March 2014 - change - Mailing Lists

Tomorrow at Change: Cliff Schmidt from Literacy Bridge
by Trevor Perrier 31 Mar '14

31 Mar '14

What: Cliff Schmidt from Literacy Bridge When: Tuesday, April 1st at 12 noon Where: The Allen Center, CSE 203 Join us tomorrow for the first Change seminar of spring quarter. This week we will have a talk by Cliff Schmidt from Literacy Bridge <http://www.literacybridge.org/>. *Abstract *Reaching remote villages with agriculture training and health promotion can dramatically reduce poverty, disease, and hunger. Mobile phones offer a solution in some cases: SMS messages can reach literate users, and voice calls can reach those who own a phone and can easily keep it charged. But in villages with 10% literacy rates, no electricity, and where most women don't own a phone, mobile solutions have failed --- and this is where you find extreme poverty. Radio broadcasts address these challenges but run into others: listeners must be available during the broadcast and they must remember everything they hear. Illiterate users, who cannot take notes, must rely on their memories when the information is needed; otherwise, they need an on-demand solution. Cloud services and smart, connected, devices are increasingly able to distribute digital information right up to the last mile, but not beyond. Join us to discuss our experience leveraging mobile devices, but reaching beyond them with a simple, durable, audio device that provides on-demand messages while capturing metrics and user feedback to send back via mobile technology to cloud-based services. *About The Speaker* Cliff started Literacy Bridge in 2007, leading the development of an audio-based mobile device called the "Talking Book" for people with minimal literacy skills living in rural areas without electricity or Internet access. Literacy Bridge now partners with UNICEF to use Talking Books to reach 40,000 people with new on-demand content every six weeks. Cliff received the Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellow Award by Bill and Melinda Gates and was awarded a Clinton Global Initiative membership by President Bill Clinton. He received the top prize at the Tech Awards in 2012 and Computerworld Honors in 2013, and was selected by the PBS Newshour as one of five Agents for Social Change in 2013.

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Fwd: [TIER] Apply for mBillionth Award 2014: Recognising Mobile Innovations across South Asia
by Nicola Dell 29 Mar '14

29 Mar '14

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Digital Empowerment Foundation <defindia(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Mar 28, 2014 at 1:23 AM Subject: [TIER] Apply for mBillionth Award 2014: Recognising Mobile Innovations across South Asia To: tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu This email was sent to tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu *why did I get this?*<http://defindia.us5.list-manage.com/about?u=c9fe6772e5891b3068ff7cad8&id=9a…> unsubscribe from this list<http://defindia.us5.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=c9fe6772e5891b3068ff7cad8…> update subscription preferences<http://defindia.us5.list-manage.com/profile?u=c9fe6772e5891b3068ff7cad8&id=…> Digital Empowerment Foundation · 44, Kalu Sarai · Delhi 110016 · India _______________________________________________ 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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FW: Exciting Funding Opportunities
by Waylon Brunette 25 Mar '14

25 Mar '14

-----Original Message----- From: Alma Aliaj [mailto:aaliaj@USAID.GOV] Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 3:52 PM Subject: Exciting Funding Opportunities Hi Everyone, I wanted to share several exciting funding opportunities with you all, both within USAID and through external patners. As always please share these with your colleagues and interested students! 1 - Conflict and Development at Texas A&M has a unique student grant opportunity for any student at an accredited university worldwide. Students can earn up to $5000. The deadline for applications is May 14, 2014. The Student Media Grants Program is an annual photojournalism grant awarded to students interested in using innovative methods to research and chronicle issues facing fragile and conflict-affected nations. Interested students should submit a proposal by May 14, 2014, that outlines their intended use of grant funds, with details about locations to be visited, issues to be studied, how the funds will be used and any special needs. They should choose an international development area that reflects issues of food insecurity, health, education, land tenure, poverty, and other issues faced by people in fragile and conflict-affected nations. To learn more and apply, visit: http://condevcenter.org/smgp-2014-open-for-proposals/ 2 - Michigan State University's Global Center for Food Systems Innovation intends to issue a Request for Application (RFA) in April, 2014. The goal of this RFA will be to create innovation in the global food system by finding, incubating and evaluating new and potentially disruptive knowledge and technology based solutions to development challenges, with an emphasis on problems deriving from population growth, climate change and urbanization. GCFSI will provide funding of up to $2,050,000 through three levels of grants in one RFA. To learn more, visit: http://www.crdfglobal.org/grants-and-grantees/current-funding-opportunities… 3 - The Africa Engineering Prize is a new prize program sponsored by the Royal Academy for Engineering, and is intended to spotlight and support African engineers working on development challenges. To learn more and apply, visit: http://www.raeng.org.uk/prizes/africa/default.htm Have a great week, HESN Team

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FW: Map of Future ICT4D Research Priorities
by Melody Clark 25 Mar '14

25 Mar '14

-- Melody Clark Communications Specialist Technology & Social Change (TASCHA) melclark(a)uw.edu<mailto:melclark@uw.edu> | 206.303.7910 Twitter: @taschagroup<https://twitter.com/taschagroup> | @melodyrclark<https://twitter.com/#!/melodyrclark> tascha.uw.edu<http://tascha.uw.edu/> From: "richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:richard.heeks@manchester.ac.uk>" <richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:richard.heeks@manchester.ac.uk>> Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 4:13 AM To: "richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:richard.heeks@manchester.ac.uk>" <richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:richard.heeks@manchester.ac.uk>> Subject: Map of Future ICT4D Research Priorities What should be the future priorities in researching ICT4D? A new online paper – “Future Priorities for Development Informatics Research from the Post-2015 Development Agenda<http://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/medialibrary/IDPM/working_papers/di/di_wp5…>” – analyses the gaps between current ICT4D research and the future post-2015 development agenda. This analysis produces the following map of future ICT4D research priorities, with a quick overview provided in a related blog entry<http://ict4dblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/25/ict4d-research-priorities-from-th…>. [DI Research Priorities Map] Do please pass this along to any contacts you may have who are involved in ICT4D research or advisory roles. With thanks Richard Heeks Director, Centre for Development Informatics University of Manchester, UK http://www.cdi.manchester.ac.uk

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Postdoctoral Position in Peru!
by Mabel K Raza 24 Mar '14

24 Mar '14

Hi all, An interesting opportunity in Peru about a postdoc position at Cayetano Heredia University. Please see attached file for information in English and Spanish. Please forward to anyone who may be interested. Thanks! Mabel -- Mabel K. Raza, MS, PhD

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Please vote for FoneAstra to have a TED talk!
by Sarah Alkire 22 Mar '14

22 Mar '14

Hi all, I've been very lucky to have the opportunity to work on an amazing product (FoneAstra), after years of research! Luckily, one of my colleagues has promoted FoneAstra to get the attention of a TED talk! It's the leader right now. Please vote for it (it's easy, it's on FB): http://bit.ly/1kNbTD9 Let me know if you have any questions! Sarah Alkire UW School of Nursing Technology Innovations in Education and Research Support :: http://nursing.uw.edu/tier Email :: tier(a)uw.edu<mailto:tier@uw.edu> Phone :: 206-685-6615 ?

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Thomas Larson's 150x cell-phone microscope
by Nicola Dell 20 Mar '14

20 Mar '14

Hi everyone, For those of you who attended Thomas Larson's Change talk this winter, you might be interested to know that his 150x microscope is now available on kickstarter. Check it out here: http://kck.st/1gbARwt. Go Thomas!

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Fwd: IEEE Region 10 Humanitarian Technology Conference 2014 (R10 HTC) Call-for-Papers
by Gaetano Borriello 20 Mar '14

20 Mar '14

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: IEEE eNotice <enotice(a)ieee.org> Date: Thu, Mar 20, 2014 at 12:29 PM Subject: IEEE Region 10 Humanitarian Technology Conference 2014 (R10 HTC) Call-for-Papers To: gaetano(a)cs.washington.edu IEEE Region 10 Humanitarian Technology Conference 2014 (R10 HTC) August 6 - 9, 2014 Chennai, Tamilnadu, India http://www.ieeer10htc.org Dear IEEE Members, On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we are pleased to invite you to participate in the program for IEEE Region 10 Humanitarian Technology Conference 2014 (R10 HTC). The Conference will take place on 6th - 9th August 2014, at Hilton Chennai Hotel, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. http://www.ieeer10htc.org This 2nd annual cross disciplinary conference will bring together technologists, engineers, scientists, investors, representatives from NGOs, governments, academia, and industry. The conference will promote discussions and development of Electrical, Communication, Computing, Security and Disaster Relief areas to present results of recent advancements in technology in order to help improve the lives of people. We welcome papers of up to 6 pages in IEEE format. Papers must clearly state: the problem being solved, engineering/computational advances to the state of the art, new results that have been obtained and their significance. Theoretical papers, applied papers, and implemented system papers are all welcome. To be held in Chennai - a community famed for leading edge technological innovations, world class academia researchers, and technology investors - IEEE R10 HTC 2014 will offer a wealth of opportunities to improve your knowledge and expand your network and reach. Paper Submission Link https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ieeer10htc2014 PFA: IEEE R10 HTC-CFP 2014 Important Dates Paper submission: 2nd April 2014 Acceptance notification: 4th June 2014 Camera ready submission: 25th June 2014 Conference: 6th to 9th August 2014 Following the Conference theme of "Engineering a sustainable future for humanity", topics include but are not limited to: * Health, Medical Technology, Telemedicine * Water Planning, Availability & Quality * Disaster Warning, Avoidance and Response * Urban Planning and Sanitation * Reducing Ethnic Conflict and Terrorist Events * Power Infrastructure/Off-grid Power/Renewable and Sustainable Energy * Connectivity and Communications * Conservation of Natural Resources * Technologies (data/voice) for Remote Locations * Educational Technologies * Agricultural Technologies * Applying Science, Engineering and Technology for Environmental Sustainability * Humanitarian Challenges and Opportunities The Conference Program will include paper presentations, plenary and invited talks, tutorial sessions, poster sessions, exhibits, many opportunities for social and professional networking, and four contests: * Student Paper Contest * Student Poster Contest * Student Project Contest * Photo/Short-Video Contest Whether you are interested in humanitarian activities in the developed or developing countries, we look forward to seeing you at Singara Chennai for IEEE R10 HTC 2014 this coming August. Best Regards, Rangarajan T S (ranga(a)ieee.org) Conference Chair, R10 HTC 2014 ============================================================ IEEE Region 6: http://www.ieee-region6.org/ Manage your IEEE Communications Preferences: https://www.ieee.org/profile/commprefs/showcommPrefpage.html Unsubscribe from IEEE Region 6 eNotices: http://bmsmail2.ieee.org:80/ctd/listsub?RID=1-1ZM57A5&CON=1-1AH-4427&PRO=&A… ============================================================ IEEE 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA http://www.ieee.org/

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Fwd: [TIER] Berkeley MBA Looking for a Technical Cofounder in Mobile Money and Remittances
by Yaw Anokwa 20 Mar '14

20 Mar '14

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Kurtis Heimerl <kheimerl(a)cs.berkeley.edu> Date: Wed, Mar 19, 2014 at 9:46 PM Subject: [TIER] Berkeley MBA Looking for a Technical Cofounder in Mobile Money and Remittances To: eecs-grads-jobs(a)eecs.berkeley.edu, Khadar Ahmed <khadar_ahmed(a)mba.berkeley.edu>, tier <tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu> My friend Khadar is looking for a technical cofounder in the space of mobile money and remittances. His bio and business pitch are below: Khadar Ahmed was born in Somalia and moved to Kenya with his family due to the civil war in Somalia in 1991 where he spent five years in refugee camps without access to education. Through remittance from his father who moved to the US a few months earlier, the family moved to Garissa, Kenya in 1995, where young Khadar started attending school. In 2000, Khadar had the opportunity to reunite with his father in the United States. After earning a degree in Biology with a minor in Finance at Washington State University, he completed an accounting certificate graduate program at the University of Washington and earned his CPA certification in the state of Washington. Khadar joined Ernst & Young's Assurance practice and successfully completed quarterly reviews and year-end audits for Fortune 500 companies. He also worked at Blackrock's business operations team and provided excellent client service to large institutional investors. Khadar is currently a first year full-time MBA candidate at the Haas School of Business, studying finance and entrepreneurship. "Since moving to the US, I have experienced firsthand the limitation of the current remittance options available to those sending money back home. The current system is based on an old mentality and dated technology. It's expensive, inconvenient and unreliable. I believe there is a better way. By leveraging mobile and other technologies that exist today, I want to improve and lower the cost of international money transfers. I want to build a company that allows anyone with an internet access enabled device to send money to mobile phone wallets globally. Remittance sent back home is a lifeline to millions of people. I am eager to disrupt this market and make a difference in people's lives. I am excited!!! If you are excited, please reach out to Khadar Ahmed khadar_ahmed(a)mba.berkeley.edu)" _______________________________________________ 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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Fwd: [TIER] AirJaldi Hiring - CTO
by Yaw Anokwa 20 Mar '14

20 Mar '14

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Ginguld <michael(a)airjaldi.net> Date: Thu, Mar 20, 2014 at 4:12 AM Subject: [TIER] AirJaldi Hiring - CTO To: tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu Some of you know us, some may know we are expanding and looking for people. Here goes: *Seeking Qualified Applicants for the position of * *Chief Technical Officer (CTO)/Technical Team Leader* *Location: Dharamsala, HP, India(main), Delhi, India* Rural Broadband Pvt. Ltd., founded in 2009, is an innovative leader in building and operating wireless broadband networks in rural areas. Operating under the brand name AirJaldi, we built and manage networks in five states across India and are expanding further within India and elsewhere. A related entity, AirJaldi Research and Innovtion, carries out capacity-building activities in the field of rural connectivity and hands-on research and development activities. Rural Broadband Pvt. Ltd., founded in 2009, is an innovative leader in building and operating wireless broadband networks in rural areas. Operating under the brand name AirJaldi, we built and manage networks in five states across India and plan to expand further within India and elsewhere. We are looking for a highly-motivated and experienced person to lead our technical team and be an integral part of the team that takes AirJaldi further in size, reach and quality. The job is based in Dharamsala, HP, India and in Delhi, India, with a certain amount of travel to networks and field sites. Your technical work will be supervised and monitored by AirJaldi's Director of Strategy and Operations. The minimum duration for this position is 24 months. Our intention is to offer a longer-term contract and involvement as you successfully and happily integrate yourself with our team. *Responsibilities/Scope of Work: * · Lead AirJaldi's technical team, with specific focus on: o Manage and further develop AirJaldi's F/OSS-based NOC, relays and CPE systems. o Researching, testing and adapting low-cost and F/OSS and hardware products for use in the AirJaldi Networks. o Document work and prepare Operation manuals on setting up, configuring and operating equipment and services used as part of the AirJaldi network systems. o Assist in other AirJaldi tasks as needed and required by AirJaldi's management team. · Help in creating and delivering professional training programs: o Provide technical support and advice to AirJaldi's training materials' development team. o Participate (occasionally) in training sessions for Airjaldi team members and others. · Represent AirJaldi in online and public technical forums. · Assist in other AirJaldi tasks as needed and required by AirJaldi's management team *Qualifications / Skills / Experience * · Extensive hands-on experience with administration of GNU/Linux and Linux-based network servers. Past employment with an ISP a significant advantage, hosting-facility or IT department of a large enterprise a major plus. · Relevant academic and/or professional credentials. · You should be very confident with the following terms, protocols, servers and environments: multilayer IP switching and routing, firewalls (iptables), Policy-routing, DNS management and debugging, SMTP, POP/IMAP, HTTP (apache), Squid, Radius, LDAP, VPNs (OpenVPN), etc. · Familiarity with NMS and network provisioning systems is essential- the job will require you to work with advanced Nagios-based network monitoring systems. · Familiarity with the use and integration of the following tools and similar ones required: Cacti, SmokePing, MRTG, RRD, SNMP. · Experience with routing protocols, QoS setups, Embedded-Linux, MS-Windows machines support (Samba, wins) a plus. · Previous knowledge of RF a plus. · Previous field experience, in particular in a developing country, a great asset. In order to successfully carry out your work and as importantly, enjoy it and derive as much satisfaction from it as we do, you will need to: · Be willing and able to live in a small, rural setting and travel and work in rural areas across India. · Ability to work within a multi-national multi-lingual and multi-cultural team. · Be an excellent team player - we mean this. Our team is built is based on getting the most from each of our team members, which calls for mutual respect and support. (professional and personal). You will be required to adhere to these principles. *Remuneration* Commensurate with experience and similar operations. *For additional information, please contact: * Michael Ginguld, Director, Strategy and Operations Michael(a)airjaldi.net Tel: (91) 981-604-5880 Michael_gin(a)airjaldi.net -- Michael Ginguld Director, Strategy and Operations Rural Broadband Pvt. Ltd. www.airjaldi.com Tel. (91) 981-604-5880 Skype: michael_gin _______________________________________________ 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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