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Expressions of Interest: Training and Evaluation Datasets for African Languages

The purpose of this call for EOI is to identify projects to submit full proposals to develop open and accessible datasets for machine learning applications that will enable natural language processing for languages in sub-Saharan Africa. The ability to communicate and be understood in one’s own language is fundamental to digital and societal inclusion. Natural language processing techniques have enabled critical AI applications that facilitate digital inclusion and improvements in numerous fields, including: education, finance, healthcare, agriculture, communication, and disaster response, among others. Many advances in both fundamental and applied NLP have stemmed from openly licensed and publicly available datasets.However, such open, publicly available datasets are scarce to non-existent for many African languages, and this means the benefits of NLP are not accessible to speakers of these languages. Where relevant datasets do exist, they are often based on religious, missionary, or judiciary texts, leading to outmoded language and bias. There is a need for openly accessible text, speech, and other datasets to facilitate breakthroughs based on NLP technologies for African languages.Lacuna Fund seeks Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from qualified organizations to develop open and accessible training and evaluation datasets for ML applications for NLP in sub-Saharan Africa. The TAP recognizes the importance of datasets that would create significant impact regardless of the number of speakers of the included language, as well as the need for multi-lingual datasets.EOIs may include, but not limited to: Collecting and/or annotating new data; Annotating or releasing existing data; Augmentation of existing datasets in all areas to decrease bias (such as gender bias or other types of bias or discrimination) or increase the usability of NLP technology in low- and middle-income contexts; Creating small, higher-quality benchmark data for NLP tasks in low-resource African languages. While the focus of Lacuna Fund is primarily on dataset creation, annotation, augmentation, and maintenance, proposals may include the development of a baseline model to ensure the quality of the funded dataset and/or to facilitate the use of dataset for socially beneficial applications. For more information about the opportunity, click here

By: Derek Tobias

Thursday, Nov 4, 2021

CULTURE AND SOCIETY
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Yidan Prize 2022 for Advancing Ideas in Education

Nominations are now open for the Yidan Prize 2022 to create a better world through education. The Yidan Prize is the most significant accolade in education. Tell us about the individuals and teams with the greatest potential, and we could help them on their way.Each year, the Yidan Prize is awarded to individuals and teams in two areas: Education Research: The theories of learning—science, psychology, statistics—that can help educators understand different approaches with a methodical lens. Education Development Policy and practice in learning: new methods and ways to make education more widespread—so they can champion techniques that work. We see these prizes—and the events and networks surrounding them—as a way to bring bright minds together to exchange ideas. That’s why the two prizes work in harmony: to build a network of educational experts who’re as strong in research as they are in practical application, in classrooms across the world.For example: we awarded our first Education Research Prize to Professor Carol Dweck: her pioneering work in growth mindset underpins and inspires practice. And as our 2020 Education Development laureates at CAMFED (the Campaign for Female Education) work with marginalized girls in sub-Saharan Africa, they partner with research insitutes to track what’s most effective, who’s benefiting and the costs.Where any individual or team’s work covers both research and development, we welcome two submissions: one for research and one for development.Our prizes are open to teams of up to three. That could be a research group working on a project together, or even several people contributing to the same idea from separate organizations—they don’t have to work together. If you want to nominate a larger team, choose up to three representatives. If a team does win either award, they’ll each get their own individual medal and certificate, and split the cash prize and project fund. For more information or to nominate someone, please visit the Yidan Prize website

By: Derek Tobias

Thursday, Nov 4, 2021

EDUCATION

Enabling Community-Oriented Policing in Senegal

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a project to help Senegalese law enforcement use community policing as a tool to improve the social contract with their citizens. The primary objective is to improve partnership with citizens and enhance governance and legitimacy through helping police and communities work more closely with one another. Transforming policing services to better serve the public is easier said than done. It is about building trust between police and citizens. Empowering them to engage with citizens to fulfill the mission of police service, which have to be equitable, transparent and effective. The cascade of changes needed to effectively develop, implement, sustain, and communicate a citizen-oriented approach that reverses decades of underperformance and memories of past abuses is vast. Changing police culture can be as difficult, if not much more difficult, than changing policies, procedures, training. In order to develop a positive public perception, police officers need to engage with the citizens of its community to build a relationship of respect and trust. This program aims to help the law enforcement agencies, defined as the national police, gendarmerie, and a local force known in French as the Agence de Securité de Proximité (ASP), in Senegal make progress towards the goal of institutionalizing community-oriented policing. The program will focus solely on Senegal throughout its duration, however INL will permit the grantee to employ regional collaboration as a means of achieving project outcomes. For more information, please visit the listing on grants.gov

By: Derek Tobias

Thursday, Nov 4, 2021

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Twenty-second International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Dear Colleague,We are pleased to share with you the Call for Papers for the Twenty-second International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations, University of Curaçao, Willemstad, Curaçao, 2–4 June 2022. Founded in 2000, the Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Research Network is brought together by a shared interest in human differences and diversity, and their varied manifestations in organizations, communities, and nations. We aim to traverse a broad terrain, sometimes technically and other times socially oriented, sometimes theoretical and other times practical in their perspective, and sometimes reflecting dispassionate analysis while at other times suggesting interested strategies for action. Our aim is to build an epistemic community where we can make linkages across disciplinary, geographic, and cultural boundaries The Twenty-second International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations features research addressing the following annual themes and special focus: Themes and tension Scope and concerns Program To learn more please visit: 2022 Conference | Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Research Network (ondiversity.com)

By: Raquel Acosta

Monday, Nov 1, 2021

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

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Conservation, Food, & Health Foundation Grant

The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation seeks to protect natural resources, improve the production and distribution of food, and promote public health in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The foundation helps build the capacity of organizations and coalitions with grants that support research or improve the learning and generation of local solutions to complex problems. The foundation supports projects that demonstrate local leadership and promote professional development in the conservation, agricultural, and health sciences; develop the capacity of local organizations; and address a particular problem or question in the field. It prefers to support projects that address under-funded issues and geographic areas. The foundation supports special projects and programs of non-governmental organizations in three areas: conservation, food, and health. Examples of areas of interest within these fields follow, but are not meant to be exclusive. Conservation Conservation grants help improve ecological and environmental conditions in low- and middle-income countries. The foundation supports field research and related research activities, training, and technical assistance efforts that: help conserve ecosystems and protect biodiversity train local leaders in conservation and protection of resources, with an emphasis on technical and scientific training Food Food grants help research-based efforts to improve food and nutrition security and improve natural resources and ecosystems. Areas of interest include projects that: promote or develop specific sustainable agriculture practices with potential to advance science and practice in other countries; test and refine innovative education and training interventions for small scale farmers; and advance new approaches to control pests and diseases affecting important food crops in low-income countries. Health The foundation supports public health programs that focus on populations rather than individuals. It funds programs that emphasize disease prevention and health promotion over those that emphasize disease diagnosis, treatment, and care. It supports research, technical assistance, and training projects that: improve public health through community-based efforts that address health promotion, disease prevention, family planning, and reproductive health; and increase the understanding and treatment of neglected tropical diseases The foundation supports most types of non-governmental organizations that can provide evidence of their nongovernmental status or charitable purpose. In general, the foundation will support: Non-governmental organizations (NGO) Nonprofit organizations Civil society organizations Community-based organizations Colleges, universities and academic institutions The foundation does not support businesses, government agencies, humanitarian aid organizations, other foundations or churches. For more information or to apply isit the CFH Foundation website.

By: Derek Tobias

Thursday, Oct 21, 2021

AGRI-FOOD SYSTEMS
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Virtual Panel Discussion

AP is excited to be hosting a virtual panel discussion regarding “The Role of Youth in Building Resilient Agri-Food Systems in Africa” this Thursday, October 21st at 8:30am-10:00 EDT. This discussion will be hosted with the help of The World Food Prize Foundation. The session will discuss evidence-based and pragmatic approaches that could foster productive youth engagements supportive of resilient agri-food systems in Africa. A panel of experts drawn from MSU and AAP partner institutions, Foundations and youth leaders will share insights highlighting the relevance of the agri-food system to youth livelihoods, the role youth could play to foster a resilient agri-food system, and salient trends, barriers and promising entry points for policy that could equip African youth with the skills, space and resources to effectively contribute to a productive and resilient agri-food system. Building a sustained and resilient agri-food system in Africa is an intergenerational mandate which demands the active engagement of African youth, and AAP is proud to be a part of this progress. This side event is organized by Michigan State University’s Alliance for African Partnership under the auspices of the African Youth Transformation Platform, a collaborative and cross-disciplinary platform that seeks to transform the lives of African youth and their communities through research, capacity building, and advocacy that enhances youth development outcomes. To register/learn more: https://msu.zoom.us/.../register/WN_iguFgRtBTYyhZi8hiZaCmA

By: Raquel Acosta

Tuesday, Oct 19, 2021

AGRI-FOOD SYSTEMS
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AAUW International Fellowships

International Fellowships have been in existence since 1917. The program provides support for women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and who intend to return to their home country to pursue a professional career. A limited number of awards are available for study outside of the U.S. (excluding the applicant’s home country) to women who are members of Graduate Women International (see the list of GWI affiliates). Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions are supported. Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by the application deadline and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study by the time of the application. Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. Recipients return to their home countries to become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, the arts or scientific fields. For more information or to apply, visit the AAUW webiste.

By: Derek Tobias

Thursday, Oct 14, 2021

EDUCATION