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AIDG Blog [Appropriate Technology, Development, Environment]
TED.COM just released a video of AIDG’s Executive Director Peter Haas, talking at TED Global in Oxford, about building collapse in Haiti and the importance of mason training programs like AIDG’s.
You can help us train a mason by giving $68. It is a great investment that will save lives in the next earthquake. Donate $68
If you think this talk is informative please RATE IT as INFORMATIVE on the TED.COM site. This will help keep the message alive.
Date:
Introductory Program (September 6-7, 2010) Limit 70 participants
Advanced Program (September 5-9, 2010) Limit: 110 participants Location: University Quisqueya, Haut Turgeau, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Registration:
Introductory Program: 3,000 gourdes ; Advanced Program: 5,000 gourdes
Payment must be made in advance to the UniQ bursar’s office; questions about payment can be directed to Tingue Wolfield (509-3844-9135 or tingue [dot] wolfield {at] gmail [dot} com ).
To register, visit https://www.ubevents.org/event/UniQ-UB2 or contact one of the seminar directors. Registration will close when the maximum capacity for each program is reached. Confirmation of registration will be sent via email.
Instructors:
André Filiatrault, Ph.D., Eng., Professor of Civil Engineering, University at Buffalo and MCEER Director
André Filiatrault is a licensed civil engineer and a professor of civil engineering at the University at Buffalo. He led a team of 10 French-speaking engineers and architects in conducting structural safety assessments of critical facilities, including hospitals, food distribution warehouses and other buildings in Port-au-Prince within days of the January 2010 earthquake. In one week, his team inspected 115 buildings and established a process for building assessments that remains in use in Haiti today.
Pierre Fouché, Ph.D. Candidate, University at Buffalo
Pierre Fouché is a Haitian-born civil engineer, a graduate of UniQ, a Fulbright Scholar and a Ph.D. candidate in earthquake engineering at the University at Buffalo. Fouché’s current research interests are in multi-hazard engineering and design of bridge structures. For his Ph.D. dissertation, he is developing an integrated and cost-effective bridge system that aims to offer a single optimized solution to the constraints of multiple hazards.
Wassim Ghannoum, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
Wassim Ghannoum recently joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin where he teaches design and behavior of reinforced concrete structures, and conducts research on earthquake induced damage to concrete structures. He has several years of structural design experience, and is a member of the American Concrete Institute’s committee on “Seismic Repair and Rehabilitation.” He participated in the week-long structural assessment mission in Haiti led by Prof. André Filiatrault and is a member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) committee coordinating technical assistance to Haiti.
Seminar Directors
Tingue Wolfield, Civil Engineer, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Architecture, UniQ
Phone: (509) 3844-9135
Email: tingue [dot] wolfield {at] gmail [dot} com
Sofia Tangalos
MCEER, University at Buffalo (USA)
Phone: 00 + 1 (716) 645-1157
Email: tangalos {at] buffalo [dot} edu
Description:
The second in a series of professional development earthquake engineering seminars presented by Haiti’s University Quisqueya (UniQ) and the University at Buffalo’s MCEER will offer two concurrent tracks—an introductory program and an advanced program—for Haitian structural engineers and architects this September.
Developed in consultation with UniQ faculty and based on Haitian construction practices, each program includes hands-on exercises, design examples and in-field demonstrations. All lectures and seminar materials are presented in French.
The Introductory Program (September 6-7, 2010), which was first offered in May 2010, will be offered again due to high demand. Entitled, “Introduction to Earthquake Engineering and Post-Earthquake Building Assessment,” this program aims to help Haitian engineers gain knowledge of fundamental earthquake engineering principles for retrofit of damaged facilities and design of new construction. Participants will also learn how to conduct rapid building assessments using the U.S. standard, Applied Technology Council’s ATC-20 Procedures for Postearthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings.
The Advanced Program (September 5-9, 2010), entitled “Seismic Design Load Calculations and the Seismic Design of Concrete and Masonry Buildings,” will provide in-depth instruction on design procedures, construction techniques and structural behaviors of reinforced concrete elements and confined masonry buildings in Haiti. Illustrative examples will be given. In addition, there will be a hands-on demonstration of the construction of a confined masonry wall with the help of a trained Haitian mason. Individuals enrolling in the Advanced Program are required to have already completed the Introductory Program.
Both programs will be held at the University Quisqueya, Haut Turgeau, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Returning instructors André Filiatrault, Ph.D., Eng., Professor of Civil Engineering, University at Buffalo and MCEER Director, and Pierre Fouché, Ph.D. Candidate, University at Buffalo, will be joined by Wassim Ghannoum, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin.
Both Filiatrault and Ghannoum were members of the initial United Nations’-designated Emergency Engineering Support Unit that conducted structural safety assessments on hospitals, food distribution warehouses and government facilities in Haiti shortly following the January 12 earthquake.
The seminars are a component of a longer-term educational initiative included in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by UniQ and UB/MCEER to promote academic exchange and cooperation over the next three years.
Seminar Summary:
Introductory Program: September 6-7, 2010
“Introduction to Earthquake Engineering and Post-Earthquake Building Assessment”
Registration fee is 3,000 gourdes
Limit of 70 participants
Advanced Program: September 5-9, 2010
“Seismic Design Load Calculations and the Seismic Design of Concrete and Masonry Buildings”
Tonight we’re having our 5th annual holiday party. Can you believe it? It’s been five years since AIDG got started with $800 and a bag of tools. We’ve accomplished a lot in a short amount of time and we couldn’t have done it without you.
Our holiday party is how we say thanks to all our friends, colleagues and supporters. So if you are in the Boston area come mingle and get an update on the work you helped make happen. If you’re new to the AIDG community or want to be a part of it, don’t be shy! Come out and meet everybody. Hear the stories first hand.
Come Celebrate with us
LOCATION: Our office space in Chinatown.
33 Harrison Avenue, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02111 DATE: Tuesday Dec. 29, 2009
TIME: 6PM -9 PM
RSVP: Cat Laine claine@aidg.org 800-401-3860 x703
Directions:
On the T From the Orange Line: Stop at Chinatown. Exit near intersection of Essex St and Washington St. Go East on Essex towards Chinatown. Make first right on Harrison Ave. If you hit Beach Street, you’ve gone too far.
From the Green Line: Stop at Boylston Street. Exit near intersection of Boylston St and Tremont St. Walk East on Boylston/Essex St 2 blocks (away from the Common). Take a right on Harrison Ave. If you hit Beach Street, you’ve gone too far.
From the Red Line: Stop at Downtown Crossing. Exit near intersection of Summer St and Washington St. Go Southwest on West on Washington St towards Park Street. Turn Left on Essex. Make first right on Harrison Ave. If you hit Beach Street, you’ve gone too far.
New Frontiers: Redefining Service for the 21st Century:
This year’s theme highlights the emerging trends in social enterprise that benefit society throughout the public, private, social, and non-profit means. Over the last decade, the word “service” has become multi-dimensional, stretching beyond basic volunteering to encompass fields like micro-financing and corporate social responsibility, among others.
Date: February 27-28, 2010 Location: Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA Price range: $40 - $110 depending on student status and Harvard affiliation Register
Social Venture Capital/Social Enterprise Conference, Miami-2010 will be your best opportunity in 2010 to learn, network, and connect with hundreds of top social enterprise/financial leaders and organizations from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the state of Florida- in addition to organizations worldwide which have an interest in expanding to the region.
Date: Mar 17-19, 2010 Location:Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, Fl Price Range: $179 to $545 depending on whether you are a student, in an NGO/Government or book early. Agenda (subject to change): Day 1Day 2Day 3
Bonus: Pete Haas, our ED, will be speaking on a panel.
Despite the sweltering heat, AIDG Board Treasurer Will Decaneas is training hard for the Boston Half Marathon to take place this fall. Help him forget those shin splits and go those extra miles by sponsoring his efforts. He’s trying to raise $5000 for AIDG before the big day, Oct 11, 2009. And as if all this weren’t enough, he’s even matching the highest donation up to $500.
I'd like to invite you to AIDG's Annual Meeting occurring this Sunday, May 3, 2009 from 5-7PM!
Come find out what your help has allowed us to do in the first part of 2009. If you weren't able to make our holiday party in December, you don't want to miss this.
AIDG founder, Peter Haas, will give you a lively rundown of our programs in Haiti and Guatemala. On the Haiti front, we have the results from Konkou Biznis Ayiti, our very first business plan competition to commercialize biogas in Northern Haiti. From the 16 teams that entered, we have our winner. Find out how they plan to convert waste into a clean burning fuel and fertilizer this Sunday.
Our Guatemala program is currently undergoing a radical transformation. We are completely upgrading our R&D facility so that we can better design technologies that meet the needs of underserved communities. These changes will also allow us to collaborate with more university groups and businesses that share our mission.
The AIDG team in Guatemala is preparing for a 2nd business plan competition to take place this fall. The focus will be water, energy, and sanitation technologies.
So come join us on Sunday. Let us show you some of what we've been able to achieve with your dedicated support.
Keeping it Green,
Cat Laine
Details
Location: Weston Community Center, 20 Alphabet Lane, Weston, MA 02493 Date: Sunday, May 3rd Time: 5PM - 7PM
Light refreshments will be served.
Snapshots from the field
The 5 finalist teams for AIDG's biogas business plan competition, Konkou Biznis Ayiti. Over the course of one week, these teams went through an intensive series of training sessions to help them refine their business concept. We'll be announcing the contest winner at the end of the week.
SakisDecossard of Own Energy, Peter Haas and Catherine Laine of AIDG after all long day's training session with the contest's finalists. I want to give a special thanks to Sakis, who traveled down to Haiti from NYC to serve as one of our judges in the competition.
The new AIDG compound: 3 story office and training space. Not shown: intern housing, garden, storage and workshop space.
AIDG Guatemala and a visiting mechanical engineering team from Michigan State University. The university team was working on a novel idea for solar refrigeration. Their ultimate aim is to improve vaccine delivery in areas with poor access to electricity and modern refrigeration technologies.
Jeb Gutelius and AIDG Board Member Benny Lee on a site visit to La Fe in Guatemala. In 2007, XelaTeco repaired La Fe's 75 kW hydroelectric plant that serves the community and powers their agricultural machinery. The transmission lines to the right of the power house (seen above) were installed by XelaTeco this year as Phase II of the project. Phase III will be further improvement and expansion of the minigrid to homes of the community's 100 families.
4th Annual Tufts Energy Conference “Global Green Infrastructure: Powering the 21st Century” Date: March 28th, 2009 Time: 9am - 5pm Location:
Sophia Gordon Hall
Tufts University
15 Talbot Avenue
Medford, MA 02155
09:30 - 09:45
Welcome and Introduction by Sherman Teichman, Director of the Institute for Global Leadership (with introduction from Peter O’Regan, Conference Co-Chair)
10:00 - 11:30
Panel 1: Innovation and Diffusion of New Infrastructure Technologies
Theme: This panel is an examination of efforts to both finance and develop technologies that allow us to use power more efficiently and sustainably. It brings together the science and technology of infrastructure development and explores the future of new technological innovation and diffusion.
Confirmed:
• Jon Karlen, Flybridge Capital
• Rob Pratt, EnergyClimate Solutions
• Philip Guidice, Commissioner Mass Department of Energy Resources
• James Bickford, Draper Labs
• Richard Larson, MIT
11:30-11:45
Coffee Break
11:45-12:15
Opening Keynote: Peter Droege, World Council for Renewable Energy
12:15 - 1:30
Panel 2: Revitalizing National Infrastructure
Theme: This panel will explore the future of U.S. Infrastructure policy. What role will the U.S. Federal government, state governments, utilities, and other actors play in the future of U.S. Infrastructure policy? How can we alter our grid to encourage more sustainable power use? Is distributed generation a better means to greener power supply and usage than grid-based infrastructure?
Confirmed:
• Watson Collins, NE Utilities
• Suzanne Watson, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
• Alan Nogee, Union of Concerned Scientists
• Penny Conner, NSTAR
• Professor Bill Moomaw, Tufts (moderator)
1:30-3:00
Networking lunch with keynote Gregg Dixon
3:00-4:00
Panel 3: Powering the Developing World
Organizer: Charles and Luo
Theme: This panel will examine developing world energy infrastructure. It seeks to see how growing nations will get their power in the future, especially as many countries see rapid population growth and subsequent energy demand growth. What are the best routes for meeting this need in a sustainable manner? Can distributed generation technologies carry the load? What other technologies and policies are needed? To what extent will developed nations contribute to the process?
Confirmed:
• Richard Hanson, Soluz Inc.
• Sam White, Promethean Power
• Professor David Dapice, Tufts (moderator)
4:15-4:45
Mindy Lubber, CERES
4:45-5:00
Closing remarks, Alex Clough, Conference Co-Chair
Co-sponsored by the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership and the Tufts Climate Solutions Coalition
TED has just announced its 2009 Fellows Program, a new international program designed to foster the spread of great ideas.
Initially 50 individuals, selected for the world-changing potential of their work, will be invited to participate in the TED community each year. At the end of the year, 20 of
these 50 will be selected to be TED Senior Fellows, participating in an extended three-year program which will bring them to six consecutive conferences, along with additional benefits. The principal goal of the program is to empower the Fellows to effectively communicate their work to the TED community and to the world.
The TED Fellows program will focus on attracting applicants living or working in five parts of the globe: the Asia/Pacific region, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East — with consideration given to applicants from the rest of the world. TED will seek remarkable thinkers and doers that have shown unusual accomplishment, exceptional courage, moral imagination and the potential to increase positive change in their respective fields. The program focuses on innovators in technology, entertainment, design, science, film, art, music, entrepreneurship and the NGO community, among other pursuits.
With MINUSTAH’s mandate being extended in Haiti until October 2009, I figured this is a worthwhile talk to go to.
Peacekeeping: Can The U.N. Meet the Challenge? Date: Thursday, FEB. 5, 2009 Time: 6:00 PM Location: JFK Jr Forum, Littauer Building, 79 John F. Kennedy Street Cambridge, MA Speakers:
SUSANA MALCORRA
Under Secretary-General,
U.N. Department of Field Support
MICHAEL GAOUETTE
Darfur Integration Operation Team,
U.N. Dept. of Peacekeeping Operations
DAVID HARLAND
U.N. Europe and Latin America Division,
U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations
JACQUELINE BHABHA (Moderator)
Jeremiah Smith Jr. Lecturer, Harvard Law School;
Director, Harvard Committee on Human Rights Studies
Change Haiti Can Believe In Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 Time: 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Location: John F. Kennedy Library, Smith Center, Boston, MA Speakers:
Matt Damon, Paul Farmer, Linda Dorcena Forry, and Brian Concannon, Jr.
moderated by Amy Goodman Sponsors: Partners In Health and Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
Description:
Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners In Health; actor and activist Matt Damon, who recently visited Haiti to assist victims devastated by hurricanes; Massachusetts State Representative and Haitian American Linda Dorcena Forry; and Brian Concannon, Jr., director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, share their stories of eradicating disease and injustice in one of the world’s poorest nations, and discuss how changes in U.S. policy can help to build strength and prosperity. Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, moderates.
AIDG, P.O. Box 104, Weston, MA 02493. Phone: 800-401-3860 Fax:
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