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Rohingya turn to blockchain to solve identity crisis

Skot Thayer Alex Hern

August 20, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Malaysia

Blockchain can be used to create digital identities for people who have lost legal documents or been denied citizenship. The technology is helping Rohingya in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia gain access to banking and educational opportunities.

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Saving Lives With Tech Amid Syria's Endless Civil War

Danny Gold

August 16, 2018 |

Wired |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Syria

For people living in Syria, minutes can save people from dying due to bomb strikes. So three men got together and created Hala, and launched a warning system that uses data from aircraft to predict where and when warplanes will strike, then notifies nearby people. Now, the Hala team has 60,000 followers on Facebook, and 16,400 Telegram channel subscribers. “Without the Sentry warning, my family and I would probably be dead.”

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Governments Explore Using Blockchains to Improve Service

Adrianne Jeffries

June 27, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Arab Emirates, Dubai

Governments around the world are exploring whether blockchain technologies can improve public administration. In theory, blockchain could improve accountability and trust in government. In practice, pilot projects are hitting roadblocks and may take more time to implement and scale than some might hope.

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Ontario is trying a wild experiment: Opening access to its residents' health data

Dave Gershgorn

June 17, 2018 |

Quartz |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto, Ontario

Project Spark is creating a platform for tech companies to request access to the health records of Ontario’s 14 million residents. One hundred companies have already expressed interest. The project is motivated by the idea that access to such real-life data could further the contribution of artificial intelligence to the medical field.

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How a novel wireless technology is helping conserve wildlife, fight pollution, save farmers money and more

Chloe Warren

June 06, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Tanzania

In Tanzania, low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) are a form of telecommunications technology that have the power to potentially stop poachers in their tracks when coupled with geolocation sensors. The application doesn't stop there, however, as others throughout the world are finding other proactive uses for this wireless technology advancement.

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San Francisco's new bot will downgrade marijuana crimes

Anoush Darabi

June 01, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Writing laws to be machine-readable could have huge payoffs. San Francisco is designing a computer program to read through the city’s prosecution records and automatically downgrade applicable marijuana possession convictions from felonies to misdemeanors. Such a change became possible in 2014, but the downgrading process proved too expensive and complicated for most individuals to take on themselves. Software developers face hurdles that include needing to teach computers to read inconsistent language and paperwork formats.

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Switzerland's new algorithm could get up to 30% more refugees into work

Jack Graham

May 18, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Switzerland, Bern

Switzerland will soon be piloting a new algorithm to help refugees find jobs. The algorithm uses "machine learning to match geographic employment outcomes with refugees’ personal characteristics, such as gender, age and nationality." Researchers found that using the algorithm would have helped 41% more refugees to be employed between 2011 and 2016, but "real world" impact is yet to be measured. However, there are concerns about transparency and fairness.

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Coal miners being taught HTML coding as a second career

Maryalice Parks Enjoli Francis

May 07, 2018 |

ABC News (American Broadcasting Company) |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, West Virginia

Mined Minds, a nonprofit founded in 2015, is providing training and job connections for former coal miners in West Virginia and Kentucky who are now out of work. Take seventh-generation coal miner Billy Buzzard. He underwent the free 30 week boot camp and is now doing remote coding work for an organization in Seattle.

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How One Small School District Embraces A Challenge For Computer Science Education

Anthony Moreno

April 12, 2018 |

KRWG-PBS |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Melrose, New Mexico

In many states, schools are now required to offer computer science curriculum. But in New Mexico, particularly in rural towns, there are few resources in place to expose students to the growing field. In Melrose, a town of 700, the state's Supercomputing Challenge is an attempt to fill this gap. By participating in after school sessions and submitting their final work to the competition, teens who wouldn't otherwise learn these highly marketable skills may even receive related college scholarships.

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Competition fosters computer skills in New Mexico schools

Anthony Moreno

April 12, 2018 |

High Country News |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Melrose, New Mexico

For over sixteen years Melrose Municipal Schools, a small rural school district which oversees the students of Melrose, New Mexico, sets aside funds for the Supercomputing Challenge, an annual science and engineering competition. Students from sixth to twelfth grade meet after school to learn about computer science. “Over 11,000 students have participated.” It has also led former students to find careers in computer science. An analysis “found that 100 employees out of around 10,000 were challenge alumni.”

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