iSTEP: Innovative Student Technology ExPerience
MAKE YOUR MARK!
Summer 2009 - TanzaniaWe are pleased to announce that the final report for iSTEP 2009 is now available. We thank our partners, advisors, and the entire iSTEP 2009 team for their contributions to making the inaugural iSTEP a success.
Track the team's experiences through Facebook, Twitter, and our blog!
Congratulations to the following individuals from Carnegie Mellon University
who have just completed this summer's inaugural program:Rotimi Abimbola, Political Science & International Relations Senior
Hatem Alismail, Computer Science Class of 2009 Graduate
Beatrice Dias, Engineering & Public Policy Ph.D. Student
Bradley Hall, Mechanical Engineering Senior
Daniel Nuffer, Computer Science Class of 2009 Graduate
Anthony Velazquez, Computer Science SeniorApplication deadline for the Summer 2009 program was December 18th, 2008.
Thank you to all of the students who applied!The details listed on this website relate to the Summer 2009 program.
Details for Summer 2010 will be posted in the fall.
Click here to see our presentation slides
from our initial iSTEP Information Session.
This summer six Carnegie Mellon students and recent alumni from the University’s Pittsburgh and Doha campuses participated with the newly launched iSTEP (innovative Student Technology ExPerience) internship program. The TechBridgeWorld research group at Carnegie Mellon University introduced iSTEP this year as a unique internship program that provides Carnegie Mellon students with the opportunity to conduct technology research projects in developing communities.
The goal of iSTEP is to provide Carnegie Mellon students with real-world experience in applying their knowledge and skills for creative problem-solving in unfamiliar settings. The internship is designed so that the team works closely with local partners in developing communities and contributes technical expertise by inventing new tools and customizing existing technology.
Together with TechBridgeWorld faculty and staff, the iSTEP 2009 team is working on three technology research projects for communities in Tanzania: (1) developing a mobile phone application for use by social workers to track information on services provided to AIDS orphans and vulnerable children; (2) creating and evaluating culturally-relevant educational technology and games for children’s literacy; and (3) enhancing and evaluating a low-cost braille writing tutor for visually-impaired students.
In collaboration with this year’s main community partner, the University Computing Centre (UCC) at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, along with primary school teachers, students, and social workers, the iSTEP 2009 team ensured that its research projects addressed the community’s unique development challenges through a thorough needs assessment process.
The multidisciplinary iSTEP 2009 team is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni from the School of Computer Science, College of Engineering, and College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The iSTEP 2009 and TechBridgeWorld teams are working collaboratively from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Doha, Qatar; and Pittsburgh, United States. The internship officially ended July 31, 2009 and project work from the internship will result in papers co-authored by the participating interns to be submitted to upcoming ICTD (Information and Communication Technologies for Development) and other relevant conferences for publication.
Feel free to contact us at info@techbridgeworld.org or call 412-268-1289 with any questions on this program.
Summer 2009 Program Details
Partner:Our main partner for this summer was the University Computing Centre Ltd. (UCC) based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The UCC offices are located at the University of Dar es Salaam campus a short distance outside of downtown Dar es Salaam.
In summer 2008, TechBridgeWorld faculty member M. Bernardine Dias and staff members Sarah Belousov and Freddie Dias traveled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to meet with potential partners and explore potential projects. This internship program is one direct result from that trip. We were fortunate to have met several of the individuals at the partner organization that our interns would be working with as well as other contacts in Tanzania who were good resources for them in developing their projects.
The UCC is a private entity which was originally established to conduct lectures in all computer related courses, to conduct research in informatics, and to provide computing services and consultancy in information and communication technologies to both the university and the rest of the country of Tanzania. Since the development of a Computer Science Department at the University of Dar es Salaam in 1999, the UCC now focuses on the management and business side of information and communication technology services for the university, the rest of the community in Tanzania, and elsewhere in the world. Since May 2000, the UCC has become a fully-fledged limited liability company as a separate entity from the university. This gives the UCC the needed flexibility to operate and serve its customers and they continue to offer computer training through short courses.
One of the things that intrigued us the most about the UCC’s work is their involvement in initiatives at both the national and international level for promoting the use of ICT for development and related applications. Some examples of the UCC's work in this area are posted online.
Projects:
During our visit to Tanzania and through our discussions with the UCC we identified the following projects for this summer’s collaboration. Each of these projects is multi-faceted and involved the collaboration of all team members to be successful.
- Developing a mobile phone application for use by social workers to track information on services provided to AIDS orphans and vulnerable children
- Creating and evaluating culturally-relevant educational technology and games for children’s literacy
- Enhancing and evaluating a low-cost braille writing tutor for visually-impaired students
Overseas Location:
Located in East Africa, Tanzania is a beautiful country with a fascinating history and many diverse cultures. Over 40 million people live in Tanzania with over 2.5 million residing in its largest city, Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is considered one of the most politically stable countries on the African continent and is the home of people from over 126 ethnic groups, each with their own language.
Kiswahili is the official language of Tanzania and it is a very fun language to learn. Most work is however conducted in English and our partners at the UCC are fluent in English. For example, during the Summer 2008 trip we conducted all of our meetings in English but learned words such as Jambo (Hello), Karibu (Welcome), and Asante (Thank you), and used them as often as possible.
Although more than 80% of Tanzania’s population live in rural areas, Dar es Salaam is the largest commercial city in the country and is its former capital. Dar es Salaam is an Arabic name meaning “Abode of Peace.”
Links:
LonelyPlanet Worldguide Tanzania
Wikipedia - Tanzania
CIA World Factbook
Wikipedia - Dar es Salaam
PBS Wonders - Swahili
The information in this and the following sections is intended to provide future program applicants with details on our program given the set-up from our inaugural year so that they can consider applying for Summer 2010. Some of the details below may be modified as plans for 2010 are confirmed.
Students must be able to commit to full-time work from late-May through early August. Students from all academic disciplines from the Pittsburgh, Doha, and DC campuses of Carnegie Mellon University are welcome to apply. Students from other universities are not eligible to apply. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for this program. Juniors, seniors and graduate students are preferred. Involvement with other TechBridgeWorld activities or past experience with technology and development work will be a strong factor in the selection process. We prefer to select some students who will be returning to campus to continue their studies after their summer work so that they can share their experiences with students who have not had that experience and who can help recruit future participants in the program. Graduating students are welcome to apply. Students are welcome to apply regardless of nationality or ability to travel. We have provided a way for some students to participate with the team while staying in Pittsburgh or Doha.
Application Procedures:
Before applying to this program please consider any personal or academic commitments that will affect your involvement in this summer internship program. Take into consideration any constraints related to your research obligations, family commitments, health issues, etc. as you decide whether to apply for this opportunity and whether you would like to submit your application for either the Tanzania or on-campus positions, or both.
When you are ready to apply, please complete the online application form and upload any supporting documents. Our deadline last year was Thursday, December 18, 2008 (by 12:00 midnight Pittsburgh time). You will then receive email confirmation when we have received your completed application and we will select a group of finalists who will participate in an interview before we make our final selection of the team. Once we have notified students of their selection they will have one week to commit to our internship offer.
Feel free to contact info@techbridgeworld.org or call 412-268-1289 with any questions on this program and the application process.
Timeline from 2008 application and selection process:
- Thursday, December 18th, 2008 - Deadline for student applications
- Thursday, January 15th, 2009 - Notification of finalists to conduct interviews
- Thursday, January 29th, 2009 - Notification of final selection of interns
- Thursday, February 5th, 2009 - Deadline for selected interns to confirm their acceptance of our internship offer
Spring Preparation Sessions:
We offered a 6 unit course in the 2nd Mini of the Spring Semester to assist students in preparing for their projects in collaboration with our contacts in Tanzania. We also conducted a series of meetings during the spring semester to handle logistics related to travel, visas, etc. We advised students on living and working in Tanzania as well as how to work well with an international team. We expected students to do their own research to prepare for the work they would be doing. We suggested that students conduct as much preparatory work as possible while on campus so that they could get started on project work in depth in the summer. We also worked closely with various departments within the university concerning travel and safety issues.
Internship Salary:
Each of the interns selected for the team were paid a salary of US$3,000 for their participation with the program. This was paid biweekly over the course of the summer through university payroll.
Overseas Travel Logistics:
Students who traveled to Tanzania must have had a valid passport which they paid for on their own. We processed and paid for any required visas. We also arranged and paid for international airfare. Students had to pay for any required immunizations and vaccinations prior to their travel. Students selected for the internship had to assist with paperwork involved in their participation with the program related to their travel booking, accounting, and the Office of International Education. Students also had to make sure they had health insurance to cover them overseas.
Air travel to and from Tanzania was be sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. If travel to other work sites within Tanzania is needed, the UCC would cover it.
Accommodations:
For students traveling to Tanzania, the University Computing Centre agreed to arrange and pay for local accommodations and transportation. For students working on campus, they made their own housing arrangements and were eligible for an additional US$1,000 paid with their internship salary to help them cover living expenses with valid proof of their housing arrangements.
Meals and Local Transportation:
Students paid for their own meals and local transportation through the internship salary they received through this program.
