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IEEE SIGHT Newsletter November 2014
INSPIRE, ENABLE, CONNECT 
In This Issue
Rural education solution
Rickshaw development update
Educational resources
 

N
ote from the Chair    
It has been very exciting to read the semi-annual reports that have come in from SIGHT groups around the world. This has been a busy and productive year for so many of you.

We are looking forward to announcing the 2014 SIGHT awards in next month's newsletter. Thank you for all you do!

 

Kartik Kulkarni, Chair, IEEE SIGHT Steering Committee

Mexican Humanitarian Technology Conference

SIGHT Puebla is organizing the MHTC2015 - IEEE Mexican Humanitarian Technology Conference 2015 to be held March 18 - 20, 2015 in Puebla, M�xico. 

MHTC is a cross-discipline conference for presenting, discussing, and developing technological solutions to social challenges. MHTC attracts presenters and attendees who work to satisfy the needs of populations affected by poverty, disaster, environmental change, and other impacts resulting in their needs being unmet or underserved.
International Humanitarian Technology Conference

We have received late-breaking news that the International Humanitarian Technology Conference (IHTC) has been scheduled for May 31 - June 4, 2015 in Ottawa, Canada. 
The conference will focus on two key areas: humanitarian applications of technologies in disaster mitigation, relief, and recovery; and empowering communities to overcome adversity and achieve sustainable development. 
Abstract submissions are due Nov 30. Questions to Dr. Pritpal Singh.
SIGHT Group News


 
The Philadelphia Section SIGHT has been formed and will be holding an initial meeting in mid-January. The group, led by two Villanova graduates - Amanda DelCore and Mahmoud Kabalan - is actively looking for new members. They hope to attract recent graduates and working professionals in the greater Philadelphia area to work on humanitarian projects. Both co-chairs have experience working on humanitarian technology in developing countries, but hope to develop local applications of humanitarian technology as well. Please contact

[email protected] or
[email protected] for more information.

 

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We want to hear from you!

Please let us know what you would like to read about in upcoming SIGHT newsletters.

Send your suggestions and ideas to Holly Schneider Brown, SIGHT Program Manager, at [email protected]
 
 

 

IEEE SIGHT
445 Hoes Lane
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-4141

 

Drexel SIGHT implements rural education solution in India


 

The main objective of the Drexel University SIGHT, Education through Communication, is to use technology to help address the deficit of quality education in rural areas of the world. 

 

As such, they have developed a "Teaching with Tablets" program that has already demonstrated results in Gujarat, India. The group has been using tablets to teach children from 4th to 8th grade educational topics such as math, English, and music. Using mobile routers to leverage existing telecom infrastructure for internet, they are able to access educational content for the children. The interactive nature of the applications helped to generate interest from the students, and the students have shown significant improvements over the past 18 months while using the tablets.

 

 

 

The program can be adapted to a particular population of local children with the help of local educators or NGOs who have expertise about the learning needs and educational contents to be reinforced by touch-screen devices. The group plans to extend to Mauritius, where local educators have also shown interest in this teaching method.

 

For more information, please contact Education through Communication SIGHT Chair Marco Janko at [email protected].  

Rickshaw development update

 

Last time we heard from CARG SIGHT in Bangladesh, they had just received funding for their project entitled "Power Conservation for Electrically Assisted Rickshaws with PV Support, Torque Sensor Paddle and the Solar Battery Charging Station - A Complete Solution."

 

We recently received some updates on their solar-powered rickshaws which are self-sustaining and independent of the national grid. Much progress is being made and you can even see the rickshaw in action

 

Educational Resources

  

  

 

Simple but Intelligent Solutions for People 

with Health Restrictions  

 

Millions of people in developing countries face urgent needs in basic supply that can be met successfully through appropriate technological solutions. These solutions not only provide the chance to level out acute deficits, but also offer vast opportunities to engage in independent economic business activities and income generation. 

 

The Siemens Stiftung's Empowering People Network - Technologies for Basic Needs aims to make promising solutions accessible and to further their implementation. The Network's Solution Database showcases technological solutions in the main supply categories such as water, energy, food, waste management, ICT, and Health.


 
This E4C webinar will introduce the Network's approach to appropriate solutions and provide expert insight on two outstanding project examples from the network that effectively help people who live with health restrictions and are thus debarred from social and economic integration and participation.


Speakers: Carola Schwank, Siemens Stiftung, Mathilde IweinsOneDollarGlasses, Tish Scolnik, GRIT

Moderator: Carolyn Weimann, Siemens Stiftung

You can also catch a recording of the most recent webinar: Impact Inventing: Strengthening the Ecosystem for Invention-Based Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets