January 2012 - change - Mailing Lists

Dell Social Innovation Challenge
by Yaw Anokwa 16 Jan '12

16 Jan '12

$50,000 Grand Prize. http://dellchallenge.org/ Our challenge is open to students from any university in the world, in any field of study. Get ready to connect to a huge global innovation community! You'll get the tools and mentoring you need to take your idea to the next level, and you could win more than $140,000 in cash prizes! The deadline to enter for Global Award & Expertise Award judging is February 13, 2012. ABOUT THE CHALLENGE "What if every student who believed they could change the world actually had the tools to do it?" That's what the Dell Social Innovation Challenge is all about. Since 2007, more than 15,000 students from 90 countries have proposed more than 3,000 ideas for tackling social and environmental problems. We give participants the mentoring, tools and cash prizes needed to take their projects to the next level. We've awarded more than $350,000 to teams from around the world who've had the courage, vision and passion to turn their 'What Ifs' into action. Our challenge is a project of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. Dell is our title sponsor. WHO CAN ENTER Any undergrad or graduate student in any field of study, from any country, can enter our challenge. This isn't your traditional business plan competition -- you can enter a project at any stage, whether you've just thought of an idea or are already running an organization. It doesn't matter if your idea is nonprofit or for-profit. Great ideas come from anywhere and everywhere, so let's hear yours! Most projects are lead by teams of students. If you need more help, our full challenge website, will let you to connect with potential team members.

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Google Policy Fellowship
by Yaw Anokwa 16 Jan '12

16 Jan '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <techbridgeworld-students-request(a)lists.andrew.cmu.edu> Google is now accepting 2012 Policy Fellowship applications in conjunction with the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative (OTI). Students from all majors and degree programs who are passionate about technology and telecommunications policy issues are encouraged to apply. We are especially interested in candidates with an economic, social sciences research, or technological background. The selected candidate will work closely with OTI for ten weeks during the summer of 2012 FELLOWSHIP FOCUS AREAS Working with OTI provides Google Fellow's with the opportunity to perform in-depth research and analysis in technology and telecommunications-related issues. From technology development and research projects like Commotion Wireless and Measurement Lab to community based research dedicated to better understanding and solving the digital divide, OTI's work sits at the intersection of telecommunications policy and the Internet, with a focus on analyzing issues from a technological, policy, and community perspective. Candidates with an interest in broadband adoption and access strategies, wireless networking, broadband infrastructure, broadband measurement, online privacy, and Internet freedom are encouraged to apply. Fellows can potentially be involved in more than one focus area over the summer, though please let us know if you have a specific interest or a related background. APPLICATION PROCESS Please apply online. For more details of the fellowship program and application, please visit Google's website: http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/ The deadline for application is February 3, 2012.

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Nicolás di Tada on InSTEDD
by Nicola Dell 16 Jan '12

16 Jan '12

This Thursday at Change Nicolás di Tada will be speaking about the work he has been doing at InSTEDD. *About InSTEDD:* InSTEDD has a unique offering — we design and use open source technology tools to help partners enhance collaboration and improve information flow and knowledge sharing to better deliver critical services to vulnerable populations. With long term sustainability in mind, our interdisciplinary team of public health experts, scientists, and software engineers helps build local capacity to solve critical health, safety and development problems. We are committed to evaluating the impact of our programs, documenting best practices, and sharing the results of our work. InSTEDD’s innovative approach, which facilitates collective action by local partners, is being successfully applied around the world — from pioneering efforts to integrate disease surveillance and response systems in Southeast Asia to implementation of a nationwide communications system to aid victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. We are a non-profit; our partners include community groups, government agencies, leading universities, private sector companies, and humanitarian organizations. *About Nicolás: * Nicolás spends most of his time as a software designer, developer and project manager, crafting software with a strong technical and scientific background. Prior to starting his company, Manas Technology Solutions, Nicolás spent 10 years as a software architect and project leader for a diverse range of organizations, including startups and large corporations, acquiring a varied background in information retrieval, machine learning, information visualization and web application development During the last 7 years, he founded two other companies in the fields of e-Learning and consumer-end social applications and guided several development teams through a wide variety of projects, ranging from digital photogrammetry and biomedical signal processing to internet research tools and enterprise applications. Working both for small startups and Fortune 500 companies in various countries and cultures, his teams have always proudly delivered usable and effective software on time. Passionate about the possibilities of the convergence between technology, science and art, Nicolas currently leads the design and development of InSTEDD’s software platform, coordinating the distributed development team, open source contributors, interns and volunteers. *What:* Nicolás di Tada on InSTEDD. *When:* Thursday, January 19th at Noon *Where:* Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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Fwd: Call For Papers: IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference 2012
by Gaetano Borriello 13 Jan '12

13 Jan '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <conference-services(a)ieee.org> Date: Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 7:00 PM Subject: Call For Papers: IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference 2012 To: gaetano(a)cs.washington.edu ** [image: IEEE logo] <http://www.ieee.org/> [image: GHTC Logo]<http://www.ieeeghtc.org/> *IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference* Seattle, WA USA October 30 - November 1, 2011 www.ieeeghtc.org Dear IEEE Members, On behalf of the organizing committee, I am pleased to announce the 2012 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC) on 21 to 24 October 2012, in Seattle, Washington. This 2nd annual premier conference provides the perfect venue for anyone involved in humanitarian projects to join their peers in Seattle. The audience for this conference will include technologists, representatives from NGOs, governments, academe, funders and industry. This will provide an opportunity to share your work, meet others involved in humanitarian technology, create new projects and meet with funders. Our sessions will address a wide range of topics and we hope you’ll submit a paper and plan to join us in Seattle. Home to a growing medical and biotech industry along with world leading software companies and a host of foundations you’ll find the conference can offer a wealth of opportunities to improve your knowledge, increase your network and expand your reach. We look forward to seeing you in Seattle. Call for Papers - Full Paper Submission: April 20, 2012 - Acceptance Papers Final Version Submission: August 6, 2012 Technical Sessions: - Health, Medical Technology and Telemedicine - Disaster Warning and Response - Water Planning, Availability and Quality - Power for Off-Grid Users - Power Infrastructure / Renewable / Sustainable Energy - Connectivity and Communications Technologies for Remote Locations - Educational Technologies - Agricultural Technologies - Humanitarian Challenges and Opportunities Conference Program include welcome reception, tutorial sessions, poster sessions, social networking. Best Regards, Paul Kostek Chair 2012 GHTC Photos from GHTC 2011 [image: GHTC 2011 Photo] <http://www.ieeeghtc.org/> ------------------------------ To: IEEE members in Region 3 <http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/3/ <http://sites.ieee.org/r9/>> Region 6 <http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/6/ <http://sites.ieee.org/r9/>> Region 10 <http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/10 <http://sites.ieee.org/r9/>> To unsubscribe from E-Notices, visit http://ewh.ieee.org/enotice/options.php?LN=CONF. Please be certain to include your IEEE member number. If you need assistance with your E-Notice subscription, please visit https://supportcenter.ieee.org. [image: IEEE Footer with mailing address] <http://www.ieee.org/>

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Fwd: [DEV 2012] conference dates: March 11-12
by Gaetano Borriello 12 Jan '12

12 Jan '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Date: Thursday, January 12, 2012 Subject: [DEV 2012] conference dates: March 11-12 To: Gaetano Borriello <gaetano(a)cs.washington.edu> Dear Gaetano Borriello, We are writing to clarify the dates of the DEV conference. The conference will be held on March 11-12, which includes one day of overlap with the co-located ICTD conference. Please note that this is different (by one day) from the dates advertised in the call for papers, which unfortuantely contained an error. Attendees of DEV need to register for the conference, even if you are also attending ICTD. Details on the registration process, as well as the program, will be posted within the next week. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta! Bill Thies Gaetano Borriello PC Co-chairs

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IDEO Interns - summer + beyond
by Yaw Anokwa 10 Jan '12

10 Jan '12

IDEO also has positions at IDEO.org, a non-profit organization focused on poverty-related challenges and spreading human-centered design through the social sector. More at http://ideo.org/careers ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Meghann Dryer <mdryer(a)ideo.com> Date: Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 2:15 PM Subject: Interns - summer + beyond To: San Francisco - All <sanfrancisco-all(a)ideo.com>, Palo Alto - All <paloalto-all(a)ideo.com> Good people, We're heading into intern season (read: intern season is all year!), and to reflect this, we've now posted all design community internships on the IDEO.com website. Please spread widely and let your friends, family and professional networks know that we're hiring for the summer and beyond. Most postings say we'd like to have applications by early March, but we'll look at longer-term interns (think 6 months to one year) and we'll also start taking interns now if we find great people. Find postings here, listed under "Student Internships." http://www.ideo.com/contact/#careers Thanks for your help! Meg + the recruiting team

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Ted McCarthy on screen reader use among the visually impaired in India.
by Nicola Dell 09 Jan '12

09 Jan '12

This Thursday at Change Ted McCarthy from the University of Michigan will be discussing screen reader use among the visually impaired in India and sharing the results of a study conducted last summer in Bangalore, India with Microsoft Research, where he worked with Joyojeet Pal (Univ. of Michigan) and Ed Cutrell (MSR). While the study was largely exploratory in examining the ways in which members of the visually impaired (VI) community use screen reader technologies, the research led to several interesting discoveries, particularly the nature surrounding VI preference for one screen reader software over another, and factors leading to (or preventing) the switch in use between one software program and another. The study focused especially on the two most dominant screen reader programs according to our survey and others, JAWS and NVDA, the first a ~$1000 software (and the most popularly used), and the latter a free and open source program which nevertheless sees far less use by VI persons in India. While the study revealed that piracy was a key factor contributing to the dominance of JAWS over NVDA, it also revealed patterns in the shift in preferences of users over time from "surface" factors such as screen reader text-to-speech quality to computer application support by the screen reader software. The authors show that this may in fact lead to a lower-than-expected adoption of NVDA (the free and open source software) due to that program's strengths and weaknesses relative to JAWS. Ted will discuss the outcomes of the initial research conducted last summer, as well as theoretical frameworks which help to explain the switching phenomenon observed. The results of this research will also be presented at the ICTD 2012 conference this coming March in Atlanta, GA. Ted is a second-year Master's student at the University of Michigan School of Information. He plans to obtain a PhD with a focus on technology use in health care and in developing country contexts. His background prior to Michigan involved an undergraduate focus on cognitive science at Brown University, followed by several years of teaching. Ted will continue to work with Joyojeet Pal and Ed Cutrell to further investigate the use of screen readers in India and elsewhere, and is additionally beginning to explore the use of a mobile app and series of sensors to monitor symptom severity and identify environmental causal factors in patients with syndromes and disorders such as Tourette's, seizure disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and others. *What:* Ted McCarthy on screen reader use among the visually impaired in India. *When:* Thursday, January 12th at Noon *Where:* Paul Allen Center, Room 203

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Internships at Telefonica Research Madrid
by VANESSA FRIAS MARTINEZ 09 Jan '12

09 Jan '12

Telefonica Research Madrid is looking for interns for 2012! Interns will work in the area of data mining and international development, seeking cell phone-based behavioral trends that might provide critical information for emerging regions. Candidates should: - Be enrolled in a CS/EE PhD program, although MSc students with research experience might also be considered. - Have expertise in the areas of machine learning and data mining - Be fluent in Java, Python or Perl - Have expertise in Matlab, R or Weka The internship has a minimum duration of three months. The deadline for submissions is April 15th. Please email your CV to Vanessa Frias-Martinez <vanessa(a)tid.es>. Telefónica is a world leader in the telecommunication sector, with presence in over 23 countries and over 218 million customer accesses (2007). Services offered by the Telefonica group include mobile & fixed line phone, ISP, IPTV, web portals, and others. Telefónica R&D is the innovation company of the Telefónica Group. Owned 100% by Telefónica, it was formed it 1988, with the aim of strengthening the Group's competitiveness through technological innovation. It is the most important private R&D company in Spain, in terms size, activities, resources, and participation in European Research projects. http://www.tid.es/en/ Este mensaje se dirige exclusivamente a su destinatario. Puede consultar nuestra política de envío y recepción de correo electrónico en el enlace situado más abajo. This message is intended exclusively for its addressee. We only send and receive email on the basis of the terms set out at. http://www.tid.es/ES/PAGINAS/disclaimer.aspx

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FW: 2012-13 Fritz/Boeing International Fellowship
by Yaw Anokwa 06 Jan '12

06 Jan '12

Might be a good opportunity to fund some international work. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lindsay Michimoto <lindsaym(a)cs.washington.edu> Date: Fri, Jan 6, 2012 at 16:01 Subject: [Cs-grads] FW: 2012-13 Fritz/Boeing International Fellowship To: cs-grads(a)cs.washington.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2012-13 GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH OR STUDY APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 10, 2012 at 12 noon (PST) For 2012-2013 the Graduate School will award Chester Fritz and Boeing International one-quarter fellowships to support international study or research abroad by UW graduate students. These grants are available to fund research and/or study periods of three months, corresponding to regular UW quarter dates. During the quarter of their award, fellows are required to register for study abroad through the Office of International Programs and Exchanges. The IPE fee is covered by the fellowship. Graduate students in fee-based programs are not eligible to apply. No extra money is included for airfare. In allocating these awards, priority will be given to applications that address the following: · Clear statement of the research and/or study that will be done on the fellowship; · evidence of the relationship between the proposed study/research and the applicant's academic program; · evidence of the necessity to go overseas to conduct the study/research and the relevance of the university or locale to the planned research (including evidence of affiliation, if required or appropriate, to carry out the proposed project); and · evidence of appropriate language competence. Students who have already received a Graduate School Pembroke Award, a Graduate School Fritz or Boeing Fellowship, or Western Europe Travel Grant are ineligible to receive this fellowship. For more information and the application form, please go to: http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/fritz/index.shtml Questions can be directed to the Graduate School Office of Fellowships and Awards: gradappt(a)uw.edu, 206.543.7152.

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Reunite project at U Manchester
by Gaetano Borriello 06 Jan '12

06 Jan '12

http://mlo.cs.man.ac.uk/reunite/ *Smart Way of Saving Lives in Natural Disasters* *University of Manchester (01/04/12) Daniel Cochlin* University of Manchester researchers have developed REUNITE, a mobile and Web platform that features tools designed to quickly and accurately locate missing people, identify those suffering from malnutrition, and point people toward safe zones in the aftermath of a natural disaster. REUNITE enables users to record initial interviews with disaster victims using a smartphone and upload them to a central server. The interviews would be quickly transcribed into a Web searchable format, enabling relief workers on the ground to download them and gain more information from other areas. The researchers, led by Manchester's Gavin Brown, also developed the Where's Safe software that identifies safe areas for people to go to in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Where's Safe is designed to replace a standard emergency radio broadcast system. Brown also developed HeightCatcher, a tool that can calculate infants who are suffering from malnutrition and determine what quantity of fluids they need. "Our results have demonstrated that mobile intelligent systems can be deployed in low-power, high-risk environments, to the benefit of all involved," Brown says.

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