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Tracking some of the world's biggest killers, via cellphone

Rae Ellen Bichell

December 25, 2017 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Madagascar

A new project uses cellphones to provide users with information about mosquitos carrying deadly viruses as well as the ability to report sightings of virus carrying mosquitos. Through this reporting system, entomologists are able to more comprehensively and quickly know where work has to be done to keep people safe from disease.

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In Harvey's wake, Dutch have much to teach Houston

Tony Freemantle

December 22, 2017 |

Houston Chronicle |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands

Moving away from brute force and impermeable dams, projects that focus on spatial planning and long-term investment in dynamic infrastructure projects prove more resilient to flooding and natural disasters. In the Netherlands, the Room for the River project is one part of the country’s comprehensive approach toward protecting its citizens from the threat of floods. Instead of relying on private flood insurance, citizens in the Netherland’s pay higher taxes, which help to fund water management projects.

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The ‘Frequent Flier' Program That Grounded a Hospital's Soaring Costs

Arthur Allen

December 18, 2017 |

Politico |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Dallas, Texas

Sharing data between health care centers and community social services lowers health care costs and increases access to vital assistance. A software platform developed by the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) allows social service organizations such as homeless shelters and food pantries to coordinate with the Parkland Memorial Hospital. By identifying patients who are frequently admitted to Parkland’s emergency room, PCCI’s shared Iris system helps agencies manage individual cases and makes more efficient use of limited healthcare resources.

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How Georgia State Stopped Students From Slipping Through The Cracks

Martha Dalton

December 18, 2017 |

WABE |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Georgia

Georgia State University recognized that a large portion of their students don't graduate. They identified academic behaviours that correlate to flunking out and hired advisors to keep an eye on all students and contact them to help if a student exhibits one of these behaviours.

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Impatient With Colleges, Employers Design Their Own Courses

Jon Marcus

December 18, 2017 |

Wired |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

When a Microsoft employee decided to develop a new data analytics degree program at Eastern Washington University, it was only one year until classes were up and running. While an estimated 1.8 million new tech jobs will be created between 2014 and 2024, universities are only graduating 28,000 computer science graduates per year. Companies like Microsoft have become increasingly impatient with higher education's slow adaptation to changing industry needs and have responded with their own course materials and online learning programs.

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Can an Old Mill Town Become the Silicon Valley of Human Organ Manufacturing?

Colin Woodard

December 18, 2017 |

Politico |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Manchester, New Hampshire

Dean Kamen brought the world the Segway scooter, prosthetic arms controlled by the human brain, the first automatic drug pump (used commonly to deliver insulin to diabetic patients), and now he's built the first organ manufacturing plant. Over 120,000 Americans are currently on a waiting list to receive life-saving organ donations that often don't come in time. Kamen is aiming to change this by mass-producing organs and other tissues with technology that already exists and has been tested in labs all over the world.

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How a custom Microsoft app is helping the Caribbean rebuild after hurricanes

Gregory Scruggs

December 17, 2017 |

GeekWire |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Antigua and Barbuda, Codrington

Bringing data analysis technology into post-disaster scenarios can improve methods of allocating funding for disaster relief and reconstruction projects. The UN and Microsoft have partnered to develop the Building Damage Assessment app. Teams on the ground can use the software package to collect and analyze data, which can then be easily disseminated and shared with policymakers.

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Rethinking Rikers

Michael Schwirtz, Neeti Upadhye, Michael Kirby Smith, Kaitlyn Mullin

December 16, 2017 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In the ongoing challenge to reform New York’s Rikers Island prison complex, many have turned to Chicago’s Cook County jail as a model. While Rikers has made some reforms – including group therapy for those with mental health concerns and doing away with solitary confinement for inmates under 22 – there is more that they can do to follow in Chicago's footsteps. There, they have introduced the use of real-time data collection to map violence, made mental health care a key component of their services, and trained guards in verbal de-escalation.

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Farmers spot diseased crops faster with artificial intelligence

Matt McFarland

December 14, 2017 |

CNN |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Kearny, New Jersey

Oftentimes in farming, once farmers spot an issue with a crop, it is too late to save it. Artificial intelligence is changing that, starting with implementing the technology that is used to manage orchards into the practice of growing corn and soybeans.

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Estonia, the Digital Republic

Nathan Heller

December 11, 2017 |

The New Yorker |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Estonia

The e-Estonia project eliminates information silos, pairing blockchain with an easy to use data-sharing platform. The X-Road platform platform acts like a bridge, linking the information in places like doctors offices and governmental agencies together, providing a more efficient data management system for users and bureaucrats alike. The e-Estonia program also offers e-residencies to those who wish to use the services outside of the country. Blockchain technology lends the entire system added security.

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