January 2013 - change - Mailing Lists

Mobile clinical decision support for resource-constrained settings
by Joy Ming 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

Just wanted to pass along a project one of my friends is working on at Yale. This is a great opportunity for those of you interested in starting an mHealth project. It seems they have some traction in the medical community and would like to pitch it to WHO! Cheers, Joy *Walimu*, a non-profit working to improve medical care in Uganda, is building a mobile app to help doctors in high-mortality, low-resource settings quickly identify and manage life-threatening conditions. Based around World Health Organization evidence-based guidelines, the app aims to support clinical decision making, leading to fewer undetected conditions, better management procedures, and overall improvement in patient outcomes. Our international team of doctors and researchers is looking for developers excited about building data-driven software for the developing world. For more information, contact Elijah at elijah.goldberg(a)yale.edu. -- Is your code ready to say hello to the world? Harvard Developers for Development www.developersfordevelopment.org ID Hack <http://sites.google.com/site/idhack2013> | Email List<http://git.to/hd4d> | Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/developersfordevelopment> | Twitter<http://twitter.com/harvardd4d>

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TASCHA Talk -- Monday, February 4 -- Do public access ICTs have an impact on socio-economic development? Findings of the Global Impact Study
by Karen Hirst 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

TASCHA TALK - Araba Sey Do public access ICTs have an impact on socio-economic development? Findings of the Global Impact Study Monday -- February 4, 2013, from 12:00-1:30 pm Mary Gates Hall, Room 420 or remotely via Adobe Connect<http://connect.washington.edu/ischool-rcons/> This TASCHA Talk is part of the iSchool's<http://ischool.uw.edu> Research Conversation Series Barely two decades ago, public access information and communication technologies (ICTs) were high on the global development agenda as the best approach to making computers and the internet available to people in low and middle-income countries. Shared access in telecenters, libraries, and similar venues would make ICTs more accessible and affordable. Furthermore, this could be coupled with other valuable services such as digital training, job placement resources, and delivery of government services; thereby charting a path to social and economic inclusion for disadvantaged populations. In recent years, however, this view has fallen out of favor in some government and donor communities, due to a variety of factors - lack of clear evidence of positive socio-economic impact (particularly in terms of returns to investment), the preponderance of internet cafes offering relatively low-cost access while publicly funded models struggle for sustainability, the appearance that public access venues are mostly populated by young people preoccupied with social networking and entertainment, and the apparent redundancy of computers in the wake of mobile telephony. Yet on the ground, based on patronage levels, it appears that public access venues are important to those who use them. And while some agencies are dropping public access from their portfolio of development strategies, others are ramping up their efforts to expand public access to ICTs. Is the dismissal of public access ICTs warranted? Have public access venues outlived their usefulness, or are they (still) effective tools for social inclusion? Is their utility broad-based or limited to particular contexts and areas of endeavor? What precisely are the impacts (if any) they deliver and how? Is public access a perfect substitute for private access to computer and internet technology? Designed and implemented by the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA<http://tascha.uw.edu/>) at the iSchool<http://ischool.uw.edu/>, the Global Impact Study<http://www.globalimpactstudy.org/> was designed to investigate these types of questions, in the largest study of its kind. This iSchool Research Conversation and TASCHA Talk, presented by Araba Sey<http://tascha.uw.edu/author/arabasey/>, discusses insights from the Global Impact Study. It outlines some dimensions of public access as a strategy for socio-economic development, addressing questions such as: who uses public access ICTs and why, what value do users perceive, what types of outcomes have users experienced and in what areas? Based on these findings we suggest how vested interests might realistically characterize the nature of public access impacts and make decisions about the role public access could play in their development agendas. About Dr. Sey Araba Sey<http://tascha.uw.edu/author/arabasey/> is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington's Information School. Her research focuses on the social and economic implications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) including: the dynamics of mobile phone appropriation by low income populations and telecommunication industry actors, the impacts of public access to ICTs, and other manifestations of the interaction between ICTs and socio-economic development issues in low and middle income countries.

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FW: [liberationtech-jobs] Paid internship with TechChange in DC this summer!
by Melody Clark 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

From: liberationtech-jobs-bounces(a)lists.stanford.edu [mailto:liberationtech-jobs-bounces@lists.stanford.edu] On Behalf Of Yosem Companys Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2013 1:13 PM To: Liberationtech Jobs Cc: will(a)techchange.org Subject: [liberationtech-jobs] Paid internship with TechChange in DC this summer! From: will(a)techchange.org<mailto:will@techchange.org> Junior Programmer (Paid) Are you a tech nerd who is also passionate about social change? We are a DC-based startup and a global leader in technology training for international development. Headquartered in a small third-floor office in Washington, DC just south of the Capitol, we deliver online courses to thousands of students in over 70 countries. Are you looking to apply your programming skills at a start-up and make a difference in the world? Responsibilities: * Assist the TechChange leadership in designing online courses and tech-based tools. * Work on coding projects with the Director of Technology and other members of the tech team. * Attend high-level meetings with leaders in the field * Perform other duties throughout depending on organizational needs and priorities. Qualifications: * Proficiency in HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, and MySQL * Familiarity with WordPress, GitHub/Git * Proficiency in AJAX or Node.js is a plus * Knowledge of international relations, development and/or peacebuilding work at the local or international level is a plus * Knowledge of emerging technologies and new media is a plus * Teaching or curriculum design experience is a plus * Ability to manage multiple tasks, work towards multiple goals, problem-solve and prioritize assignments Commitment: Part-time and full time positions available Compensation: Negotiable, based on experience Duration: May 15 - August 31, 2013 Application Due Date: April 30, 2013 Apply: http://techchange.org/employment/junior-programmer-paid/ Students from Washington DC area universities and colleges are encouraged to apply. The same position is also open for the spring and fall so if you are interested in applying for another time period then please indicate in your application.

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Reminder: Information session on Ghana Exploration Seminar - tomorrow & next Monday
by Melody Clark 28 Jan '13

28 Jan '13

Hello! Just a friendly reminder that we will be hosting an information session tomorrow, Tuesday, January 29th from 12-1pm and next Monday, February 4th from 1:30-2:30pm about the Exploration Seminar in Ghana that will take place this coming summer. The seminar focuses on research, development, communication, and technology (more information below). The seminar is 4-weeks long and students can receive graduate or undergraduate credits. (more details below) Information session times and locations Tuesday, January 29, 12:00-1:00pm, Roosevelt Commons Building 402 Monday, February 4, 1:30-2:30pm, Mary Gates Hall 258 If you are unable to attend in person, the information sessions will be available via Adobe Connect here: http://connect.washington.edu/ischool-tascha/. Please enter the room as a guest. If you have any questions about the program, feel free to email us: Araba Sey (arabasey(a)uw.edu<mailto:arabasey@uw.edu>) Chris Rothschild (chriskr(a)uw.edu<mailto:chriskr@uw.edu>) Thank you! ________________________________ Hello! On January 29 and February 4, we will be holding information sessions for an Exploration Seminar in Ghana that will take place this coming summer. The seminar focuses on research, development, communication, and technology (more information below). The seminar is 4-weeks long and students can receive graduate or undergraduate credits. At the information sessions, we will discuss the program, expectations, life in Ghana (food, safety, transportation, etc.), and any other questions you have about the program. Information session times and locations Tuesday, January 29, 12:00-1:00pm, Roosevelt Commons Building 402 Monday, February 4, 1:30-2:30pm, Mary Gates Hall 258 Please come with your questions and concerns. If you cannot make it to either session but still have questions, please feel free to contact us. Thanks! araba _______________________________________________________________ http://studyabroad.washington.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram… PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Ghana ranges from no access in many rural areas to access comparable to some major US cities. What strategies do people with low incomes use to connect to others and get the information they need? How does this impact their lives? We can get answers to these questions through research and direct experience. Whether you are interested in the uses and impacts of ICTs on the lives of people in developing countries, or more generally in information and communication in another country or learning about how to do field research, this seminar is an opportunity to explore researched-based learning through immersion in the people and culture of Ghana. In this seminar students will examine how people in different types of communities (urban and rural) use ICTs in their daily activities and how they feel about the impacts on their well-being. In contrast to historical notions of development where outside agencies determine goals with little input from the target populations, we will focus on development from the perspective of low-income populations. Students can apply the experience to their individual areas of interest, whether they be information systems, health, education, or other fields. The program will provide instruction and practical experience on using field research methods to investigate the role of ICTs in the livelihoods of low and middle-income populations. If you are interested in ICTs, development, or just want to learn more about conducting field research, we encourage you to apply! APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2013 To find out more about this seminar visit the program website<http://studyabroad.washington.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram…> (http://studyabroad.washington.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram…) If you have any questions about the program, feel free to email us: Araba Sey (arabasey(a)uw.edu<mailto:arabasey@uw.edu>) Chris Rothschild (chriskr(a)uw.edu<mailto:chriskr@uw.edu>) -- Melody Clark Technology & Social Change (TASCHA) melclark(a)uw.edu<mailto:melclark@uw.edu> | 206.685.7819 Twitter: @taschagroup<https://twitter.com/taschagroup> | @ictimpact<http://twitter.com/#!/ICTimpact> | @melodyrclark<https://twitter.com/#!/melodyrclark> tascha.uw.edu<http://tascha.uw.edu/>

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Matt Rogge on 3D Printing as a Low Cost Method for Plastics Recycling
by Nicola Dell 27 Jan '13

27 Jan '13

This Tuesday at Change, Matt Rogge will talk about 3D Printing as a Low Cost Method for Plastics Recycling. As the quantity of plastic produced globally continues to increase, the problem of what to do with waste plastic has become more pressing. This is especially true in areas of the world that are not equipped with solid waste management programs let alone recycling programs. Standard plastics processing techniques are mainly done on large industrial scale and are not practical for implementation in difficult to access, resource-limited areas of the world. Our group has been developing large and small format 3D printers as well as a low cost filament extruder as a means to recycle waste plastics into a variety of useful objects. We plan to begin setting up shops in resource-limited areas of the world that can build this equipment. The printers will be put to use producing items that address other pressing needs in areas such as water and sanitation. Composting latrines, drip irrigation components, and more will be produced from locally available waste plastic. Matt Rogge holds degrees in both chemistry and science education. He has worked as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer for over 5 years in Ghana and Panama. During this time he worked with communities in the area of water and sanitation. His work includes hand drilling of water wells, village level pump manufacture, and gravity flow water system design and construction. In the US, Matt has worked as a science teacher and is currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a focus in mechatronics. What: Matt Rogge on 3D Printing as a Low Cost Method for Plastics Recycling When: Tuesday, January 29th at 12 noon Where: The Allen Center, CSE 203

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Harvard and MIT present ID Hack
by Alisa Nguyen 21 Jan '13

21 Jan '13

A few friends and I are starting Developers for Development<http://facebook.com/developersfordevelopment> at Harvard University, an organization that aims to inspire computer science students to apply their skills to international development. Right now we are working with MIT Global Poverty Initiative <http://gpi.mit.edu/> to host ID Hack <http://sites.google.com/site/idhack2013>, a 28-hour hackathon February 22-23, 2013 that will bring together hackers and NGOs to work on problems in international development. Right now we are looking for: - *organizations* who would be interested in sponsoring, pitching projects, providing APIs, and sharing expertise. - *individuals* (hackers, designers, or non-technical participants) who are interested in making a difference in the world--and getting lots of free food and awesome prizes while doing it! Sign up here<http://idhack.eventbrite.com/> It would be awesome if you could share this with anyone you think would be interested. And it would be even more awesome if you could get involved. Please let me know if you have any questions! Thanks, Alisa Nguyen

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Maria Garrido on RT @Leaders #G20: The emergence of influence in protest-related tweeting.
by Nicola Dell 21 Jan '13

21 Jan '13

This Tuesday at Change, Maria Garrido (UW) will present RT @Leaders #G20: The emergence of influence in protest-related tweeting. This is joint work by Alexander Halavais (Quinnipiac University) and Maria Garrido (University of Washington). Does Twitter ever speak with one voice, and if not, whose voice does it speak with? Despite a great deal of interest that has addressed the role of social media in protests, most of this has been abstractly related to whether and to what degree such technologies enable or foment collective action. This research examines the tweets during the protest of the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh in September 2009 to determine which users were most successful in having their messages retweeted, whether there was some common messaging strategy or content that could be discerned in these influential tweets, and how certain users came to gain influence during the period of the protest. A total of 30,296 tweets were archived over a period of eight days (September 21st - 29th 2009) using the #g20 hashtag. This data set captured #g20 tweet activity three days prior to the meeting, the two days when the meeting took place, and three days after it concluded. A network analysis was performed on the retweets to identify the top twenty most retweeted users followed by a content analysis of the tweets that were most central in the network during this eight-day period (a total of 3,000 tweets). This set was then compared with a sample of the same size of tweets from the whole data set to determine if there were differences in the manifest content of the tweet that could help explain why some tweets were more retweeted than others. The most influential tweets came from an interesting mix of traditional sources of journalistic authority, well-organized local grassroots organizations, and a number of individuals that seemed to arrive at the center of the protest tweets without an obvious strategic intent. Understanding the dynamics of Twitter use during protests provides a test case for how the service is used in the context of political protests, and more broadly suggests ways in which seemingly chaotic or distributed conversations do have deep structures that can lead to certain voices being heard more clearly. *Alexander Halavais* is Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Arizona State University, where he researches the role of social media in social change. He is also the president of the Association of Internet Researchers and affiliated with the Digital Media and Learning Hub at the University of California. His work investigates the use of social media by activists, educators, and others hoping to create social change, and he leads a project on the use of learning badges and other alternative credentials. His most recent book is Search Engine Society, and his upcoming book examines new forms of participatory surveillance. *Maria Garrido* is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington’s Information School. Her research explores how people, in communities facing social and economic challenges, use information and communication technologies to promote social change. Much of her work focuses on technology appropriation in the context of social movements and in international migration. Maria holds a Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Washington and a master's degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago. What: Maria Garrido on RT @Leaders #G20: The emergence of influence in protest-related tweeting. When: Tuesday, January 22nd at 12 noon Where: The Allen Center, room CSE 203

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Software Engineer opening at I-TECH Seattle
by Nancy Puttkammer 18 Jan '13

18 Jan '13

We are now hiring for a Software Engineer to work on our successful TrainSMART (Training System Monitoring and Reporting Tool) application as well as other health information and laboratory information systems in I-TECH's portfolio. Please share with friends and colleagues. Alissa Dunloy Global HR Specialist International Training & Education Center for Health (I-TECH) Department of Global Health, University of Washington 901 Boren Ave. Ste. 1100, Seattle, WA 98104 Office: +1(206)616-8696 Fax: +(206)616.9743 Website: www.go2itech.org<http://www.go2itech.org/> I-TECH envisions a world in which all people have access to high quality, compassionate, and equitable health care.

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Joshua Blumenstock on “Big Data” and Development: Empirical Research in Rwanda and Afghanistan
by Nicola Dell 14 Jan '13

14 Jan '13

Please join us for the first Change meeting of the quarter! This Tuesday at Change, Joshua Blumenstock will talk about* “*Big Data” and Development: Empirical Research in Rwanda and Afghanistan Are* *mobile phones really transforming the lives of the world’s poor? In this talk, I will describe how innovative sources of data can provide new insight into the effects of Mobile Money and other phone-based services in developing countries. The talk will focus on a set of early stage projects in Rwanda and Afghanistan that use terabytes of mobile phone data to explore patterns of charity and altruism, migration and mobility, and network diffusion and adoption. By combining such data with randomized control trials and natural experiments, I hope to develop a better understanding of the role of new technologies in social and economic behavior. Joshua Blumenstock is an Assistant Professor at the Information School at the University of Washington. His research focuses on the economic and social impacts of information and communication technologies, and the development of new methods for the quantitative analysis of very large data. Recent projects use terabyte-scale data on network communication to understand the adoption and diffusion of mobile technologies (Pakistan and Mongolia), the welfare implications of Mobile Money (Rwanda and Uganda), and the role of technological innovation in reducing corruption and violence (Afghanistan). Joshua has a Ph.D in Information Management and a M.A. in Economics from U.C. Berkeley, and Bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Computer Science from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. What: Joshua Blumenstock on* “*Big Data” and Development: Empirical Research in Rwanda and Afghanistan When: Tuesday, January 15th at 12 noon Where: The Allen Center, room CSE 203

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Fwd: [TIER] Rethink Relief 2013
by Nicola Dell 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Temina Madon <tmadon(a)berkeley.edu> Date: Thu, Jan 10, 2013 at 8:11 PM Subject: [TIER] Rethink Relief 2013 To: tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [D-Lab-announce] Rethink Relief 2013 Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:06:30 -0500 From: Daniel Mokrauer-Madden <mokrauer(a)mit.edu> To: d-lab-announce(a)mit.edu, D-Lab <d-lab-fall(a)mit.edu>, D-Lab < d-lab-spring(a)mit.edu>, D-Lab <d-lab-trip-leaders(a)mit.edu> Rethink Relief is happening again this year! The idea behind the workshop is to create technologies and systems for humanitarian relief that bridge the gap between short-term relief and long-term sustainable development. They will bring together people with a wide range of interests and backgrounds: relief workers, product designers, current and former residents of relief camps, engineers, teachers and students (and more). Together we will rethink the way that relief is currently practiced, and imagine new ways to build the capabilities of the residents, and eases the transition to sustainable livelihoods when people leave the camps. Rethink Relief is co-hosted by D-Lab at MIT and the Industrial Design Engineering faculty from Delft University of Technology. The workshop will be held at MIT in Boston from 14 - 20 April. Applications are now open on our website, closing on the 25th of January. You can find the application form and learn more about the workshop at the website: www.rethinkrelief.com If you have any questions, please contact: info(a)rethinkrelief.com _______________________________________________ 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

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