The Tech Awards Nominations are Open - Technology Benefiting Humanity

The Tech Award Laureates use technology to make the world safer and healthier, more prosperous and just.

Some of the earlier laureates include DESI Power from India and Digital StudyHall from Bangladesh and India. Read more about them.

Applications are open throughout the year.

SEE THE APPLICATION PROCESS HERE

Tech-related Education Scholarships for students from Developing Countries

The Youth Education Scheme (YES) is one of the cornerstones of the ITU-D “Children and Youth” Special Initiative, in support of needy and deserving young people, from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), developing countries and countries in transition who wish to complete their tertiary education in the information and communication technologies (ICTs) and related fields. The objective is to enable motivated young people to contribute to the development of their communities, country and region using their achieved ICT knowledge and skills.

The goal of the selection procedure is to identify talented young people who are unable to complete their studies in ICTs and related fields without financial support.

Following applications are encouraged:
1. Studies related to information and communication technology (ICT)
2. Students who wish to continue their studies in their own country or in a neighboring country
3. Applications from women
4. Applications from indigenous people
5. Applications from persons with disabilities


More Details and Application Details are here

IFPRI Social Media Intern Opportunity

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in Washington DC, is one of the world's leading research institutions on international development and is seeking to fill an internship position in its Communications Division for Summer 2009. The internship offers a unique opportunity to help expand coverage of IFPRI projects through the promotion of research publications and policy-related events on various social media platforms.

Essential Duties:

Under the guidance of IFPRI's Head of Library and Knowledge Management team, the intern will:

·         Maintain up-to-date information on IFPRI's social networking profiles:  Facebook, LinkedIn, Slideshare, YouTube, using each platform's core features

·         Experiment with new social media platforms and offer strategic advice on how IFPRI can leverage its presence in these platforms to reach new audiences

·         Conduct research on best practices for nonprofits participating in online social media and write short briefs based on these findings

·         Monitor IFPRI's mentions in other online media, including blogs and international news sites

·         Track usage statistics and membership rates and work with Library and Knowledge Management team to ensure sustained growth and active participation among online community members

·         Recruit friends, contacts, and networks for IFPRI and encourage online discussions through regular postings and timely responses to friend requests, etc.

·         Attend Communications Working Group Meetings and liaise with program staff to gather appropriate content for posting

·         Participate in production and editing of audio and video content for posting to online media sites

Required Skills:

Student seeking a graduate or undergraduate degree in International Affairs, International Development, Journalism, Communications, or related field. The ideal candidate must possess excellent writing skills and demonstrated experience in online community management. We are looking for someone who is highly organized and able to work flexibly, quickly and collaboratively with technical and non-technical staff alike and be willing to take initiative as new audiences and platforms emerge. Preferred qualification: fluency in a foreign language.

 

To apply:

Please send resume and cover letter to Sarah Immenschuh - s.immenschuh [at] cgiar.org - 202-862-5679

My Technology - Peek into some Indian Grassroot Innovations

I came across this amazing set of videos on grassroot innovations in India. I'm posting some of the interesting ones here.

An umbrella that blocks 80% of UV radiation


A non-electric paddle-driven washing machine


A bicycle that runs faster on bumpy roads


A remote control to burn crackers and avoid fire accidents



Honey Bee Network maintains the biggest database on Indian grassroot innovations & contemporary/traditional innovative practices.
http://knownetgrin.honeybee.org/innovation_database.asp

TED coming to India in Nov'09.. Look Out!

News is out that TED would be coming to India from Nov 4-7, 2009 in Mysore. Lakshmi Pratury (TED India Director) also announced about the India conference at the TED 2009 Long Beach. I hope more details would be released very soon.

Also, while attending TED 2009 at Long Beach, we got to know about an amazing new program called TED Translated. TED along with support from Nokia will roll out a Translation platform that will enable all its talks to be translated into various languages (Hindi and Tamil included too). Each of the talks would be having subtitles that can be enabled within their website. The platform would also enable users from across the globe to translate the TED Talks into any language and share it within their community. Now this is what will help disseminate the "Ideas worth Spreading" :)

I found a raw video of the TED Translated program:


Another new program to look out for is the TED Fellows program that I was privileged to be a part of this year. The fellows program brings together world-changing innovators from around the globe to become a part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

The best thing is application process is currently OPEN for the next TED Global Conference in UK and TED is looking out for approximately 25 Fellows to TEDGlobal in Oxford, and 100 fellows to TEDIndia in Mysore.

Applications for TEDGlobal Fellows
Open: March 6, 2009
Due: April 3, 2009

Applications for TEDIndia Fellows
Open: April 20, 2009
Due: June 15, 2009

You can read about the current TED fellows here and APPLY to be considered for the fellowship program.

2009 TEDGlobal Fellows Applications Open

Applications for fellowships at TEDGlobal 2009 have now opened!

We're excited to begin the search for the inaugural class of TEDGlobal Fellows, who will participate in the TEDGlobal Conference in Oxford, U.K. Following the successful Fellows program launch in Long Beach, CA, we're looking for the next eclectic group of 25 innovators from around the world.

TED Fellows may apply or be nominated by another individual. Please follow this link to apply. To nominate a candidate, email fellows@ted.com. The program will accept applications for fellowships from March 6, 2009 through April 3, 2009.

Who should apply
We are looking for an eclectic, heterogeneous group of young thinkers and doers from the fields of technology, entertainment, design, the sciences, engineering, humanities, the arts, economics, business, journalism, entrepreneurship and NGOs.

We are targeting applicants of ages 21-40 from five target regions: Africa, Asia/Pacific, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East. However, anyone over age 18 from around the world may apply.

For more information the TED Fellows program, please visit http://www.ted.com/fellows.

Unsung Heroes of India

Last night, CNN IBN (a national television channel) hosted its second annual Real Heroes Awards. The event celebrated “ordinary people with extraordinary achievements” across India.

The twenty-four awards given recognized people working for women’s rights, education, the environment, health care, and youth empowerment. Out of those twenty-four heroes, four of them were from the Ashoka family:

• Ela Bhatt is a Senior Ashoka Fellow. She won the Real Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1972, she founded the Self-Employed Women’s Association, or SEWA, as an institution for poor working women to become self-reliant. Ela pioneered micro-financial programs through SEWA, which today has over one million members.

• Anshu Gupta founded Goonj to supply impoverished rural communities with the resources they desperately need. By recycling the materials considered to be waste in urban areas, Goonj provides rural women with sanitary napkins, rural schools with books and supplies, and rural families with clothes to survive the bitter winters.

• Rangaswamy Elango is working on Rural Development by reforming the Panchayati Raj System in Tamil Nadu. She won the award in the category of Rural Development.

• Ashok Rathod is a Youth Venturer who uses football to engage and empower the young people living in his slum. He has used football to wean them away from drugs and abuse, and help them learn the skills for life ahead.
Watch his video at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/this-real-hero-teaches-football-with-a-rider/86583-3.html

Watch the MAIN EVENT VIDEO at: http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/86988/cnnibn-awards-the-real-unsung-heroes-of-india.html

Calling all Women in Mobile for Good!

Another TED Fellow, Katrin Verclas, and her organization MobileActive are doing a special feature on amazing women who are using mobile technology for social change for International Women's Day (March 8).

Are you one? Know anyone? If so, please let us know who they are and how they use mobile technology to make the world a better place. And please spread the word!

We are looking for amazing women from all over the world. The sisterhood at MobileActive is doing great work in Liberia, Pakistan, South Africa, USA, Mexico, Niger, India, Senegal, Mozambique, etc -- you name it :) Watch MobileActive.org on March 8th for more fun :)

So, please look around in your circles of amazing (mobile) women and let us know who comes to your mind! Last date to send your entries - 8th March. You can email at katrin@mobileactive.org

New Media & Blog Camps - Delhi & Bangalore, March 2009

The Indian Blog and New Media Society & IndiBlogger.in are pleased to invite you to the latest editions of the New Media and Blog Camps in March 2009 in Delhi and Bangalore.

What is New Media & Blog Camp?
The event is an unconference where a relevant audience comes together to talk about/ discuss/ rant/ brainstorm/ share opinions on all possible subjects related to new media and blogging. BarCamp style, these are open events where anyone may sign up to attend and choose to speak on a topic of common interest.

This is the second edition of the event in Delhi and the first in Bangalore.

Who is organizing the events?
The event is being organized by the Indian Blog and New Media Society (www.ibnms.com), the umbrella body for this space in India.

Attendees
These events are attended by many kinds of people, each with their own interest in this space. These include, besides others:

• Users, content creators and publishers of new media and blogs
• Individuals and companies providing services in this space
• VCs, Angel Funds and other investors
• Techies
• Journalists looking to or already using new media as an outlet for their work
• Consumers and readers of new media and blog
• PR, Advertising and Communications industry
• Social Media practitioners and users

There is no restriction on anyone participating nor is there an entry fee. Total audience size is expected to be 300, an optimum number to allow for quality discussions.

Schedule
Delhi: March 7
Bangalore: March 14 (and March 15 too probably)

Sessions run from around 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. The schedule is drawn up at the last minute as speakers come and pick up an available slot.

Possible Topics to be Covered
The following are some of the broad categories under which speakers will address the audience. This list is not exhaustive, nor restrictive in any way. Speakers are welcome to come forward and select any relevant topic:

• Investment & Monetising New Media & Blog Properties (covering VCs, revenue streams etc.)
• Multimedia
  • Photoblogging including Photo Sharing on sites like Flickr, Snapfish and PhotoFlock
  • Podcasting
  • Vlogging a.k.a. Video Blogging including Video Sharing on sites like YouTube
• Blogging & Platforms
  • WordPress, Blogspot, Live Journal
  • User Generated Sites like TripAdvisor, OkTataByeBye, HolidayIQ, WAYN etc.
  • Regional Language Blogging
  • Moblogging
  • Blogging via mobile
  • Photoblogging & Vlogging via Mobile
  • Tips & Tricks regarding different blog platforms
  • WordPress Plugins
  • Microblogging (Tumblr, Twitter etc.)
• PR and Advertising 2.0
• New Media vs Old Media, Citizen Journalism
• Demo: Come and demonstrate a new product or application
• Social Media
• Basics of New Media and Blogging
• Hardware and Software for the above

Would you like to speak or attend the event?
You are welcome to speak at the event or attend the same in your individual capacity. It is a great way to network with and understand this space.

Follow the links to the wikis given below to register, get information on the venues and stay updated on the events:

Delhi Event Wiki: http://wiki.ibnms.com/BlogCampDelhi2
Bangalore Event Wiki: http://wiki.ibnms.com/BlogCampBengaluru