> Ponder technology's role in a global world - Thursday! > > Computer Science and Engineering > UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON > COLLOQUIUM > > SPEAKER: Kentaro Toyama, Microsoft Research India > > TITLE: Computer Science Research for Global Development > > DATE: Thursday, March 12, 2009 > TIME: 3:30 pm > PLACE: EEB-105 > HOST: Richard Anderson > > ABSTRACT: > > On the same planet where there are 1.4 billion Internet users, a far > less fortunate 1.4 billion people survive below the World Bank's > definition of the poverty line. The same technology that has > transformed our lives - the lives of the wealthiest people on the > planet - also remains out of reach and irrelevant for the poorest. > How do you design user interfaces for an illiterate migrant worker? > Can you keep five rural schoolchildren from fighting over one PC? > What value is technology to a farmer earning $1 a day? The young > field of "information and communication technology for > development" (ICT4D) asks these kinds of questions in the > expectation that computing and communication technologies can > contribute to the socio-economic development of the world's poorest > communities. In this talk, I'll introduce the Technology for > Emerging Markets group http://research.microsoft.com/research/tem at > Microsoft Research India, where an interdisciplinary team of > researchers explores solutio! > ns in the context of agriculture, education, healthcare, > microfinance, and other domains of development. > > There are several ongoing debates in ICT4D research, including > questions about the role of computer science, project > sustainability, and multidisciplinarity with academic integrity. > I'll discuss these issues in the context of MultiPoint, one of our > projects where a computer-science concept not only solves a > challenge in the context of under-resourced schools, but opens the > door to rich avenues for further research. I hope to show that while > technology alone rarely supplies the answer to the deep problems of > poverty, technologists can make a significant difference as long as > we retain equal measures of skepticism about the brash claims of > technology and optimism about its true potential. > > BIO: > Kentaro Toyama is co-founder and assistant managing director of > Microsoft Research India (MSR India), which opened in Bangalore in > January, 2005. In addition to his responsibilities to MSR India > overall, Kentaro leads the Technology for Emerging Markets research > group, and is a co-founder of the IEEE/ACM International Conference > on Information and Communication Technologies and Development > (ICTD). Prior to MSR India, Kentaro spent seven years at MSR in > Redmond (WA) and Cambridge (UK) working on computer vision, > multimedia, and geographic information systems. In 2002, he took > personal leave from Microsoft to teach mathematics at Ashesi > University in Ghana. Kentaro earned his Ph.D. in computer science at > Yale University and received a bachelor's degree in physics from > Harvard University. > > Refreshments to be served in room prior to talk. > > *NOTE* This lecture will be broadcast live via the Internet. See > http://www.cs.washington.edu/news/colloq.info.html > for more information. > > Email: talk-info at cs.washington.edu > Info: http://www.cs.washington.edu/ > (206) 543-1695 > > The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal > opportunity and reasonable accomodation in its services, programs, > activities, education and employment for individuals with > disabilities. To request disability accommodation, contact the > Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance of the event > at: (206) 543-6450/V, (206) 543-6452/TTY, (206) 685-3885/FAX, or access at > u.washington.edu > .
