PI

Research Outputs and Achievements


In addition to meeting the objectives of dissemination of PIs‘ research outputs through academic journals, conferences and online media outlets, SIRCA fuelled interest and motivation amongst its PIs to pursue further research – and many PIs managed to outdo expectations. Three SIRCA PIs were awarded scholarships to pursue their PhDs, and others were honored with awards and recognized for their SIRCA research work.

Peou Chivoin (Cambodia) was awarded Australia‘s Endeavour Award for PhD study at the University of Melbourne with research emphasis on Internet and youth issues. Building on the experience of working on his SIRCA project, ―Internet for Learning and Knowledge Building: Students‟ Perceptions and Utilization in Cambodian Higher Education‖ and developing an interest in ICTD, Chivoin successfully obtained the Australian scholarship to further his knowledge and investigation in the topic of ICTD. Further, his project has been documented as an active research project for the Department of Media and Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, which is planning to set up a media research program that builds further on the project experience. These outcomes attest to the capability of the SIRCA grant program to nurture and sustain research capacity in ICTD.

To quote Chivoin, who was awarded a PhD scholarship:

The SIRCA grant I received between 2009 and 2010 not only offered me a chance to research an under-researched yet significant area of ICTs in Cambodia, but also paved my way into a committed research and academic career. The SIRCA experience has both aided my admission into the PhD program at the University of Melbourne and inspired my research and academic vision within my current PhD program.

According to Sirajul Islam (Bangladesh), ―

the fellowship of SIRCA not only has given me an opportunity to help in conducting field work for my PhD study, but also has contributed to broadening my research capacity and network.‖

And finally, in keeping with its overarching goals, Mary Grace P. Mirandilla attests that:

SIRCA has provided not only a platform for research, but a venue for enriching exchanges, the much needed support for scientific and relevant inquiries, and a community of passionate individuals who are committed to improving lives with the aid of information and communication technology.


Summary of SIRCA PI Achievements

 

Principal Investigator Recognition of Work Research Paper Awards
Komathi ALE, PhD scholarship to University of Southern California Annenberg School in USA in August 2011 Regina Hechanova, recipient of The Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service (2010), Philippines, and the Cardinal Sin Book Award, Philippines Phal Des, Distinguished Paper Award at IEEJ Japan-Cambodia Joint Symposium on Information Systems and Communication Technology 2011 (JCAICT 2011) in January 2011, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Peou Chivoin, PhD scholarship to University of Melbourne in Australia in July 2010 Mahfuz Ashraf, UNESCO Chair in ICTD scholarship to attend the ICTD2010 IEEE/ACM Conference in December 2010 Rajiv Aricat George, top-three paper award at the Inaugural Honors Symposium for Asian Students in Communication Research held in City University of Hong Kong in November 2010
Pham Huu Ty, Nuffic Scholarship for PhD at Utrecht University, Netherlands in May 2010 Sirajul Islam, Reviewer, Chair and Moderator at ICTD2010 IEEE/ACM Conference in December 2010; Reviewer at the 44th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science (HICSS) in January 2011, at the 2nd International Conference on Mobile for Development, in Kampala, Uganda in November 2010, and for the Journal of Information Technology for Development (ITD), Routledge, Taylor & Francis group, UK  
Balwant Singh Mehta Balwant Singh Mehta, selected, to be part of the Amy Mahan Research Fellowship Program to Assess the Impact of Public Access to ICT (2010-11)  

 

CONFERENCES
Komathi ALE (Singapore)

  • Presentation on ―Examining community aspects of ICT in education initiatives: Case of the One Laptop per Child laptops in Indian schools‖ at the International Association for Media and Communication Research Conference, in Istanbul, Turkey, 13-17 July 2011.
  • Presentation on ―Evaluating the impact of low-cost computers in education: An Indian field study‖ at the International Technology, Education and Development Conference, in Valencia, Spain, 7-9 March 2011.
  • Presentation on ―Cheap and good ICTs in education: Low-cost computers in Indian rural primary schools‖ at the Annual International Conference on Infocomm Technologies in Competitive Strategies (ICT 2010), in Singapore, 25-26 October 2010.

Rajiv George Aricat (Singapore)

  • Forthcoming presentation at the Second symposium of Asian PhD students in Communication Research, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 11-13 November 2011.

Mahfuz Ashraf (Bangladesh)

  • Presentation on ―Operationalizing the capability approach for evaluating the contribution of ICT to development at an ICT4D project in Bangladesh‖ at the IFIP WG9.4 Conference 2011 Partners for Development: ICT Actors and Actions, in Kathmandu, Nepal, 22-25 May 2011. Appointed as a Member of the Program Committee for this event.

Phal Des (Cambodia)

  • Presentation on ―Mobile innovations to promote protecting awareness against Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STD): Showcasing mobile solutions designed for young Cambodian people‖, at IEEJ Japan-Cambodia Joint Symposium on Information Systems and Communication Technology 2011 (JCAICT 2011), in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 6-8 January 2011.

Regina Hechanova (Philippines)

  • Presentation on ―Counseling OFWs: perspective of users, non-users and counselors‖ at the Psychological Association of the Philippines, 18 August 2011.
  • Presentation on ―Prospects for Online Counseling for Migrant Workers‖ at the Living the Information Society Conference, October 2010.

VLV Kameswari (India)

  • Presentation on ―New Communication Technologies for Agricultural Extension: A Relook at Public Extension in the Indian Context‖ at the International Conference on Future Imperatives of Communication and Information for Development and Social Change, organized by University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Thammasat University, in Bangkok, Thailand, 20-22 December 2010.
  • Presentation on ―ICTs and market participation of small scale farmers in the Indian Himalayan region‖ at the 5th Annual ACRON-REDECOM conference, in Lima, Peru, 19-20 May 2011.

Pham Huu Ty (Vietnam)

  • Invited to present his paper at the GSDI 12 World Conference, organized by GSDI Association, Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia & the Pacific (PCGIAP) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA), in Singapore, 19-22 October 2010, but could not attend.
  • Presentation on ―Impoverishment Risks Due to Involuntary Displacement and Resettlement in the Hydroelectric Development Project: How Are They Managed?‖ at the ―2D, Equitable Resource Allocation and Poverty Reduction‖ session at the 17th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference in New York, 8-10 May 2011.
  • Presentation on ―Lessons learnt from a participatory intervention for livelihood restoration for hydropower development in Vietnam‖ at the Nature™ Inc? Questioning the Market Panacea in Environmental Policy and Conservation 2011, in the Netherlands, 30 June-2 July 2011.

Sirajul Islam (Bangladesh)

  • Presentation on ―Knowledge Management practices in e-Government: A developing country perspective‖ at the 4th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV2010), in Beijing, China, 25-28 October, 2010.
  • Presentation on ―The Bangladesh National Biometric Database: A Transferable Success?‖ at the 9th International conference on Electronic Government on Information Systems perspective (EGOVIS-DEXA, 2010), in Bilbao, Spain, 1-2 September, 2010.

Grace Mirandilla-Santos (Philippines)

  • Presentation on ―A-list Filipino Political Bloggers and Their Blog Readers: Who They Are, Why They Write/Read Blogs, and How They Perceive and Participate in Politics‖ at the ―The Filipino Blogosphere: Political Expression, Communication, and Participation‖ hosted by CRC at the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG), University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, on 26 February 2011 (http://www.scribd.com/doc/49764715/A-List-Filipino-Political-Bloggers-Readers-Mirandilla-NCPAG-Feb-26-11).
  • Presentation on ―A-list Filipino Political Bloggers and Their Blog Readers: Who They Are, Why They Write/Read Blogs, and How They Perceive and Participate in Politics‖ at the ―The Filipino Blogosphere: Political Expression, Communication, and Participation‖ hosted by CRC and Cebu Bloggers Society, Inc. in Cebu, Philippines, on 5 March 2011 (http://www.scribd.com/doc/50337529/Mirandilla-A-List-Filipino-Political-Bloggers-Readers-Cebu-Mar-5-11).
  • Presentation on ―A-list Filipino Political Bloggers and Their Blog Readers: Who They Are, Why They Write/Read Blogs, and How They Perceive and Participate in Politics‖ at the ―The Filipino Blogosphere: Political Expression, Communication, and Participation‖ hosted by CRC and Davao Bloggers in Davao, Philippines, on 9 April 2011 (http://www.scribd.com/doc/61359610/Mirandilla-A-List-Filipino-Political-Bloggers-amp-Readers-Davao-Apr-9-11).