Dear Friend,
Here at Scientists Without Borders (SWB) we foster the use of open, collaborative innovation to generate, share, and advance innovative science and technology-based solutions to the world’s most pressing global development challenges, and we do that by harnessing the knowledge and skills of you, the users, through our website. We have continually tried to improve the function of our site to make user interaction more efficient, and we are just now completing a small round of improvements including a new translation feature that should make the site more functional. This month we are taking two additional steps in our efforts to continually improve; we are sending out surveys to you, our users, to find out how you use the site, and we have started a new discussion group on the site to take your suggestions and provide more details on how to access the full functionality of the site.
One of the recent efforts involved upgrading our security certificate which required a new IP address (numerical website address) for the server and as a result some site visitors may experience difficulty reaching the site. Though this should not be an issue for most, some visitors may see the server home page rather than our homepage and will need to clear their browsers cache. Below are links to instruction on how to clear the cache for some popular browsers if you are having problem accessing our site.
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Thank you for your contributions to solving problems in the developing world and thank you for your help in making the SWB site better. As always, do not hesitate to contact us at administrator@scientistswithoutborders.org with any questions or comments.
Warmest regards,
Shaifali Puri
Executive Director
June eNewsletter: Profiling Solvers Like You
In this month’s newsletter we are highlighting several of the winning solvers who took part in our recent Maternal Health and Nutrition Challenge. These profiles were previously posted on the website, but for those of you who may have missed them, we have reproduced them here. Like you, these solvers are motivated individuals who do not necessarily work full time on creating innovative solutions for the developing world, but who have decided to make a difference by sharing their diverse insight and ideas. They include a group of international graduate students as well as a chemist who also happens to be a triathelete and marathoner. These solvers are just a small sampling of the diversity and expertise that is found in the SWB community. Like these solvers, each of you has something to offer and we invite you to apply your skills toward problems posted on the SWB website.
A Dash of Salt to Fight Birth Defects: The Winning Solution to the Maternal Nutrition and Health Challenge
Humans crave salt no matter what language they speak, or where they live. Carlos Miranda, a New Zealand transplant from Argentina and first place winner of the Scientists Without Borders Maternal Health and Nutrition Challenge, has suggested tapping into this ubiquitous desire for and usage of salt as a way to tackle the challenging and persistent deficiency of folic acid in the diets of women of child-bearing years in the developing world. Deficiency in crucial micronutrients such as folic acid, profoundly contributes to high rates of infant mortality and neural tube defects in the developing world, as well as being a women’s health problem more generally. Carlos, who did his university degree in chemistry and works in the pharmaceutical industry, is no stranger to taking on tough challenges. In fact, he seems to both excel at them and revel in them – just consider the fact that he has run 23 marathons and 50 triathlons. More…
The Power of Teamwork (and Microfinance) to Tackle Micronutrient Deficiencies
One of the most exciting things about our recent Scientists Without Borders Maternal Health and Nutrition Challenge was the incredible diversity of the solvers who submitted solutions and, consequently, the diversity of their ideas for tackling the problem of folic acid deficiency in women of childbearing age in the developing world. When our Advisory Panel was evaluating the large number of submissions we received, they were not privy to the identity of any of the solvers, or even to their location or backgrounds. So, it was fun for all of us, once our three winning entries were selected, to learn about the people behind the submissions, and to see how they demonstrated the power of the Scientists Without Borders platform, and model to unearth and connect creative and passionate problem-solvers from all sorts of backgrounds, across disciplines and geographic lines, and to enable them to tackle pressing global development challenges.
And we could not have made up a better example of this than the third-place winners in our Challenge: a group called The Earth Team. More…
The Earth Team Members. Pictured Left to Right: Eneda Hoxha, PhD Candidate in Medical Genetics and Molecular Biology, Toan Phan, PhD Candidate in International Macro & Development Economics, Chris Wilmer, PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering, and Simeon Bogdanov, PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering.
Contribute or Request Resources via the Exchange
Do you have expertise in a specific field you are willing to share or do you have surplus equipment that you do not use anymore? Consider donating them via our Exchange. Do you need a specific protocol or access to an expert? You can also use the exchange to request these resources. In the spirit of open innovation the Exchange is a place where resources, whether they be equipment or know-how, can be freely exchanged and you are invited to contribute.
To view all items, or to post your own, click here.
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)
October 30 – November 1, 2011 (Seattle, Washington USA)
SWB is an organizational sponsor of GHTC 2011. It is the first annual conference sponsored by IEEE, designed to gather together scientists, engineers, technology professionals, academics, foundations, government and non-government organizations, and individuals engaged in humanitarian work to discuss and develop solutions for present and future humanitarian needs. As an international conference, participants are expected from all over the world to attend a program of invited talks, technical sessions, tutorials, exhibits, networking, and social activities.
For more information or registration please visit: http://www.ieeeghtc.org
