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In this issue...
Note from the Chair
After a hiatus this year our newsletter is back and under new direction. I'd like to give a warm welcome to Rob Goodier, SIGHT's new newsletter editor.

One order of business: Please remember to fill out annual reports and submit them by October 15th!

This issue is packed with the year's highlights and events coming up. Read on to learn the news from your fellow SIGHT groups around the world.

And thank you for everything
that you do!

Kartik Kulkarni, Chair, IEEE SIGHT Steering Committee
Conference Watch

SIGHT will have panelists at the Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in Seattle, Washington.
  • Mr. Sarang Shaikh from Karachi SIGHT
  • Mr. Kip Sikes from SIGHT Treasure Valley
  • Ms. Madhuri K from IEEE Madras Section SIGHT
  • Mr. Xun Luo from San Diego SIGHT
  • Mr. Ravindra Joshi from IEEE Delhi SIGHT

Panel discussion 
Investigate low-cost microwave engineering and wireless technology solutions to humanitarian crises at the International Microwave and RF Conference's SIGHT panel session in Hyderabad, India.

Design contest
Submit proposals for microwave and RF technologies in humanitarian service by September 30. The winners will be honored at IMaRC. For more information.

HAM Radio Demo
When disaster shuts down the mainstream lines of communication, HAM radio may be one of the best emergency tools available. SIGHT groups will host an Amateur Radio Station demo at IMaRC to cover the basics of radio operation and offer future training and support for those interested in obtaining a license.
Research Watch

Dr. Raj Madhavan, Chair of the Robotics & Automation Society's SIGHT group, shares his thoughts on the development of technologies and systems that are cost effective, reliable, efficient and can improve the quality of lives of people in under-served and under-developed communities around the globe (cf. pp. 50-52).
Connect With Us
Welcome to our new SIGHTs
September 2015
Click here to see where our new SIGHTs are located.

SIGHT is growing. This year, 18 new SIGHTs have launched in ten countries, for a total of 73 groups in 24 countries. 

The new SIGHTs are:
  • Microwave Theory and Techniques Society
  • Antennas and Propagation Society
  • Society on Social Implications of Technology
  • Seattle SIGHT for Good
  • Madras Artisanal Deep Sea Fishers 
  • SIGHT Rama IEEE USACH 
  • IEEE-Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala Student Branch 
  • Park College of Engineering and Technology
  • Student Branch TKMCE SIGHT 
  • PES Seattle ChapterIEEE Costa Rica Section
  • IEEE Uganda Subsection 
  • IEEE VPCOE Student Branch 
  • KIIT IEEE SIGHT
  • IEEE SIGHT Haiti
  • IEEE Peru SIGHT
  • Panama Section SIGHT
  • IEEE SIGHT Islamabad Section
Welcome! 
SIGHT projects funded for 2015

Delhi SIGHT held a demonstration of solar-powered LED lamps in a shanty town neighborhood of Delhi, as well as a discussion for children, with prizes, in honor of World Environment Day on June 5th.

Lahore SIGHT is holding natural disaster management workshops to train university students to react sensibly during a crisis. The six-month workshop ends with reports due in October. Teams of trained students are then expected to launch workshops in other schools and educate the general public.

Nepal SIGHT  began a project that will install solar-powered water pumps, filtration, chlorination and storage of treated drinking water in four schools in the Dolakha district of Nepal. The Nepal Earthquake Rehabilitation Project - Water Purification projects to benefit 1350 people and construction should wrap up in January 2016.

Santa Clara Valley SIGHT has been funded for the manufacture of its AquaSift disposable water contaminant sensors that can detect arsenic and other toxins in drinking water.

Chile SIGHT held a Technological Caravan in July in which engineering students visited four remote Chilean communities and held educational activities for the children and adults. For children, the students held workshops in electro-magnetism and programming and an installation of interactive blackboards. For adults, the students demonstrated Popsicle stick bridges and shared manuals with useful Web pages for teachers.

SIGHT on e-Health & Telemedicine in Bandung, Indonesia, has been funded to develop Sahabat Bunda (A Mom's Best Friend), which is a mobile app and platform for mothers and midwives to track pregnancies and the progress of new mothers. The technology aims to reduce the burden on time-pressed midwives with too many clients and improve prenatal and pediatric care.

CARG SIGHT  in Bangladesh has been funded to develop solar-powered electric wheelchairs.

Minas SIGHT has been funded to create videos and other educational resources to inform engineering students about the benefits of humanitarian technology and grade-school students about the different fields of engineering.

USACH SIGHT in Chile is developing an interactive product for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) to give them better access to electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers. 
The new minesweeper: Team NUS
The Robotics & Automation Society SIGHT announced the winner of its second Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technology Challenge in May. Team NUS (National University of Singapore), won the award for its performance in the task this year, the development of algorithms for mine detection.

Congratulations Haoyu Bai and colleagues at Team NUS. 
New Deadlines for SIGHT Newsletter Submissions
Share news about your events, innovations and successes with the worldwide SIGHT community. Submit announcements or story ideas by the first of each month for a chance to see it in the next month's edition.

Submission guidelines:
  • 150 words or less
  • Include photos! (with captions)
  • Include Web links! (Interested people will want more information)
Please send correspondence to Rob Goodier at r.goodier@ieee.org. Thank you!