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IEEE SIGHT Newsletter February 2015
INSPIRE, ENABLE, CONNECT 
In This Issue
 

N
ote from the Chair 
   
It's clear that many SIGHT groups are already hard at work this year! We are in the process of forming the 2015 SIGHT Steering Committee and will have more information in the next newsletter. In the meantime, I would like to welcome Dr. Rajnish Gupta, past IEEE Singapore Section Chair and newly appointed Region 10 Humanitarian Technology Activities Coordinator. R10 is already planning a number of SIGHT-related activities in 2015.

 

Kartik Kulkarni, Chair, IEEE SIGHT Steering Committee

SIGHT in the News 
 International Conference on Creativity and Innovation at the Grassroots (ICCIG) held at IIM-Ahmedabad, India
Calls for Papers and Opportunities

  

IEEE Mexican Humanitarian Technology Conference (MHTC) will take place March 18 - 20 in Puebla, Mexico

IEEE AFRICON "Green Innovation for African Renaissance" Sept 14 - 17 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Submit an engineering project you have made yourself to the IEEE DIY Project for exposure and a chance to win $500.

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Access the SIGHT Newsletter Archive
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]
 
 

 

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Taking Stock of SIGHT Stats

 

IEEE SIGHT currently has 57 groups and 5 applications pending approval. These groups are found in 19 countries around the world and include one IEEE Society, so far.


Areas especially targeted for growth in 2015 include Region 8, where we currently have only one group (Kenya), Region 10 outside of India, and IEEE Societies.

 

In 2014, 800+ people participated in SIGHT-sponsored Community Engagement Workshops, and over one dozen volunteers received financial support from SIGHT to present their work at conferences.

 

Currently, SIGHT group focus areas are highly varied, as the graph below illustrates. However, education forms the largest portion with 31% of groups naming it as a top focus area.
 


 

Results of January SIGHT Poll

 

Last month, we asked you what your top SIGHT-related goal for 2015 was. Here's what you said!

 


 
 

Increase the size and/or scale of an existing SIGHT project was the clear winner (36%), with create a SIGHT group and receive funding for a SIGHT project tied for second place (23% each). We will be giving you opportunities to do so soon!

RAS SIGHT Chair's Report from Drones for Good Award in UAE

 

Raj Madhavan, a member of the IEEE SIGHT Steering Committee and Chair of IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) SIGHT, had the honor of serving as one of the judges for the Drones for Good Award that was hosted by the United Arab Emirates government in Dubai. The award is dedicated to transforming Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or popularly referred to as Drones) technologies into practical solutions for improving people's lives today. The award was administered under three categories: government, national, and international. There were over 800 submissions received from 57 countries. 

 

View from the judges' pit.

One of the five finalists in the national category.
uae drones for good dubai event 2015
UAE Drones for Good Event 2015

 

The first prize was AED 1 million for the national winner and USD 1 million for the international winner. The international award and the US$1 million first prize went to Flyability, SA, a spin off from EPFL in Switzerland for their "small, lightweight drone which has the unique capability of being able to collide on obstacles without losing its stability and of being safe to fly in contact with humans." It was an exciting two days to see the contestants demonstrate their creative designs in using drones for the betterment of humanity!

Educational Resources

  

  

 

How to Manage Global Supply Chains in Developing Countries

 

Do you have an idea for an impact product but no idea what the next steps should be to get it to market? Learn how to successfully take your impact product from concept to manufacture and distribution.

 

Speaker: Joseph Fernandez, Founder, Trade Without Borders
E4C's February webinar - Future-proofing Water Systems in Developing Countries - was a huge success! Over 160 attendees from 25 countries joined the live webcast. If you missed it, you can catch it on-demand.