Mind the (information) gap: Making the case for action by governments

July 14, 2017

Just days before the full launch of the Development and Access to Information (DA2I) 2017 Report, participants at the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) had a first glimpse at its findings on Tuesday11 July. TASCHA’s Maria Garrido, alongside Donna Scheeder (President, IFLA), Nancy Hafkin (Women in Global Science and Technology), and Quinn McKew (Deputy Executive Director,…

Making development smart & inclusive: Launch of the Development and Access to Information (DA2I) report coming soon

July 9, 2017

Everyone Can Develop, But Not Without Access to Information Ten years ago, Oxfam launched a successful campaign based on the proverb: ‘Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime.’ The idea is an easy one to understand – sustainable solutions…

Opportunity for iSchool student to assist with ICT4D seminar

June 26, 2017

For years, Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) has hosted a weekly seminar called Change. The Change seminar focuses on research, projects, and issues related to information & communication technologies for development (ICT4D). Starting this fall, the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) of the Information School and the School of Public Health will be co-hosting…

TASCHA goes to Next Library 2017

June 2, 2017

Some members of the TASCHA team will be visiting Denmark June 11-14 to participate in the Next Library conference, an event intended to explore the continuously evolving nature of the public library in the 21st century. TASCHA Director Chris Coward and Assistant Director Rebecca Sears will be leading an interactive session and an ignite talk…

Supporting data-driven decision making in Myanmar through Advanced Tableau training

May 26, 2017

From April 24th through 26th, 25 professionals from several government and non-profit organizations in Myanmar convened to participate in an Advanced Tableau training and discuss how data can best be collected, analyzed, and used for decision making. As part of TASCHA’s Data for Democracy (D4D) project, the event was made possible thanks to financial support…

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

May 17, 2017

The theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2017 is “Big Data for Big Impact,” with an emphasis on the role advanced analysis can play in development goals. At TASCHA, our work explores this crucial space where decisions resulting in major social change and technology intersect. For example, a TASCHA research team is working to…

TASCHA at Global Election Technology Summit

TASCHA’s Chris Rothschild will be presenting Thursday, May 18th at the Global Election Technology Summit. Along with James Long and Nic Weber, University of Washington faculty members collaborating on the Data for Democracy project, the presentation, “‘Push, Pull, Spill’: Election Data and Citizen Engagement in a Global Context,” will focus on the election processes and data in…

What do we mean by ‘Civic Engagement’?

May 15, 2017

As a research group that investigates social change, grasping the multifaceted, evolving definition of “civic engagement” is vital to more deeply understand the inner workings of communities. Civic engagement, which at its most basic level has been defined in recent literature as “the ways in which citizens participate in the life of a community in…

Girls in ICT Day 2017: Education as a foundation for opportunity

April 28, 2017

The Girls in ICT initiative from ITU is celebrating it’s 6th annual Girls in ICT Day. The initiative is working towards creating “a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of ICTs, enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female…

TASCHA faculty presenting at iAffliates Day 2017

April 26, 2017

TASCHA’s Maria Garrido, Susan Hildreth, and Daniel Kapellmann will be speaking at iAffliates tomorrow presenting “Public Libraries: Thriving Social Spaces for Civic Engagement.” The presentation is inspired by recent work from the TASCHA team on civic engagement and libraries around the world. When: Thursday, April 26th, 11:00-11:30am, UW iAffliates Day 2017 Where: The Intellectual House, UW…