The Tech Awards: Center for Social Innovation (CSI)

The Tech Awards


	Turning Poison into Economic Opportunity How do you turn a poisonous crisis into a social enterprise? In this university podcast, Lehigh University professor Arup SenGupta talks about his innovative work to remove arsenic from drinking water in South and Southeast Asia, and beyond. SenGupta won the Intel Environment Award at the 2012 Tech Awards. Resource: Audio
	Tackling Energy Poverty With Pay-As-You-Go Solar In East Africa, 80% of the population lives off the grid and often has to use kerosene fuel for lighting. Lesley Marincola, CEO of Angaza Design, argues that the high retail prices of energy and electric products in developing markets are to blame. In this audio interview, Marincola talks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman about how Angaza’s extreme affordability model helps tackle energy poverty in emerging markets. Resource: Audio
	Using Science and Social Enterprise to Improve Rice Crop Yield in India and Bangladesh Working through social enterprise in improving and securing crop yield, especially rice, scientists have enabled farmers in India and Bangladesh to feed their families and earn a profit from their surplus. In this audio interview, Pamela Ronald, of the University of California, Davis, talks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman about how her laboratory, in collaboration with other scientists, developed a variety of rice with sufficient submergence tolerance to survive severe flooding. Resource: Audio
	Mobile and Branchless Banking In a country that lacks formal financial services but contains over half a billion cell phone users, two brothers saw a unique opportunity. In this audio interview, Sheela Sethuraman speaks with Abhishek Sinha, co-founder of Eko India Financial Services, about their efforts to lower the barriers for end-consumers in India. As The Tech Awards 2011 laureates of the Flextronics Economic Development Award, Sinha discusses Eko India's breakthrough developments in branchless banking. Resource: Audio
	Solar Power in a Suitcase What good is new energy technology if it can't be transported to the regions where it is most needed? In this audio interview, Sheela Sethuraman talks with Laura Stachel and Hal Aronson, co-founders of WE CARE Solar, about the international journey that led them to create one of the world's most portable solar energy systems. As The Tech Awards 2011 laureates of the Nokia Health Award, these two innovators work to bring reliable power to health care facilities all over the world. Resource: Audio
	Sustainable Water Treatment How can a young nonprofit organization make a tangible improvement in people's health through clean water using only the power of gravity? This was the challenge for Daniel Smith and the AguaClara team when they began work to introduce community-level drinking water treatment plants in Honduras. In this audio interview, Sheela Sethuraman learns from the 2011 Intel Environment Award winners about the importance of using local resources and experts to encourage horizontal learning. Resource: Audio
	Leveraging Online Collaboration How can nonprofit and crowdsourcing experts collaborate to make media more accessible? In this audio interview, Sheela Sethuraman talks to Dean Jansen, co-Founder of Universal Subtitles, a volunteer platform for doing collaborative subtitling and translation of videos. As the winner of The Tech Awards 2011 Katherine M. Swanson Equality Award, Jansen discussed Universal Subtitles' current challenges and future potential in leveraging internet volunteerism. Resource: Audio
	Teaching with Interactive Simulations Resource: Audio
	The Peer Water Exchange: A Platform for Change The Peer Water Exchange (PWX) demonstrates how new media and peer interaction can help solve the global water and sanitation crisis by empowering communities. A platform that relies on peer review and collaboration, the PWX has managed tens of thousands of grassroots water projects in over 23 countries. Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman talks with Rajesh Shah, 2010 Intel Environmental category Tech Award winner, who conceived this social innovation. Resource: Audio
	Local Clean Energy for All As half of the world struggles to meet energy needs at a reasonable price and the other half strives to develop cleaner energy solutions, Alexis Belonio does both. In this interview by Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman, we hear from Alexis Belonio, of the Center for Rice and Husk Technology, as he joins the Prize Laureates from the 2010 Tech Museum Awards. He discusses how he is changing the world by providing a clean burning and accessible source of energy for all. Resource: Audio