September 2012 - change - Mailing Lists

Fw: 12th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries
by Anupam Jain5 12 Sep '12

12 Sep '12

Call for Papers: WG 9.4: Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries 12th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries Conference Theme: Into the Future: Themes, insights and agendas for ICT4D research and practice Ocho Rios Jamaica, 19-22 May, 2013 Submission Deadline :November 26th, 2012 http://www.ifipwg94.org/ifip-conference-2013 Please circulate widely to your colleagues The Working Group 9.4 of the International Federation for Information Processing gathers scholars and practitioners that deal with the issue on how ICT affects social development. In the last three decades this issue has been attracting scholars from information systems and a variety of other areas such as development studies, political science, political economy, social anthropology, and sociology. The theme of the 12th International Conference of the IFIP 9.4 Working Group 2013 in Jamaica is “Into the Future.” The importance of this theme is fundamental to our research domain, namely how might information and communication technologies shape the future of development within developing counties. At the conference we seek to not only present scholarly conference papers in and around the different tracks but also to provoke thought and discussion in and around how we might set the agenda for the future for ICT4D research and practice. Thus we seek to problematize the past, present and the future of ICT4D. To do this we welcome contributions from a wide range of perspectives. We want to think through the future agenda in the area of ICT4D for theory, methodology and practice. This requires us to not only make clear our own positions but to encourage us to actively question them. The conference thus will seek to promote critical debate across a range of perspectives. In order to organize the discussion, we have 16 tracks that cover a wide range of themes. We look forward to welcoming you to IFIP 9.4 in Jamaica! Niall Hayes (Lancaster University, UK) and Renata Lèbre La Rovere (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazi) Conference Chairs

1 0

Student programmers for global health software projects
by Jan Flowers 11 Sep '12

11 Sep '12

Looking for graduate and undergrad students who program in Java and/or PHP to work on open source global health web-based software[1][2][3][4] with UW I-TECH[6][7]. Healthcare/clinical experience not necessary. Gain experience working here at UW with international teams on projects for Haiti, Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire, Namibia, and Viet Nam. Opportunities for collaboration on posters and publications. Future work includes expansion into mobile development for mHealth with open source tools such as OpenDataKit[8]. Hourly and RA opportunities. Please contact Jan Flowers at jflow2(a)uw.edu<mailto:jflow2@uw.edu> outlining experience and availability. Links: [1] OpenELIS Global - Laboratory Information System<http://sites.google.com/site/openelisglobal/> [2] OpenELIS Global Source Code<http://code.google.com/p/openelisglobal/> [3] iSante Electronic Medical Record System in Haiti<http://code.google.com/p/isante/> [4] OpenMRS Electronic Medical Record in Namibia +<http://www.openmrs.org/> [5] UW CIRG<http://cirg.washington.edu/> [6] UW I-TECH<http://www.go2itech.org/> [7] UW I-TECH Informatics Projects<http://www.go2itech.org/what-we-do/heath-systems-strengthening/informatics-…> [8] UW OpenDataKit<http://www.opendatakit.org/> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jan Flowers Informatics Program Manager, Global Health University of Washington Department of Global Health, International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) School of Nursing, Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems (BNHS) Clinical Informatics Research Group (CIRG) e: jflow2(a)uw.edu<mailto:jflow2@uw.edu> p: 206.334.5263 skype: jan.flowers UW Tower Box 359442, 4333 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle 98195 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 0

Call for Proposals for the UNESCO Mobile Learning Week
by Nicola Dell 11 Sep '12

11 Sep '12

Hello, Please consider posting the Call for Proposals for the UNESCO Mobile Learning Week -- below or at http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/pdf/MLW_Call_for_Propo… Thanks, Steve Vosloo UNESCO Programme Specialist ------------ Call for Proposals: UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 18-22 February 2013 Mobiles for literacy, education quality and gender equality UNESCO is currently inviting proposals to present at Mobile Learning Week 2013 (MLW). This important event will be hosted at the organization’s headquarters in Paris, France from 18-22 February 2013. Presenters will have an opportunity to address an international audience of mobile learning experts, high-level education policy makers, and individuals from relevant NGOs and corporations. To submit a proposal, please review the themes and submission guidelines below. We also encourage you to refer to the website for the First UNESCO MLW which was held in 2011. UNESCO looks forward to receiving your proposal and would like to thank you in advance for your time and participation. Themes Presentations for MLW 2013 should relate directly to one or more of the following themes, which stem from UNESCO’s Education for All (EFA) goals: Mobiles for Literacy: According to the latest data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, approximately 793 million adults lack basic literacy skills, almost one fifth of the world’s adult population. Nearly two-thirds of these people are women and most live in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Literacy levels for millions of children are also disturbingly low. As in the adult population, illiteracy disproportionately affects females and is concentrated in specific geographic regions. UNESCO is committed to understanding how mobile devices—either alone or in combination with other information and communication technology (ICT) and education initiatives—can support the literacy development of adults and children. Presentations focused on this theme should showcase innovative case studies or research that explores how mobile technology is being used (or might be used) to support literacy development. Presentations can also highlight particular policies and practices capable of supporting progress in this area. Mobiles to Support Teachers and Promote High-Quality Education The need to train high-quality teachers is urgent. In order to meet the EFA goal of providing universal primary education, the world needs to train and employ an additional 5.4 million teachers by 2015. Compounding this numerical challenge are concerns surrounding teacher quality. Data collected by the UN has shown that a large number of teachers are unqualified or underprepared to meet the educational demands of the twenty-first century. Far from being evenly distributed, teacher shortages and deficits in teacher quality are most urgent in communities confronting other difficulties, including high unemployment, poverty, unreliable infrastructure, and political instability. Conversations about ICT in Education sometimes overlook the key role played by teachers in learning processes. For this reason, UNESCO wishes to explore, directly rather than as an afterthought, how mobile technologies can (or might) support teachers and contribute to their professional development. Presentations on this theme should illustrate how mobile technologies can help ensure that teachers who work with students are skilled and empowered professionals. Mobiles for Gender Equality in Education For every 100 boys in school in Afghanistan there are just 66 girls. In Somalia gender inequality is even more severe, with only 55 girls in school for every 100 boys. Despite important progress in gender parity, educational opportunities for men and boys and women and girls are often inequitable. Had the world achieved gender equality at the primary level in 2008, there would be an additional 3.6 million girls in school today. While the primary global challenge with respect to gender parity is making education more accessible and inclusive of women and girls, increasingly men and boys are not taking advantage of educational opportunities at the same rate as females, especially at the secondary and post-secondary level. The 2012 UNESCO World Atlas of Gender Equality in Education explains that “whereas the challenge of gender equality was once seen as a simple matter of increasing female enrolments, the situation is now more nuanced.” In light of this data, UNESCO hopes to understand how mobile technologies can help ensure that all people—women and men, girls and boys—have full and equal access to education of good quality. In addition to gender gaps in education, a gender gap also exists in the ownership and use of mobile devices. On average, fewer women than men own mobile phones in low- and middle-income countries. This gap is primarily attributed to the total cost of ownership of mobile devices, technical literacy, and cultural barriers that discourage or prevent some women and girls from owning or using mobile technology. UNESCO wishes to explore how some of these challenges be overcome to ensure that women and girls have full access to mobile learning opportunities. Presentations on this theme should share the best examples of achieving gender equality through the use of mobile technologies. Selection for presentations A review panel comprised of UNESCO members and participating organisations will review submitted presentations. Specifically the panel will be looking for presentations that: Have topical relevance to the themes of MLW 2013. Advance cutting-edge research. Describe innovative pilot projects that can be replicated elsewhere. Introduce new project approaches and designs. Explicate valuable lessons learned. Share projects with implications for mobile learning policies. Presentations in English, Spanish or French will be accepted. Format of presentations and proposal template Presentations should last 15 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for questions and answers. PowerPoint presentations as well as other audiovisual materials are welcome. UNESCO encourages presentations that involve interactivity and engagement. The organization hopes that presenters will involve the audience in dialogue and utilize the expertise of collected participants. Live demos of mobile learning initiatives are especially encouraged. To submit a presentation proposal please use the template below and email it to mlw(a)unesco.org with the subject line MLW 2013. To be considered, presentations must be received by UNESCO on or before midnight Paris time, 15 October 2013. Proposal template (English) - http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/pdf/MLW_Submission_of_… Important dates Call for Proposals 1 September Proposals due to UNESCO By 15 October Notification of selected presenters 15 November Presenters to confirm attendance 22 November Draft presentations due 15 December Final presentations due 15 January UNESCO MLW 18-22 February Thank you for your interest in participating in the MLW. Please note that although there are no registration fees for MLW 2013, presenters and participants will be responsible for all costs associated with attendance. Contact Information For any enquiries related to the MLW please contact us at mlw(a)unesco.org. _______________________________________________ TIER mailing list Website: http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu TIER(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu https://www.millennium.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tier

1 0

Dimagi Fellowships in India
by neal.lesh＠gmail.com 11 Sep '12

11 Sep '12

Hi everybody. Dimagi India is looking to have an exciting year ahead, and we're looking to recruit more fellows to join the team! Please see below if interested. take care, neal ------ <http://www.dimagi.com/> Dimagi is seeking Field Fellows for our expanding work in India. We are looking for adventurous individuals who are eager to work on the front-line with community health workers. These on-the-ground players help us deploy <https://www.commcarehq.org/> CommCare, a mobile app for community health workers to improve health care delivery in urban and rural communities. We have an impressive range of partner organizations across 8 states in India and as a fellow you will travel to field sites from the cloud forests of Maharashtra to the arid deserts of Rajasthan to the dusty plains of Uttar Pradesh to meet with them and their health workers. Your work will include conducting trainings, doing research, and providing support for the CommCare program. You'll join our team of international fellows and share best practices and expertise from across the globe. Our Field Manager program is designed for people seeking field experience. Fellows will receive a small, volunteer stipend to cover living costs, all travel expenses, and healthcare benefits. Position Requirements & Qualifications Requirements: English and a working knowledge of Hindi or another Indian language. Ideal qualifications: . A proven interest in global health and development . International experience . Communication skills necessary to work with a variety of partners and constituents . Planning and problem solving skills that result in successful implementation and follow through on project-based work . Pluses: technical skills, research experience, other foreign languages You: An outstanding communicator and problem solver who adapts easily to new environments, enjoys travel and field work, likes to tinker with things, and prefers autonomy and improvisation to a more specified & managed role. If interested, please send your resume and cover letter to jobs(a)dimagi.com.

1 0

Fwd: IEEE GHTC 2012 Early Bird Registration Extended to September 16, 2012
by Waylon Brunette 09 Sep '12

09 Sep '12

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: IEEE GHTC 2012 Early Bird Registration Extended to September 16, 2012 Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2012 23:38:35 -0400 From: Wan, Gim <GWan(a)vicr.com> GHTC Banner <http://www.ieeeghtc.org/> *Early Bird Registration with Discount Extended to September 16, 2012!**** www.ieeeghtc.org <http://www.ieeeghtc.org/>* ** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *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 includes technologists, representatives from NGOs, governments, academe, funders and industry. Come 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 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. Preliminary Conference Program: http://www.ieeeghtc.org/files/2012/01/Program-Table-072012.pdf Keynote Speakers: http://www.ieeeghtc.org/event/keynote-speakers <http://www.ieeeghtc.org/event/keynote-speakers/> * * *Robert A. Freling, Executive Director of the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF)* * *Gretchen Kalonji, Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO* * *Gertjan Van Stam, CEO of LinkNet Zambia* * *Krista Bauer, Director of Global Program for GE Company* * *Gordon Day, IEEE President and CEO* * *Peter Staecker, IEEE President-Elect* * *Jim Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech* * *Byron Reese, Chief Innovation Officer for Demand Media* * **Tutorials: <http://www.ieeeghtc.org/event/keynote-speakers/>http://www.ieeeghtc.org/event/tutorials** * 1. *Building affordable wireless networks for research, education and humanitarian use.* 2. *Village energy systems: understanding the problem and comparing rural energy options.* 3. *Innovation process for the Base of the Pyramid.* 4. *(ICT) Business models for the Base of the Pyramid.* ** GHTC Patrons ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IEEE Non-Discrimination Policy <http://www.mmsend10.com/link.cfm?r=248835102&sid=19832978&m=2155257&u=IEEEC…>

1 0

Fwd: Jobs Available at an Innovative Tech Startup in Ghana - Please pass through your networks
by Sunil Garg 07 Sep '12

07 Sep '12

I visited Esoko/BusyLab last year and they're definitely doing some cool stuff. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Best <mikeb(a)cc.gatech.edu> Date: Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 3:06 AM Subject: [Lab] Fwd: Jobs Available at an Innovative Tech Startup in Ghana - Please pass through your networks Begin forwarded message: *From: *Laura Drewett <lmdrewett(a)gmail.com> *Date: *September 5, 2012 3:06:02 AM GMT+02:00 *To: *"Laura M. Drewett" <laura(a)esoko.com> *Subject: **Jobs Available at an Innovative Tech Startup in Ghana - Please pass through your networks* Hi All, Esoko is currently recruiting for both tech and business positions, and we need your help. Please circulate this around your networks, or, if you know anyone who is interested in working on for an innovative startup, let me know. Based in Accra, Esoko is an innovative social enterprise that has launched a disruptive new technology for agricultural markets, harnessing mobiles and the free flow of information to transform the way the sector works. Currently in 16 countries, Esoko seeks to improve the lives of smallholder farmers, while contributing to the IT sector in Ghana. Esoko allows farmers, traders, businesses, and projects to connect with the right people and market content through a rural media platform. We are looking for dynamic, fun people to join our team, contribute to our mission, and build our product and consulting services. If you or anyone you know would be interested in joining our team, please encourage them to apply. Check out the full job descriptions on our website: http://www.busylab.com/jobs/index.htm I have also attached a brief summary. Hope you all are well. Laura

1 0

Fwd: Text Messaging to Improve Attendance at Post-Op Clinic Visits after Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention
by Yaw Anokwa 07 Sep '12

07 Sep '12

Text Messaging to Improve Attendance at Post-Operative Clinic Visits after Adult Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention: A Randomized Controlled Trial http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0043832 This was work that was done at UW and it is a pretty interesting read. I'm sure Thomas (info below) can answer any questions you have about the study. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Thomas Odeny <odeny(a)uw.edu> Date: Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 10:51 PM Subject: An Article from PLoS Forwarding for your interest (or to forward to anyone at Change who may be interested in this kind of study) -- Thomas A. Odeny, MBChB, MPH Fogarty International Clinical Research Fellow KEMRI / University of Washington, Seattle WA Email: odeny(a)uw.edu or taodeny(a)gmail.com Tel: +254 722 819 835

1 0

Congratulations to Abie Flaxman
by Gaetano Borriello 04 Sep '12

04 Sep '12

for being named to 2012's TR-35 list. http://www.technologyreview.com/tr35/profile.aspx?trid=1323

2 1

DEV 2013: Important update on paper/poster submissions
by Aaditeshwar Seth 03 Sep '12

03 Sep '12

The DEV 2013 poster abstract submission deadline has been revised to Oct 19th. The paper submission deadline is still Sep 7th, and the papers will be automatically evaluated for a poster as well. Looking forward to some great submissions! sincerely Aaditeshwar Seth, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Richard Anderson, University of Washington ------------------- ACM DEV 2013 3rd Symposium on Computing for Development Co-located with COMSNETS January 11-12, 2013 Bangalore, India http://dev2013.org/ Important Dates: Full papers due: September 7, 2012 (11:59pm UTC) - firm deadline Poster abstracts due: October 19, 2012 (11:59pm UTC) - firm deadline Author notification: October 26, 2012 Camera-ready: December 7, 2012 Conference: January 11-12, 2013 DEV 2013 provides an international forum for research in the design and implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for social and economic development. In particular, we focus on emerging contexts where conventional computing solutions are often inappropriate due to various contextual factors - including, but not limited to, cost, language, literacy, and the availability of power and bandwidth. Papers and posters should describe original and previously unpublished research. Three metrics will be applied to judge the submissions: (a) Relevance of the problem for development; (b) Novelty of the technical solution; (c) Evaluation of the solution, making a case for development-focused impact. All DEV paper submissions should either provide or directly motivate a novel technical solution that has direct implications for development. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Networks/Systems/Security/Architecture Low-cost wireless connectivity Intermittent networks and systems Power-efficient systems Low-cost computing devices Mobile systems and applications Mixed networks, e.g., telephony and IP Special-purpose sensor systems Security challenges in developing regions HCI/Applications User interfaces for low-literacy populations Multi-lingual computing User-interfaces for low-cost devices Participatory methods and user-centered design Accessibility to disabled populations in developing regions Design and evaluation of applications for health, microfinance, education, agriculture, entertainment AI/NLP/Data Mining/Speech/Vision Machine learning techniques for large-scale data analysis in development contexts Adapting content and applications to local languages and education levels Understanding social relationships and information flows in disadvantaged societies Speech interfaces and speech recognition for low-resource languages Development of new AI-centric tools/solutions for development Computer vision challenges in development We also welcome submissions outside of these topics that address the DEV focus on computing innovations supporting social and economic development. Conference co-chairs: Bill Thies, Microsoft Research India <thies(a)microsoft.com> Amit Nanavati, IBM India Research Labs <namit(a)in.ibm.com> PC co-chairs: Richard Anderson, University of Washington <anderson(a)cs.washington.edu> Aaditeshwar Seth, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi <aseth(a)cse.iitd.ernet.in> Program committee (confirmed so far): Aaditeshwar Seth, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Amarjeet Singh, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi Amit Nanavati, IBM India Research Labs Andrew Dearden, Sheffield Hallam University Anirudh Joshi, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Bhaskaran Raman, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Bill Thies, Microsoft Research India Brian DeRenzi, University of Washington Elizabeth Belding, UC Santa Barbara Emma Brunskill, Carnegie Mellon University Etienne Barnard, University of Pretoria Gaetano Borriello, University of Washington James Davis, UC Santa Cruz Jana Iyengar, Franklin and Marshall College Jay Chen, New York University John Bennett, University of Colorado Boulder John Quinn, Makerere University Kentaro Toyama, UC Berkeley Lakshmi Subramanian, New York University Neal Lesh, Dimagi Neil Patel, Awaaz De Niloy Ganguli, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Richard Anderson, University of Washington Roni Rosenfeld, Carnegie Mellon University Saurabh Panjwani, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs India Sharad Jaiswal, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs India Srinivasan Keshav, University of Waterloo Tapan Parikh, UC Berkeley Vanessa Frias Martinez, Telefonica Research

1 0

‘Mobile Moms’ to boost health of women in Timor-Leste
by Gaetano Borriello 31 Aug '12

31 Aug '12

http://www.washington.edu/news/2012/08/31/mobile-moms-to-boost-health-of-wo…

1 0