March 2011 - change - Mailing Lists

Paul Yager on Cell-Phone-Based Point-of-Care Diagnostics for the Developing World
by Eleanor O'Rourke 08 Mar '11

08 Mar '11

This Thursday at Change, we will be hosting a talk by professor of bioengineering Paul Yager <http://faculty.washington.edu/yagerp/>, who will discuss his work on developing cell-phone-based point-of-case diagnostics for use in developing countries. He will be joined by bioengineering postdoc Dean Stevens, computer science graduate student Nicola Dell, and undergraduate bioengineering student Sugandhan Venkatachalam, who will speak about their work on the project. *For the last 15 years the Yager lab has been working on development of microfluidic devices for point-of-care diagnostics. Over the last 5 years the lab was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative to develop a system for performing both immunoassays and nucleic acid assays that would work in the low resource settings in the developing world–the DxBox. Inside the DxBox, the immunoassay were performed on a sophisticated disposable, and the assay results were captured using a cell phone chip camera. One of the conclusions of the DxBox project was that to minimize the final cost-per-assay, one of the few possible approaches was to put all the chemistry on an inexpensive (but sophisticated) disposable, and to replace the permanent reader with a camera-equipped cell phone. In collaboration with the Borriello lab, we have been converting protocols that Dean Stevens developed in the DxBox project for quantifying immunoassay results (form a movie from his cell phone) with MatLab into code that runs on the Android phone operating system. We will present the most recent progress on the project.* Please join us for sandwiches, and to learn more about mobile point-of-care diagnostics! *What:* Paul Yager on Cell-Phone-Based Point-of-Care Diagnostics for the Developing World *When:* Thursday, March 10th at noon *Where:* Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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Saurabh Panjwani on Designing for End-to-End Security in Branchless Banking
by Eleanor O'Rourke 07 Mar '11

07 Mar '11

On Monday, March 7 at 11am we will be hosting a roundtable discussion with Saurabh Panjwani <http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/people/saurap/>, a post doc researcher with the Technology for Emerging Markets<http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/groups/tem/> group at Microsoft Research India. Saurabh will be speaking about his work in designing for end-to-end security in branchless banking. *Mobile-based branchless banking has become one of the key mechanisms for extending financial services to low-income populations in the world’s developing regions. One shortcoming of today’s branchless banking systems is that they rely largely on network-layer services for securing transactions and do not implement any application-layer security. Recent results show that several of these systems are, in fact, not end-to-end secure.* ** *We make the case for designing mobile-based branchless banking systems which build security into the application layer and guarantee end-to-end security to system users. We present a threat model which captures the goals of authenticated transactions in these systems and then provide recommendations for solution design based on our model’s requirements and the practical constraints under which these systems operate.* Join us at a special time on Monday to learn more about mobile branchless banking! *What:* Saurabh Panjwani on Designing for End-to-End Security in Branchless Banking *When:* Monday, March 7th from 11am to 12pm *Where:* Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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NYU Center for Tech and Econ Dev
by Gaetano Borriello 06 Mar '11

06 Mar '11

http://cted.nyu.edu/

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The 'killer app' that could help save lives
by Gaetano Borriello 04 Mar '11

04 Mar '11

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/03/04/mobile.microscope.ozcan.m…

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Fwd: [GHDonline] PIH is Hiring a Developer in Haiti
by Yaw Anokwa 04 Mar '11

04 Mar '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: GHDonline <ghdonline(a)ghdonline.org> Date: Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 23:47 Subject: [GHDonline] 2 new items in Health IT To: Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa(a)gmail.com> Partners In Health is seeking to recruit a Java developer to support it's Informatics team in Haiti. This person would lead a team of Haitian software developers in designing new features in OpenMRS. We're looking for a candidate with at least two years of Java experience, excellent leadership and communication skills, and a commitment to social justice. The person would travel extensively between Boston and Haiti, so familiarity with French is a plus. The full job description can be found here: http://tbe.taleo.net/NA1/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=PIH&cws=1&rid=80 If you know of anyone who you think would be a good candidate for this position, please send them our way! This has been a difficult position to fill, so we would appreciate suggestions about good places to post. Ellen Ball Partners In Health Boston, MA USA

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Help with short term project at PATH
by Richard Anderson 03 Mar '11

03 Mar '11

I am looking for one or two people to help with a short term project at PATH. The project comes from a logistics management study in Zambia for medicines and medical supplies. Zambia has requested an assessment of logistics management software that is currently in use. We have a list of about 15 logistics management information systems that are currently and would like to have the products assessed in terms of technology, functionality, usability, and alignment with logistics requirements for Zambia. This work will need to be completed by April 15. Compensation is available. This is also an opportunity to learn about software systems in use in a developing country and to work on a project for PATH. If you are interested, or want additional information, please let me know. Richard Anderson Anderson(a)cs.washington.edu

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Fwd: NSDR 2011 - Deadline March 25, 2011
by Yaw Anokwa 03 Mar '11

03 Mar '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lakshminarayanan Subramanian <s.lakme(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 07:35 Subject: NSDR 2011 - Deadline March 25, 2011 To: sig-dev(a)googlegroups.com Hi all, The NSDR 2011 deadline is fast approaching. Please consider submitting to this workshop. It has certainly established itself as one of the important workshops in the ICTD space over the years. cheers Lakshmi CALL FOR PAPERS 5th ACM Workshop on Networked Systems for Developing Regions (NSDR 2011) Co-located with MobiSys 2011 Washington, D.C., USA June 28th, 2011 http://www.dritte.org/nsdr11 Important Dates * Submission Deadline (Firm): March 25, 2011 (23:59 EST) * Notification: April 25, 2011 * Camera-ready: May 10, 2011 * Workshop: June 28, 2011 Background Following four successful workshops of NSDR at SIGCOMM 2007, SIGCOMM 2008, SOSP 2009, and MobiSys 2010, the 5th ACM Workshop on Networked Systems for Developing Regions (NSDR11) will provide a venue for researchers to propose and discuss ideas concerning the design, implementation and evaluation of new computing and communications technologies to support the sustainable development of developing regions. NSDR specifically focuses on the technical networking and systems research challenges that arise in the development of new computing solutions appropriate for developing regions where conventional solutions are often inappropriate and the development of new research approaches and innovative designs and techniques is often required. NSDR solicits papers that either highlight important networking and systems challenges in this space or describe the deployment and evaluation of novel technologies or applications that address a specific need. Papers, Topics of Interest We encourage submission of position papers or the results of preliminary work describing interesting, original, previously unpublished ideas or results pertaining to the design, implementation and/or evaluation of networks and systems for developing regions. Accepted papers will: * Propose new research directions; * Target a specific application; * Inform design and/or deployment; and/or * Generate lively debate at the workshop. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: * Low-cost wireless connectivity * Intermittent and delay-tolerant systems * Rural network planning and spectrum management protocols and techniques * Mechanisms for emergency and urgent communications * Location-aware systems * Power-efficient systems * Low-cost computing devices * Mobile systems and applications * Middleware and mechanisms for minimizing energy, latency and storage (caching etc) * Adapting content and applications for local languages * User interfaces for low-literacy populations * Shared access devices and infrastructure, including personalization and privacy concerns * Design and evaluation of applications and in-depth case studies in the areas of public health, microfinance, agriculture, e-governance, education, monitoring, disaster management, etc. Submission Instructions Submissions must be no greater than 6 pages (six pages) in length (including figures and references), must use a minimum 10pt font and minimum 1inch margins, must be in the form of a PDF file, and must follow formatting guidelines and instructions at: http://www.dritte.org/nsdr11/submit.html Submissions that deviate from these guidelines will be rejected without consideration. Reviews will be SINGLE-BLIND: authors' names and affiliations should be included in the submission. Authors of accepted papers are expected to present their papers at the workshop. Submissions must be original work not under review at any other workshop, conference or journal. Program Committee Richard Anderson, U. Washington (Program co-chair) Bill Thies, Microsoft Research India (Program co-chair) Muneeb Ali, Princeton Saman Amarasinghe, MIT John Bennett, U. Colorado Gaetano Borrielo, U. Washington Eric Brewer, UC Berkeley S. Keshav, U. Waterloo Jonathan Ledlie, Nokia Research Margaret Martonosi, Princeton Tapan Parikh, UC Berkeley Bhaskar Raman, IIT Bombay Umar Saif, LUMS Lakshmi Subramanian, NYU Steering Committee Elizabeth Belding, UC Santa Barbara Gaetano Borriello, U. Washington Eric Brewer, UC Berkeley Ravi Jain, Google Umar Saif, LUMS Lakshmi Subramanian, NYU -- "Have a dream, pursue it!" -- Anonymous

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Intensive counseling on adhering to HIV treatment improves patient outcomes
by Gaetano Borriello 03 Mar '11

03 Mar '11

http://www.washington.edu/news/articles/uw-study-intensive-adherence-counse…

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Fwd: Seeking applicants for Global Health Corps
by Yaw Anokwa 02 Mar '11

02 Mar '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:22:10 -0500 From: Emily Bearse <emily.bearse(a)ghcorps.org> Subject: [TIER] Seeking applicants for Global Health Corps | Put your tech skills to use in Africa! To: tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu Global Health Corps is searching for some of the world's most promising emerging leaders. The application for the 2011-2012 fellowship year is NOW OPEN on our website at apply.ghcorps.org! This year, Village Health Works in Burundi is looking for an innovative individual to strengthen, manage, and expand their IT system to better serve impoverished Burundians. *Check out the **IT Developer* <http://www.ghcorps.org/placements/it-fellow>* placement with Village Health Works in Burundi. * Global Health Corps aims to mobilize a global community of emerging leaders to build the movement for global health equity. We do this by providing young people with year-long paid fellowships with outstanding organizations working on the frontlines of the fight for global health equity. More information and full descriptions of our 2011-2012 placements can be found on our website at www.ghcorps.org Applicants must be under 30 years old, have earned an undergraduate university degree by July 2011, and be proficient in English. *Please forward this widely to outstanding emerging leaders! Applications are open! Go to http://apply.ghcorps.org * -- Emily Bearse, MPH *Global Health Corps* www.ghcorps.org 330.351.2114 | emily.bearse(a)ghcorps.org

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Discussion on the Role of Gender in Development
by Eleanor O'Rourke 02 Mar '11

02 Mar '11

This Thursday at Change, Monica Caraway and Nell O’Rourke will be leading a discussion about the role of gender in development efforts. They will present a background on gender issues in developing countries and highlight some research indicating that a focus on girls and women in areas like education, micro-finance, and health care can help to increase the effectiveness of development efforts. They will then mention a few ICTD projects that focus on women and lead a discussion around directions for future work. Please join us for sandwiches, and to learn more about the role of gender in development! *What:* Discussion on the Role of Gender in Development *When:* Thursday, March 3rd at noon *Where:* Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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