November 2020

Note from the Chair

Dear IEEE SIGHT volunteers,

IEEE SIGHT has been on an incredible journey this year - despite the challenges and unforeseen difficulties of 2020, so many SIGHT volunteers have made a significant impact in their local communities through projects in response to COVID-19, virtual conferences, events, trainings, and other activities. It’s been an inspiring year to be sure.

Recently, I have been encouraged by the great response to the SIGHT Volunteer of the Year Award nomination process, and appreciate the time that a number of you took to nominate your fellow volunteers. Likewise, I am happy to see the many applications to join the 2021 SIGHT Steering Committee and Subcommittees. Nearly 100 of you are interested in joining SIGHT’s leadership team! It was also heartening to join panels at the Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC) and the International Symposium on Technology and Society Conference (ISTAS) virtual events to share how the Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) & SIGHT have responded to the global pandemic.

In news related to SIGHT Groups, I ask that all Group Chairs please complete the annual report that was mailed out this week (more information below). Your responses and feedback will help us know how to best support your work next year. I’m also very excited about the addition of SIGHT Groups as organizational units. If you are a SIGHT Group Chair, you will be able to use the vTools events and Officer Reporting functionality to help document your Group’s activities and members. 

SIGHT will be ending the year by focusing on the positive side, with the second annual SIGHT Week Celebration! Below you’ll find details about the panels and webinars planned for the week of 30 November - 6 December. This time has been set aside to provide visibility on the amazing work being done by SIGHT volunteers around the globe - that’s YOU! We have also organized panels and webinars that I believe will be very beneficial to those of you who are interested in conducting sustainable development and humanitarian technology projects. I strongly encourage you to participate in the activities and hope to talk with you during some of the sessions we’ll be holding.

December will be a busy month for us with the SIGHT Week Celebration, and I look forward to sharing the details about the week in next month’s edition of the newsletter, along with highlights from 2020 as a whole. Looking beyond December, I am happy that I will continue my journey with HAC & SIGHT in a new capacity as the 2021 HAC Chair, supporting IEEE volunteers around the world as they carry out impactful humanitarian technology and sustainable development activities at the local level.

Best wishes,
Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan
2019 - 2020 IEEE SIGHT Steering Committee Chair

Major Highlights

2020 SIGHT Week Celebration!


The 2020 SIGHT Week Celebration will be held this year from 30 November - 6 December, and you are invited! SIGHT Week is a series of virtual events designed to foster a spirit of community for the global SIGHT network, increase awareness of IEEE SIGHT within IEEE, and celebrate the impact SIGHT volunteers and groups are making in their local communities.

As a SIGHT member, we ask that you join us in celebration by organizing a virtual event such as a workshop, webinar viewing, or completing an HAC & SIGHT course from the Sustainable Development curriculum on the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) with your SIGHT Group or others from your Section or Student Branch. There will be panels and webinars hosted by IEEE SIGHT throughout the week with the SIGHT Chair, members of the SIGHT Steering Committee, representatives from other programs in IEEE, project team leaders, and President-Elect Susan “Kathy” Land. An important part of the celebration is sharing the opportunity to support SIGHT’s work through a financial donation on Giving Tuesday (see more below). You can also help spread the word by sharing posts from SIGHT's Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Remember to please post any related activities on social media using the hashtag #SIGHTWeek2020.

Be sure to see the Calendar of Events below so you don’t miss any of the exciting activities. We look forward to hearing from you next week!

SIGHT Participates in Giving Tuesday with the IEEE Foundation

This year SIGHT will once again be participating in Giving Tuesday with the IEEE Foundation on 1 December. Consider celebrating on this day by making a donation to SIGHT! When you choose to support SIGHT, your donation of any amount will support new SIGHT groups and humanitarian and sustainable development projects. Ongoing support for project teams addressing the COVID-19 situation and its related consequences such as poverty and systemic inequalities will be vital in the year to come. Through your efforts, SIGHT can continue operating as a catalyst for change within IEEE and in underserved communities around the globe.

SIGHT Group Annual Report

Upon formation, each IEEE SIGHT group agrees to submit an annual report of its activities to remain in good standing. SIGHT group Chairs should have received an email from IEEE Strategic Research (Josephine Russo) with a link to the report on 23 November. Please write to [email protected] if you are a SIGHT Group Chair and did not receive the link to fill out the report. We look forward to receiving your response!

Access to vTools for SIGHT Group Chairs

With the addition of SIGHT Groups as organizational units in IEEE’s internal database, SIGHT Group Chairs are listed on IEEE Rosters and in its OU Analytics database on Tableau in affiliation with the Group’s parent organizational unit (Section or Student Branch). SIGHT Group Chairs will now have access to IEEE’s vTools Events and Officer Reporting. If you are a SIGHT Group Chair, you can enter in your group’s officers for the positions of Vice-Chair, Project Coordinator, Secretary, and other Members. Not familiar with vTools? See these tutorials on the different functions. If you have any further questions, you can write to [email protected].

Update on SIGHT Awards



Nominations for the SIGHT Volunteer of the Year Award closed on 15 November, and the SIGHT Awards Working Group are now considering all candidates. They will also be reviewing responses from the annual SIGHT Group Report to select the SIGHT Group of the Year. Be sure to follow the SIGHT Facebook page for the announcement of this year’s recipients in December.

SIGHT Group Spotlight

Newly-formed SIGHT Group - Welcome to the SIGHT Community!

• Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology SIGHT- India, Region 10
• Phoenix Section SIGHT - USA, Region 6
• PES Institute of Technology-Bangalore SIGHT - India, Region 10
  

Get Involved - Join The Community

Important Dates & Upcoming Virtual Events

• 29 November - 06 December - SIGHT Week celebration
  
  
• 30 November - Opening Remarks: IEEE President-Elect Susan “Kathy” Land and SIGHT Steering Committee Chair Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan
  
  
• 01 December - Giving Tuesday with the IEEE Foundation
  
  
• 02 December - Webinar: Photovoltaic Citizen Science Webinar
  
  
• 03 December - Panel: IEEE SIGHT & Strategic Partners
  
  
• 04 December - Panel: Insights from IEEE HAC/SIGHT Project Leaders
  
  
• 06 December - Ask the Chair session with SIGHT Chair Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan - “SIGHT Achievements in 2020, and Looking Ahead to 2021.”
  
  
• 09 December - Webinar: Hands-on AI for Humanitarian Technology: Health Applications, hosted by the Montreal Section SIGHT Group

Visit the SIGHT calendar to learn about more upcoming HAC & SIGHT humanitarian technology events and activities (all virtual for the time being).

Support IEEE SIGHT

Donating to IEEE SIGHT through the IEEE Foundation means that you help provide a way for SIGHT to meet the needs of more IEEE volunteers, engage members through meaningful projects, and affect long-lasting impact in communities in need of technological solutions to development challenges. Funds donated at this time can be used to provide crucial financial support to COVID-19 related projects being conducted all over the world by IEEE members.

Want More? Visit Our Website!

SIGHT's website is the place to find case studies, testimonials, our blog, and learning resources like webinars on sustainable development and project management.