. Before joining the US Foreign Service in March, 2006 she lived in Seattle, Washington working with an International Public Health organization, PATH. At PATH she worked as a reference librarian on international public health issues by providing customized biomedical, business, and pharmaceutical research and served as an in-house technology and database trainer. She also worked developing and implementing internal knowledge-sharing initiatives. After graduating with an MLIS from University of British Columbia in 1998, she worked at King County Hazardous Waste Library as a specialized librarian in hazardous waste information and outreach. From 1999-2001, she worked with the Gates Foundation's US Library program as a Public Computer Access trainer. As a traveling trainer, she worked with librarians throughout the US and on the Navajo reservation to set up public access computing in their libraries and provide training to both the librarians and the public on how to use the Internet and other software. Technology & Social Change Group: Founded in 1999 as the Center for Internet & Society (CIS), the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) at the University of Washington Information School explores the design, use, and effects of information and communication technologies in communities facing social and economic challenges. Active in over 40 countries, TASCHA brings together a multidisciplinary network of social scientists, engineers, and development practitioners to conduct research, advance knowledge, create public resources, and improve policy and program design. Our purpose? To spark innovation and create more opportunities for those who need it most. To learn more visit tascha.uw.edu. Questions?: Contact Rebecca by email at rmsears(a)uw.edu<mailto:rmsears@uw.edu>

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Fwd: [CSE Undergrad News] IEEE Humanitarian Workshop - tonight!
by Sunil Garg 18 Feb '10

18 Feb '10

Begin forwarded message: > From: Crystal Eney <ceney(a)cs.washington.edu> > Date: February 18, 2010 10:43:11 AM PST > To: ceney(a)cs.washington.edu > Subject: [CSE Undergrad News] IEEE Humanitarian Workshop - tonight! > Reply-To: "Crystal Eney" <ceney(a)cs.washington.edu> > > CSE Undergrad News has posted a new item, 'IEEE Humanitarian Workshop - > tonight!' > > What: 2010 IEEE Humanitarian Workshop > > When: Today, February 18, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:30pm > > Where: EEB 125 > > The objective of the seminar is to create awareness among engineering students > and young professionals on how they can use their skills and knowledge to aid > humanitarian work. At the same time, we aim to leverage on the seminar to > encourage engineers to be personally involved in humanitarian projects. > > Highlights: > * Interesting Keynote Speeches > * Connect with project leaders > * Question and Answer session > * Networking > * Food provided by Jim Johns > > > Thank you! > Josh Scotland > > You may view the latest post at > http://ugradnews.cs.washington.edu/?p=1181 > > You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates are > posted. > Best regards, > Crystal Eney > ceney(a)cs.washington.edu >

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Fwd: Net Impact: Microfinance Panel Today - Wednesday 5:30-7pm (RSVP)
by joe michiels 17 Feb '10

17 Feb '10

Hey Change, Just thought I'd let you know there's a great microfinance panel tonight run by Foster Net Impact and the Finance club. Feel free to come, but please rsvp first using the catalyst link below (requires UW id). -- Joe Michiels 206-240-2332 jmich(a)uw.edu Foster School of Business ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Noel de Turenne <ndeturenne(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 11:07 AM Subject: [Mbabull] Microfinance Speaker Event Reminder PLEASE RSVP To: mbafinancesociety(a)u.washington.edu, mbabull(a)u.washington.edu *The Finance Society and & Net Impact Present:* *Microfinance Panel * *"Different Approaches to Microfinance"* Don't miss this exciting opportunity to meet with representatives from some of Seattle's leading microfinance organizations. Panelist will be discussing their different approaches to global and local development, their positions within their respective organizations, and the different roles for MBAs within the industry. You don't want to miss this special event! Please RSVP Below. ** * * *Speakers: * * * ** *Unitus* Suhasini Singh, Manager, Capital Advisory *Global Partnerships* Jason Henning, Director of Development & Investor Relations *Washington CASH* Michelle Grocke, Evaluations Coordinator *Grameen Foundation * Scott Everett , Technical Program Officer *When*: **Wednesday February 17th, 2010 from 5:30-7pm *Where:* Douglas Forum (room #420), Bank Of America Executive Education Center *Questions: * Please feel free to email Noel de Turenne or Joe Michiels with questions for the panelists *RSVP:* https://catalysttools.washington.edu/webq/survey/noel/95499

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