During the event, I had the honor and privilege to meet with the leaders of the Electron Devices Society, the Society for Social Implications of Technology, and IEEE Smart Village and others. Together we worked out ways on how we could further our collaborations to strengthen and promote the humanitarian technology initiatives taking place within IEEE. I enjoyed participating in the humanitarian technology panel discussions where we exchanged views on various humanitarian issues.

During that time, I met with enthusiastic and passionate volunteers from Latin America and offered guidance on how best they could contribute to advancing humanitarian technology. I was proud to share with them the various HTB opportunities to advance their spirit of volunteerism while impacting communities and humanity as a whole.

At its in-person meeting in May, HTB discussed the benefits of capturing information about the many humanitarian technology programs and activities that take place throughout the Institute. For IEEE members and organizational units that conduct these programs, I politely request you to complete the Humanitarian Technology Activities at IEEE form to let us know about them. Providing this information will allow HTB to collect and share meaningful insight into effective humanitarian technology practices and better support those who are doing this type of work.

While decisions for the HTB/SIGHT call for proposals are still underway, I would like to congratulate all volunteers whose projects have been approved so far. I wish you all tremendous success as you implement your projects for the benefit of our communities and humanity as whole. For those still waiting for an answer, I ask for your patience as the HTB Best Practices and Projects Committee work to review the remaining proposals as fast as they can. 

At this point in time, allow me to thank all the HTB members for the worthwhile efforts they have been making and continue to make towards attaining our mission - I greatly appreciate your work!

I appreciate this chance for HTB to work together with the Region 8 leadership and build on last year’s efforts of a pilot projects program. I’ve also stayed engaged with other IEEE Regions, and look forward to announcing other programs designed to benefit their members in the coming months.

HTB’s collaborations with IEEE Societies are also strong. Some examples include the great response to the IEEE ComSoc and HTB call for proposals held earlier in the year; the ongoing discussions with the Industrial Electronics Society (IES) on offering joint programs to educate, empower, and engage their members in humanitarian projects; and the recent presentation to the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) Chapter Chairs in Portland. These key engagements demonstrate that HTB programs are relevant to many Societies and contribute to the overarching work of the IEEE Technical Activities Board.

HTB works with programs under the purview of the Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) Board too so that its offerings can provide a greater value proposition to all members. We are currently working with IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) and IEEE Young Professionals to raise awareness for HTB programs and opportunities among their members. With WIE, the committee will identify affinity groups that can participate in a pilot program on community engagement activities. For the MGA volunteers that will be attending IEEE Sections Congress, I hope you will attend HTB’s IGNITE session and breakout sessions where you can learn about HTB offerings and partnership opportunities. You will also be able to learn more about IEEE SIGHT by visiting the IEEE Foundation’s pavilion. 

Finally I’d like to mention an aspect of HTB’s close collaboration with the IEEE Foundation: the HTB & SIGHT Taenzer Grant Program. The HTB lead for this program has organized a webinar series to provide knowledge about assistive technology with experts to share their experience on relevant topics. I strongly encourage you to attend these sessions as you are able, such as the first one on 8 August. 

I look forward to reporting back to readers with more exciting updates next month.

Kind Regards,

Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan 

2023 IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board Immediate Past Chair

For IEEE members and organizational units that conduct sustainable development and humanitarian technology activities, please complete the Humanitarian Technology Activities at IEEE form with some basic information about the extent and impact of related events, programs, and projects. Providing this information will allow HTB to collect and share meaningful insight into effective humanitarian technology practices and IEEE as a whole to better understand and support those who are doing this type of work.

Humanitarian technology activities are defined as those IEEE programs and activities focused principally on applying science, engineering, and technology to satisfy the unaddressed social needs of specific communities which are not adequately served by existing government, commercial, or non-commercial services.

Reported activities should be conducted by IEEE Members and supported by an IEEE operating unit (IEEE Student Branch, IEEE Region, IEEE Section, IEEE Society or committee of an IEEE Society, etc). Please do not include those that are strictly charitable (the donation of items or money), or those where the primary focus is STEM education (workshops, courses, camps, materials, etc.).

Activities that are primarily focused on addressing climate change should be reported using this form instead.

IEEE Region 8 and IEEE HTB are conducting a collaborative call for project proposals to support SIGHT Groups (and prospective SIGHT Groups) in Region 8 who would like to address local community challenges. Up to US$6,000 could be offered to teams with great initiatives and creative ideas on how to support underserved communities using technology. Proposed solutions should have a sustainability plan in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and take into account cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, trust-enhancement, relevance to users and community, community buy-in, and accessibility. The submission timeline is 31 July - 31 August, but don’t wait to submit your application. For more information, please see the HTB website.

EPICS in IEEE is supporting the IEEE commitment to help combat and mitigate the effects of climate change by supporting a call for environmental-focused, service-learning projects. Check out the Call for Proposals with more information about how to create a team to design and develop an impactful environmental solution using engineering and technology. Selected student projects can receive between US$1,000 to US$10,000, mentorship, and resources!

Curious about the difference between HTB/SIGHT and EPICS Projects? Learn more here.

IEEE REACH comprises free, online open educational resources on the history of technology for pre-university classrooms. Inquiry-based units include background, primary and secondary sources, hands-on activities, and videos. The REACH team works with Title 1 school districts in the US, and conducted a pilot Program in Uganda in partnership with UNESCO. If you have a pre-university program and/or relationships with educators that might benefit from REACH, please email the IEEE Senior Program Manager, Kelly McKenna, [email protected].

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.

Upcoming Lectures

• “Bringing Quality Education to Underserved Communities in Latin America and Pakistan” with Professor Pritpal Singh (Villanova University, USA) and Professor Parkash Lohana (Usaman Institute of Technology, Pakistan) - 20 September at 10am ET / 3pm GMT+1
• “mHealth4Afrika - Lessons Learnt and Good Practices from Co-Designing Technology Solutions for Resource Constrained Environments” with Miriam Cunningham, IST-Africa Institute, Ireland - 11 October at 10am ET / 3pm GMT+1

Past Lectures (link to recordings via the SIGHT website)

• “Co-designing Ethical Interventions in Resource Constrained Environments” with Ms. Miriam Cunningham 
• “Avoiding a Graveyard of Solar Panels: How to make Solar Electric Systems Sustainable” with Dr. Pritpal Singh 
• “Good Practices From Robotics For Equality And Democracy Project Tunisia” with Dr. Nizar Rokbani
• ”Empowering Women for Sustainable Climate Resilience” with Mr. Parkash Lohana
• "The Impact of Energy Efficiency on Low Resource Environments” with Dr. Hanan M. Albuflasa

The HTB & SIGHT Taenzer Grant Program volunteer leaders have organized a series of webinars to raise awareness of how technology can improve quality of life for people and how to advance technology for humanity. The series aims to increase awareness of how individual and ubiquitous technological presence can provide quality of life for all, including people with disabling conditions such as mobility, hearing, and vision; people who are aging in place; and others with various health conditions like diabetes, asthma, and more.

Join us for webinar, “Topics in Adaptive Designs for Accessibility: IEEE Dignity, Identity, Inclusion, Trust, and Agency (DIITA) Developing the Standard PAR 2998, Interface for the Blind” on 8 August 2023 at 7:30pm EDT. Amanda Deol Dhillon, IEEE NJ Coast Section SIGHT Group Member, will describe her project to design and develop an interface for people with blindness and visual impairment and how she led a team to bring about a new IEEE Standard.

From IEEE-HKN's TechX 2023, experts from HKN and IEEE's Power and Energy Society discuss sustainable energy issues and solutions. As concerns grow over humankind's impact on the environment and climate, our energy needs continue to grow as well. Join representatives from Southern California Edison, the IEEE Power and Energy Society, and the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology to learn about technologies and strategies for addressing these conflicting goals.

Are you looking to upskill, improve your knowledge or pursue personal growth? IEEE is now offering a special extra 50% discount on eLearning courses, exclusively for members like you. Get access to hundreds of online courses at an unbeatable price. Completion of courses award CEU and PDH to individual customers. Start learning today!

IEEE Foundation had a busy and successful year in 2022 preparing for its 50th Anniversary and making impacts where technology and philanthropy intersect. Thanks to more than 7,000 donors, the Foundation raised more than US$8 million for IEEE programs that rely on philanthropy, resulting in significant impacts around the world. The 2022 annual report highlights how IEEE programs were enhanced and expanded thanks to donor support. The contributions positively impact thousands of communities and the people living in them. IEEE Foundation is proud of the accomplishments and excited to continue working towards an even greater future together!

IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) is launching a new competition in September 2023. This competition is to motivate female students and young researchers to develop entrepreneurial and business mindsets based on their research and development endeavors. The vision behind this competition is to promote the growth of women-led startups in technical fields. Participants will form teams to deliver a three-minute oral pitch presentation about a business idea intended to mitigate one effect of climate change. Interested in participating? Visit the WIE website for more information.

The Meet the 2024 IEEE President-Elect Candidates Forum will be held on Saturday, 12 August 2023 from 5:45 pm to 6:45 pm EDT. During this livestream event, candidates Kathleen A. Kramer and Roger U. Fujii, will answer questions on issues important to IEEE members. 2023 IEEE President and CEO Saifur Rahman will host and moderate the event. Hear from the candidates and be better informed ahead of the 2023 annual election.

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. 

Donate to 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.

Many humanitarian technology programs at IEEE rely on donations to deliver impact. See how you can support them through the IEEE Foundation, the philanthropic partner of IEEE.

Important Dates & Upcoming Events

• 27 - 29 July - HTB will present at the IEEE Africa Students and Young Professional Congress 2023 (ASYP 2023)
• 8 August - Topics in Adaptive Designs for Accessibility: IEEE Dignity, Identity, Inclusion, Trust, and Agency (DIITA) Developing the Standard PAR 2998, Interface for the Blind
• 11 - 13 August - HTB and SIGHT will present at IEEE Sections Congress
• 12 August - Meet the 2024 IEEE President-Elect Candidates Forum
• 25 - 27 August - HTB will present at the IEEE Region 8 North Africa Student and Young Professional Congress 2023
• 13 - 15 September - HTB will present at the IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS23)
• 20 September - “Bringing Quality Education to Underserved Communities in Latin America and Pakistan” with Professor Pritpal Singh (Villanova University, USA) and Professor Parkash Lohana
• 20 - 22 September - HTB will present at IEEE Africon 2023
• 3 October - IEEE Day
• 11 October - “mHealth4Afrika - Lessons Learnt and Good Practices from Co-Designing Technology Solutions for Resource Constrained Environments” with Miriam Cunningham

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