Date: 6 September 2022

Event Description

IEEE HAC/SIGHT webinar titled Entrepreneurship in Humanitarian Projects with Janati Nakimera interviewing Ken Stauffer on 6 September, 2022. The role of a social entrepreneur is to set up an entrepreneurial venture with the intention of addressing social issues and contributing to the social good. In order to achieve this, an entrepreneur must understand the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence that are fundamental to humanitarian action. We strongly need to recognize the positive impact of entrepreneurship in the humanitarian space and this webinar will guide you to make a positive impact in the humanitarian space.

Date: 26 July 2022

Event Description

This webinar features an interview between Dr. Melania Alvarez and Dr. Rabab K. Ward.  The highlight of Melania’s work is her outreach to Canada’s Indigenous Communities. She started the PIMS Emerging Indigenous Scholars Summer School Program at the University of British Columbia in 2007. She has also established and steered partnerships with BC universities, First Nations schools and Vancouver and Burnaby school boards and the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) to amplify opportunities for Indigenous students and enhance the teaching of mathematics in schools.

The aim of this webinar is to educate volunteers about how to carry out humanitarian work with underrepresented minorities, including how to navigate cultural and social differences.

Date: 25 October 2021

Event Description

This webinar features two experts in the area of photovoltaics in humanitarian projects who cover Solar Power Systems for Off-Grid Communities and Technical Design of Solar-Powered Electrical Devices.

Part 1: The first half of the webinar is a technical presentation describing the use of solar photovoltaic arrays to power off-grid communities. Worldwide, nearly 1 billion people lack access to electricity. This form of energy poverty primarily afflicts those living in rural areas in developing countries. Drawing upon over ten years of field experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, the presenter, Dr. Henry Louie, describes the technologies used, design approaches, practical considerations, and contextual factors in the design and application of solar-powered off-grid systems. Examples from systems installed in Zambia will be discussed in detail.

Part 2: The second half of the webinar covers several aspects for the design of solar-powered electrical devices, beginning with the environmental considerations, followed by the computation of solar panel, battery capacity and load, and concluding with the protection against overload and deep discharge of the battery. Moreover, the material selection as well as a look on new solar panel materials is presented by the speaker, Mr. Joachim Funk, followed by customization and usage of solar products indoors. All these based on the expertise and knowledge of Melitec GmbH.

Date: 12 October 2021

Event Description

The IEEE mission is to promote technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. One way in which this mission is achieved is through the continuous education resources on the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) platform. This webinar is hosted by the IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) Education Committee to inform people about the free, interactive IEEE HAC/SIGHT ILN courses how they can impact an individual’s life. IEEE volunteers, researchers, students, and non-IEEE members interested in the areas of humanitarian technology and sustainable development are the intended audience.

Moderator: Janati Nakimera, Committee member of the IEEE HAC Education Committee. Also, Vice Chair Programs, IEEE Entrepreneurship.

Speaker: Paul Kostek, Chair, IEEE HAC Education Committee. Also IEEE Senior Member and an advisory systems engineer.

Speaker: Ugomma Deborah Ogu, Committee member of the IEEE HAC Education Committee. Also a Software Developer, an experienced Project Engineer.

Date: 15 September 2021

Event Description

Among other problems, homeless people who spend their nights on the street are often robbed while they sleep and deprived of their few possessions. In order to secure their belongings and guarantee a more restful sleep, the IEEE Germany Section SIGHT Group, in collaboration with the homeless assistance club “Unsichtbar e.V.,” developed an alert system called “Clochard Alert.” The electronic engineering and prototyping was performed by a group of Master’s students within the scope of a practical lecture at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. After a test phase of three months on the street all over Germany, the alert system was revised and adapted to the feedback of the homeless testers. In collaboration with the electronic company “MeLiTec GmbH”, Clochard Alert is now industrialized and will be brought to a bigger production series. Further production placement and marketing strategies enable the cost-free distribution of the alert systems to homeless people in future. This talk provides deeper insights of the developed technology and shows the project flow from the involvement of students in frame of a lecture to a final product.