This is the largest response an HTB or SIGHT call has ever received in its history! It is inspiring to think of all the members who want to conduct humanitarian technology activities through IEEE. HTB and SIGHT are here to support that desire and make your work possible. For those who are interested in applying their expertise in the review of the proposals, we would appreciate your help in determining the strongest candidates. Please let us know by completing this form.

This month, I joined a town hall event on "IEEE and Its Work in the Climate and Sustainability Space'' organized by the IEEE Young Professionals Climate and Sustainability Task Force. The other panelists spoke about topics such as climate initiatives of IEEE, off-grid renewable energy solutions, just and inclusive energy transition, climate resiliency, empowering women in the tech industry, robotics for sustainability, and more.

If your IEEE program or organizational unit is organizing an activity in the coming months and would like a speaker to present about the breadth and width of IEEE HTB offerings, please write to us at [email protected].

I would like to commend Professor Mohamed Essaaidi, the 2023 SIGHT Chair, and his committee members for organizing a wonderful IEEE SIGHT Day. I joined one of the sessions, and look forward to the remaining events, especially the 24 Hours of IEEE SIGHT. I expect it to be a fun time with SIGHT Groups from all over presenting on their past accomplishments and future plans. More information about SIGHT Day activities can be found on the website. Professor Essaaidi also recently presented at the IEEE Region 10 SIGHT Group Chair meeting.

In several weeks, the HTB will hold its first-ever in-person meeting in Boston, USA. This will be an important time for Board members to share ideas, discuss goal progress, and build relationships as we celebrate accomplishments and establish the priorities for the remainder of the year. I have a fabulous team as my Board members this year and we shall all work to accomplish the HTB vision of inspiring and empowering IEEE volunteers around the world carrying out and supporting impactful humanitarian technology activities at the local level.

The panel brought together representatives from IEEE Society on the Social Implications of Technology, IEEE Smart Village, SIGHT, and HTB to discuss “Advancing Emerging Technologies to Address Sustainable Development Challenges.”

Another exciting event in April is IEEE SIGHT Day. As the founding Chair of SIGHT Day, it’s exciting to see this latest iteration and learn of the activities SIGHT Groups are holding. If you weren’t able to attend the Chat with the Chair session I moderated yesterday, visit the SIGHT website to check out the recording.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal to one of the HTB calls for proposals that closed in April. I’m thrilled with the response to the collaborative call that HTB held with the IEEE Communications Society with 24 submissions made from 11 countries. I’ll be working this year to expand this partnership model to other IEEE Societies, and will explore opportunities with IEEE Region Directors as well. Together we will align on joint initiatives that I’m confident will inspire, empower, and engage members across the world.

I’d like to touch on the amazing response to the HTB/SIGHT call for proposals - 177 submissions is an all-time record! - and mention that my fellow HTB Board member Dr. Katherine August and I will identify candidates for the HTB/SIGHT Taenzer program. These are projects that would focus on technical solutions for persons with disabilities or community organizations that primarily serve persons with disabilities. We will also develop a webinar series to highlight relevant topics aligning with the Taenzer program this summer, so stay tuned.

Coming up in May, I will be attending the 8th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals convened by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. This will be an excellent opportunity to explore partnership possibilities with other global organizations in the humanitarian technology and sustainable development space. Then I will be joining the rest of the HTB members in Boston for our in-person meeting.

As the year continues, I look forward to your continued participation in HTB partnership offerings and commit to providing ways for all IEEE members to engage in humanitarian technology activities at IEEE.

Kind Regards,

Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan 

2023 IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board Immediate Past Chair

The IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB) and IEEE SIGHT received an outstanding response to the first calls for proposals of 2023. For the HTB/SIGHT call for proposals to support IEEE member grassroots projects that utilize technology to address pressing needs of the members’ local communities there were 174 submissions from five IEEE Regions and 22 countries. This is a record in the history of HTB (previously HAC) & SIGHT! For the IEEE ComSoc and HTB call for proposals on Internet for All, there were 24 submissions from five IEEE Regions and 11 countries. Committees of reviewers will be carefully evaluating all proposals in the coming months and communicating funding decisions as soon as possible. For those who submitted a proposal, thank you in advance for your patience with the decision process.

In 2011, the SIGHT program was conceptualized and inaugurated in Kerala, India. Today, we have many reasons to celebrate the outstanding work accomplished by SIGHT volunteers. IEEE SIGHT Day 2023 on 28 April is held to foster a spirit of community for the global SIGHT network, increase awareness of IEEE SIGHT within IEEE, promote the opportunity to support SIGHT financially, and celebrate the impact SIGHT volunteers and groups are making. 

Activities have taken place during the week and will continue to be held in the coming days. Past sessions include:

• IEEE President Keynote: Technologists’ Role in Addressing Climate Sustainability
• Chat with the HTB & SIGHT Chairs
• SIGHT Awards Ceremony
• Many SIGHT Groups have also hosted their own events this week

Recordings of past sessions are accessible via the SIGHT website. The 24 Hours of IEEE SIGHT Event will take place on 28 April - SIGHT Groups may sign up to present but all are invited to register and learn about the work of SIGHT Groups from around the world. 

If your SIGHT Group is holding a SIGHT Day activity and you would like to share a message about it with the global community, please send the information to [email protected] with your request to invite others.

Explore the FREE resources of IEEE Reach that can be used within the WIE STAR program as Reach provides everything a teacher needs to bring the history of technology to life in the classroom. Register to attend the upcoming webinar on 24 May at 10:00am (UTC-4:00) to learn more about how technology shapes society and how society shapes it.

IEEE Smart Village (ISV) is a unique, multi-society/council, humanitarian program within IEEE that provides seed funding to local entrepreneurs through a selective process. ISV needs volunteers from students to young professionals to seasoned professionals. Anyone interested in supporting this humanitarian effort to bring electrical engineering technology, education, and entrepreneurial opportunities to underdeveloped communities of the world is welcome to join ISV. Please sign up by filling out this form; for more information visit the ISV website.

ISV is pleased to commemorate the 2023 International Day of Light by the webinar titled, “Enabling Technologies to Combat Illiteracy” with Dr. Pritpal Singh, Dr. Toby Cumberbatch, and Dr. Sudha Balagopalan. This event will showcase the impact of ISV entrepreneurs and volunteers on the theme topic. The webinar will take place on Wednesday 16 May from 1:30 - 2:30pm UTC; register to attend today. 

The EPICS in IEEE Committee is proud to announce the launch of the Access and Abilities Competition. The committee approved 23 projects from around the globe that we believe will help make the world more accessible for all. Check out the list of projects that were funded thanks to the support of the IEEE Foundation and the  Jon C. Taenzer Memorial Fund.

The HTB Ad Hoc Committee on SIGHT Best Practices is cooperating with a number of IEEE organizational units and SIGHT Groups to organize a series of lectures on best practices relevant to engagement with local communities. All are invited to register and participate, and attendees may request a certificate of participation after each webinar.

• 28 March - “Co-designing Ethical Interventions in Resource Constrained Environments” (link to recording on the SIGHT website) with Ms. Miriam Cunningham
  
  
• 17 April - "Avoiding a Graveyard of Solar Panels: How to Make Solar Electric Systems Sustainable" (link to recording on the SIGHT website) with Dr. Pritpal Singh
  
  
• 14 June - ”Empowering Women for Sustainable Climate Resilience” with Mr. Parkash Lohana
  
  
• 06 July - "The Impact of Energy Efficiency on Low Resource Environments” with Dr. Hanan M. Albuflasa

See the SIGHT website for more details about each lecture, and recordings of past events.

If you host an event for SIGHT Day, please report it through IEEE’s vTools Events platform. This is a two step process – you will need to create the event first, and report on its attendance afterwards. When you are creating an event in vTools, be sure to choose the “Humanitarian” category, and “SIGHT” sub-category. You should also list your SIGHT Group as the “host” for the event. Typing in the name or code of your SIGHT Group will allow you to select it.

Become a SIGHT Member - Add SIGHT to your IEEE Membership; it’s free and open to non-members as well. Benefits include the monthly newsletter, first notice of funding opportunities, and increased connectivity with the committees, staff, and volunteer network.

Join a SIGHT Group  - SIGHT Groups around the globe partner with communities and local organizations to work together on sustainable development projects - find your closest group! If a SIGHT Group does not exist in your area, see the SIGHT Toolkit for how to form a new one. 

Support IEEE SIGHT - Your donation of any amount to the IEEE SIGHT fund of the IEEE Foundation helps form the IEEE sustainable development leaders of the future and incubate projects that support IEEE’s mission of advancing technology for the benefit of humanity in communities around the globe.

Important Dates & Upcoming Events

• 28 April - IEEE SIGHT Day
• 17 May - “Good Practices From Robotics For Equality And Democracy Project Tunisia” with Dr. Nizar Rokbani
• 14 June - SIGHT Best Practices webinar, ”Empowering Women for Sustainable Climate Resilience” with Dr. Parkash Lohana
• 06 July - SIGHT Best Practices webinar, "The Impact of Energy Efficiency on Low Resource Environments” with Dr. Hanan M. Albuflasa

Visit the HTB/SIGHT calendar for more humanitarian technology events and activities.