- change - Mailing Lists

CFP: ICTs, New Media and Social Change in Africa
by Yaw Anokwa 05 May '12

05 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: *Yosem Companys* Date: Thursday, May 3, 2012 Subject: [liberationtech] ICTs, New Media & Social Change in Africa, London, 15 June 2012 To: Liberation Technologies <liberationtech(a)lists.stanford.edu> Cc: Calestous Juma <calestous_juma(a)harvard.edu> CALL FOR PAPERS ICTs, New Media and Social Change in Africa Conference organised by the Africa Media Centre Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), Date: 15 June 2012 Venue: University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2UW In Africa, as in many societies, new technologies increasingly play a prominent role in the production and exchange of information. In spite of their limited penetration on the continent, new information technologies are beginning to have a noticeable effect on politics, activism, culture, entertainment and many other facets of public and private life. There is frequent usage of the Internet and of mobile devices, the rise of influential blogs and news sites, evidence of social media that are more than tools for self-presentation together with the overreliance of major newspapers, radio and television on websites for a broader and more diverse reach in ways that suggest a paradigm shift and the alteration of social values in communication practices today. Evolving media policies, attitudes and use patterns in Africa and the Global South remarkably indicate that the benefits of ICTs and New Media are not confined to the Global North alone. Key questions, however, relate to how new forms of communication technologies have advanced or subverted social change in Africa. The purpose of this one-day conference is to bring together African scholars from diverse disciplines to collectively explore the thematic issue of the transforming role of ICTs and new media. We are concerned to bring to the fore sub-themes of changing production environments, shifts in funding mechanisms, the role of audiences/users, regulation debates and the ICTs’ potential for human development. Wikileaks have, for example, shown how African governments have struggled to maintain transparency and uphold their citizens’ right to information. The Arab Spring and other manifestations of tension and struggle among governments, citizens and terrorists, call for debates on social transformation in the context of new media and ICTs. To address these and similar issues relating to the theorisation of the role and influence of new media technologies in Africa, we invite scholars to submit panel proposals and/ or abstracts in the following and related areas: - Theoretical and Conceptual Issues on New Media and Social Change - Citizen empowerment, Diasporas and new media - Social media for Social Change in Africa - Mediating history in a digital era - Human development and new ICTs - New media tools in politics, persuasion and electioneering - ICTs and Anti-Corruption Campaigns in Africa - Health Communication, ICTs and New Media in Africa - Old Media and New Media in Africa - Regulation of ICTs and new Media in Africa - Resistance, Activism and New Media Cultures in Africa - New Media Practices and Organisations in Africa - Journalism and Media Education in the Digital Age - From Audiences to Consumer-Producers - Mobile Phone Revolutions in Africa DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS The conference organizers welcome abstracts that feature high quality conceptual papers, as well as qualitative and quantitative empirical research papers. Abstracts from individuals including graduate students are welcome. The new deadline for abstracts is Wednesday 2 May 2012. Successful applicants will be notified by Monday 7 May 2012. Abstracts should be 300 words long. They must include the presenter's name, affiliation, email and postal address, together with the title of the paper. Please send abstracts to Helen Cohen atjournalism(a)westminster.ac.uk<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'atjournalism(a)westminster.ac.uk');> PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION This one day conference will take place on Friday 15 June 2012. The fee for registration (which applies to all participants, including presenters) will be £95 with a concessionary rate of £45 for students, to cover all conference documentation, refreshments and administration costs. Registration will open at the end of April 2012.

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The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa, May 8, 5:30pm, Burke Museum
by Yaw Anokwa 05 May '12

05 May '12

>From http://www.world-affairs.org/ai1ec_event/agricultural-innovation-in-africa The World Affairs Council, in partnership with the University of Washington’s Burke Museum, presents a conversation on agricultural innovations in Africa with Calestous Juma, a professor and the Director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Juma will discuss the opportunities that Africa has to transform its agriculture into a force for economic growth. Reception attendees will have the opportunity to see the Burke Museum’s Hungry Planet: What the World Eats exhibit before joining in the discussion, where they can ask their own questions of Dr. Juma. Moderator: Dr. Mary Kay Gugerty, Associate Professor at University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs More Information: Visit http://www.world-affairs.org/could-africa-feed-itself-by-2030/ for more information and resources on this topic. When: May 8, 2012 @ 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Where: University of Washington, Burke Museum (Reception Only) and Kane Hall Room 120 (Lecture) Cost: Reception Member/Student: $20.00, Lecture Only Student: $5.00, Lecture Only Non-Member: $15.00

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Mobile Phone Applications for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector
by Yaw Anokwa 04 May '12

04 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <mobileactive-discuss(a)googlegroups.com> Date: Fri, May 4, 2012 at 9:09 PM Misha Hutchings <mhutchings(a)pacinst.org> May 04 11:11AM -0500 Hi everyone, Thank you to those that responded directly about knowledge sharing around mobile phone applications in the WASH sector. That is an on-going, open call, so please feel free to contact us if you see this sometime after the fact but you're interested. I wanted to advise that we're releasing a report today. Pacific Institute (pacinst.org) and Nexleaf Analytics (nexleaf.org) our WASH SMS project partners, have conducted a study on current mobile phone for development (M4D) applications to identify best practices and help inform future implementation for current and potential implementers, especially those of mobile phone for water, sanitation, and hygiene (mWASH) applications. We surveyed existing projects, including those in the WASH sector and in the region of the first WASH SMS pilot, and documented current design trends and lessons learned. The resulting report provides an overview to help inform our own pilot project in Indonesia, as well as others interested in implementing similar projects in the WASH sector. This study can be found at: http://www.pacinst.org/reports/mwash/index.htm

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List of Social Venture Competitions
by Yaw Anokwa 04 May '12

04 May '12

>From http://www.nyu.edu/reynolds/pdf/NYU%20Reynolds%20Worldwide%20SV%20Competiti… "The NYU Reynolds Program in Social Entrepreneurship is pleased to present this overview of social changemaking and related competitions and fellowship opportunities. We made this listing as comprehensive as possible and new information will be added when additional competitions or fellowships come to our attention. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to submit a fellowship or competition for inclusion in the list, please contact the NYU Reynolds Program at reynoldsprogram(a)nyu.edu; include "Listing of Social Venture Competitions and Related Fellowships" as the subject."

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Job: Technical Program Manager for the GSMA Dev Fund's mFarmer initiative
by Yaw Anokwa 02 May '12

02 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 12:31:45 -0700 From: Jeff Wishnie <jeff(a)wishnie.org> Subject: [TIER] [Job] Technical Program Manager for the GSMA Dev Fund's mFarmer initiative. To: tier <tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu> Hi all, I've heard through contacts at the GSMA that this position is still open (despite an original close date of April 27)?so if you or someone you know is interested, contact them ASAP! best, Jeff ------------------------ Technical Program Manager for the GSMA Dev Fund's mFarmer initiative. Position is based in Nairobi or London. See attached job description and contact Ross Williams at GSMA to apply. >From the GSMA: "If you are interested in applying for this opportunity please email your CV and covering letter, detailing any information relevant to the position which may not already be in your CV, to Ross Williams in the GSMA Recruitment Team - rwilliams(a)gsm.org" Attachment: https://www.millennium.berkeley.edu/pipermail/tier/attachments/20120502/a77…

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Young Innovators Competition
by Yaw Anokwa 02 May '12

02 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- YOUNG INNOVATORS COMPETITION - YOUR INNOVATION ON A WORLD STAGE This is your opportunity to shine a global ICT spotlight on your innovative ideas and digital creativity. Enter the Young Innovators Competition at ITU Telecom World 2012 to show the world how your fresh thinking and talent for technology can provide real-world solutions to real-world problems and change the future for the better. Showcase your innovation on a truly international stage and win the chance to access development workshops, industry expertise and the unparalleled networking potential of World 2012. * Are you 18-25 years old? * Do you have an innovative ICT-based concept or project? * Are you in need of resources to take the next step? * Are you a social entrepreneur? If your answer is yes to these questions, this could be just the competition for you. Any solution using innovative ICT to support development, from concepts to mature projects can compete to win! Finalists will be invited to join us at ITU Telecom World 2012 in Dubai, where they will receive the following: * Up to CHF 10,000 in prize money: great concepts can win up to CHF 5,000; innovative projects can win up to CHF 10,000. * Industry mentorship*: benefit from intensive one-on-one sessions with high level industry mentors, plus their ongoing support over a one-year development period. * Hands-on Workshop:* training sessions focusing on developing entrepreneurial skills. * Networking: Opportunities to build relationships with top ICT names from industry, governments, academia and peers. * Showcase at the InnovatorSpace: demo your submission to our influential audience. Enter the young innovators competition today! Click here <http://world2012.itu.int/enter-the-competition> to submit your application. Use the documents on the right hand side of this page to help prepare your application. Should you require any further information in the meantime, please contact us at: young.innovators(a)itu.int <mailto:young.innovators@itu.int> Quick Links - YOUNG INNOVATORS COMPETITION * Competition Flyer <http://world2012.itu.int/go/download/?file=Competition%20Flyer.pdf> * Competition Detailed overview <http://world2012.itu.int/go/download/?file=Competition%20Detailed%20Overvie…> * Application form <http://world2012.itu.int/go/download/?file=Application%20Form.pdf> * Business plan guidelines <http://world2012.itu.int/go/download/?file=Business%20Plan%20Guidelines.pdf> * Evaluation criteria <http://world2012.itu.int/go/download/?file=Website%20-%20Evaluation%20Crite…> * Terms & Conditions <http://world2012.itu.int/go/download/?file=Website%20-%20Terms%20and%20Cond…> * Contact the Young Innovators Programme <mailto:young.innovators@itu.int>

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African Robotics Network
by Yaw Anokwa 02 May '12

02 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the African Robotics Network includes members from Ghana, South Africa, and Nigeria, as well as African roboticists working outside of Africa, in America and Europe. We also have several key supporters or "affiliate members" outside of Africa, including prominent leaders in the field of robotics. We would like to encourage you to extend an invitation to AFRON to other interested colleagues, particularly in parts of Africa not already included in the network. There is, of course, no cost and no requirement for joining, except an interest in robotics, and excitement about enhancing robotics-related education, research and industry in Africa. ------------------------------**-------------- Announcing: The African Robotics Network (AFRON) http://robotics-africa.org ** All are welcome to an introductory meeting at ICRA on Tues May 15, ** 12 -1pm , at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - Governors Hall IV, Saint Paul, MN The African Robotics Network (AFRON) is a community of institutions, organizations and individuals engaged in robotics in Africa. AFRON seeks to promote communication and collaborations that will enhance robotics-related education, research, and industry on the continent. To achieve this, AFRON organizes projects, meetings and events in Africa and at Robotics and Automation conferences abroad. Established in April 2012, AFRON hosts a website, Facebook page, and moderated email list. There are no subscription fees or dues. To join, please visit the website above and click "Membership". For the purposes of AFRON, "robotics" is broadly defined to include related areas such as automation, computer vision, signal processing, machine learning, and other related topics. Inaugural Project AFRON USD $10 Robot Design Challenge: This is a competition to develop an extremely low-cost programmable robot for education. More information will be announced in June! Membership. Institutions and individuals may join AFRON as regular or affiliated members. Member institutions are represented by a contact person. ? Regular institutional and individual members are engaged in robotics education, research or industry and have direct links to Africa. Examples of such institutional members include universities, research labs, non-profit organizations and companies in Africa. Examples of such individual members include university faculty and researchers; individuals running robotics programs for tertiary, secondary or primary students; African roboticists in the diaspora, and so on. ? Affiliated members are supportive of the AFRON initiative but may not have direct links to Africa or may not be directly engaged in robotics initiatives on the continent. co-Founders: Ayorkor Korsah <akorsah(a)ashesi.edu.gh> Asst. Professor, Computer Science, Ashesi University, Accra, Ghana Ken Goldberg <goldberg(a)berkeley.edu> Professor, IEOR, EECS, Information, UC Berkeley

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Gates Program Officer - Sanitation Innovation Market Readiness
by Yosem Companys 02 May '12

02 May '12

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has posted a job opening for a Program Officer in sanitation innovation market readiness in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene team of the Global Development Program.**** ** ** The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WSH) initiative focuses its efforts on supporting effective, sustainable and scalable ways to assist the 2.5 billion people who lack access to adequate sanitation. The WSH team launched its new strategy in July 2011 under the banner “Let’s Reinvent the Toilet” and is developing an ambitious research and development program to turn this vision into a reality.**** The science and technology initiative within the WSH strategy invests in the development of new technologies and innovative business models. The initiative has made a series of initial investments to support radical technological innovation aimed at step-changes in the sustainability and profitability of sanitation. Our future investments to reinvent the toilet aim to expand and build on these with the objective of making safe and affordable toilets available to many millions of low income consumers and making neighborhoods and cities cleaner and safer. The focus will increasingly support market readiness for uptake of innovation and early stage development and prototyping.**** ** ** The new Program Officer will support the WSH team in making the reinvented toilet a reality.**** ** ** The job description is at this link: Gates Program Officer in Seattle<http://careers.gatesfoundation.org/job/Seattle-Program-Officer-Sanitation-I…>

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Bulletin of the WHO, Special issue on e-health
by Yaw Anokwa 01 May '12

01 May '12

Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2012;90:321-321. doi: 10.2471/BLT.12.000512 In the editorials of this special theme issue on e-health, Najeeb Al-Shorbaji & Antoine Geissbuhler (322) discuss how to establish an evidence base for e-health, while JEWC van Gemert-Pijnen et al. (323) look at ways to improve the credibility of e-health technologies. In the news section, Claire Keeton (326–327) examines ways of measuring e-health impact, while Michael Dumiak (328–329) looks into the future of e-health. In an interview, five leading e-health thinkers (330–331) debate key challenges in the field. http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/5/12-000512/en/index.html

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Fwd: Deadline May 15! Gates Foundation seeks ideas to optimize immunization systems
by Nicola Dell 01 May '12

01 May '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Balderston, Beth <bbalderston(a)path.org> Date: Tue, May 1, 2012 at 8:14 PM Subject: Deadline May 15! Gates Foundation seeks ideas to optimize immunization systems To: "nixdell(a)cs.washington.edu" <nixdell(a)cs.washington.edu> Hi Nicki, Could you post this final reminder to Change? Thanks! -Beth**** ** ** If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may see it online<http://e2.ma/message/x97wb/1krap>. **** Share This: <http://e2.ma/share/outbound/e/x97wb/1krap><http://e2.ma/share/outbound/t/x97wb/1krap><http://e2.ma/share/outbound/f/x97wb/1krap><http://e2.ma/share/outbound/l/x97wb/1krap> **** *Calling everyone with good ideas: engineers, public health professionals, designers, entrepreneurs, students, inventors, nongovernmental organizations, scientists. Please share this announcement with your networks and colleagues. There are only two weeks left—the deadline is May 15!* *What could you prove with $100,000?***** *Gates Foundation seeks bold new ideas to optimize immunization systems* The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations grant program is offering US$100,000 grants to help prove the potential of innovative approaches to optimize immunization systems. Successful projects may be eligible for additional funding up to $1 million.**** *A search for daring solutions* Anyone with a good idea is eligible to submit a two-page proposal. That includes all engineers, public health specialists, entrepreneurs, and students—anyone working in a nongovernmental organization, ministry of health, university, or company.**** *Priority areas for funding* *Vaccine product characteristics: How can we improve vaccine products for use in low-resource settings and make it easier for decision-makers to select products that will meet their needs?* *Examples: Tools for evaluating different product presentations and formulations; low-cost temperature indicators for vaccine vials; packaging solutions to prevent freezing and/or guarantee sterility. * *Supply system design: How can we make vaccine logistics more efficient, cost-effective, and reliable? * *Examples: Innovative solutions for vaccine transport; synergistic partnerships with non-vaccine supply systems; global location information software to optimize logistics and transport.* *Environmental impact: How can we minimize waste, energy use, and environmental impact in vaccine supply systems?* *Examples: Fuel-efficient delivery routes and vehicles; fuel-efficient cooling equipment; equipment that uses alternative fuels; safe treatment of medical waste; other strategies for minimizing environmental impact.* *Information systems: How can we take advantage of information technology in vaccine supply systems*? *Examples: Logistics management and vaccine tracking software; low-cost, durable hardware and devices to improve data collection and accuracy.* *Human resources: How can we better train and mobilize human resources?* *Examples: Innovative training methodologies; incentive systems; educational models that empower national staff to improve the performance of their immunization supply system. * *Vaccination acceptance: How can we increase understanding about the importance of immunizations?* *Examples: Innovative, affordable, and sustainable approaches to increase the understanding, reach, and public acceptance of immunization; creative approaches to address misinformation around immunization in low-income settings.***** Proposed solutions should be daring in premise and clearly different from approaches currently under investigation or in use, with a focus on the operational aspects of immunization systems. Ideas also must have the potential to be scaled up or reproduced in multiple low-resource settings. * ***** *The future of immunization supply systems* The call for proposals builds on work facilitated by project Optimize—a collaboration between PATH and the World Health Organization—to develop a common vision <http://e2.ma/click/x97wb/1krap/tmblt> for the future of immunization supply systems and logistics.**** **** *The submission deadline is May 15, 2012.* If you have questions, please email GCEhelp(a)gatesfoundation.org <GCEhelp@gatesfoundation.org?subject=> or visit the websites linked below. * ***** *For more information* Gates Grand Challenges Explorations call for proposals http://tinyurl.com/immunizationsystems<http://e2.ma/click/x97wb/1krap/9eclt> The Gates Grand Challenges Explorations program www.grandchallenges.org/vxf <http://e2.ma/click/x97wb/1krap/p7clt>**** **** Project Optimize www.path.org/projects/project-optimize.php<http://e2.ma/click/x97wb/1krap/5zdlt> www.who.int/immunization_delivery/systems_policy/optimize/en/<http://e2.ma/click/x97wb/1krap/lselt> **** **** **** *manage*<https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/54892/32403/25216659/?v=a>your preferences | *opt out*<http://e2.ma/optout/x97wb/1krap?r=aHR0cHM6Ly9hcHAuZTJtYS5uZXQvYXBwMi9hdWRpZ…>using *TrueRemove*®. Got this as a forward? *Sign up*<https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/54892/32403.2750099/25216659/?v=a>to receive our future emails. **** ** ** ****

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