IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)
Technology for the Benefit of Humanity // Villanova University, USA / October 23-26, 2024

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Winners of Undergrad Student Poster Showcase Competition at GHTC 2024

Undergraduate students presented their posters at the IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC) Undergrad Student Poster Showcase Competition at Soak on Thursday, October 23, 2024

There were 69 students in 23 teams. The judging process and the funding for the competition was a collaboration between Region 2 and Region 6.  Prizes in the amount of $750 for the 1st Place winner, $500 for the 2nd, and $250 for the 3rd place.

Winners of Undergrad Student Poster Showcase Competition at GHTC Souk

1st Place: TrackTB – Maia Wainwright, Kyle Smith, Lehigh University

2nd Place: PlasTech – Caroline Ronchini, Fernanda Sena, and Jackson Kramp, Lehigh University

3rd Place: SicklED – Adelaide Ogden, Owen Holst, Lehigh University

Honorable Mention: Improving Heatwave Detection and Assessment – Vinay Karthik, Wardlaw Hartridge School, USA

 

 

GHTC 2024 Program Update and Early Registration Deadline

The 14th IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (IEEE GHTC 2024) will take place in person at Villanova University (Pennsylvania) from October 23  to 25, 2024.

GHTC is a flagship international conference supporting achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), bringing together people working on the application of technology to addressing critical issues for the benefit of the resource-constrained and vulnerable populations in the world.

2024 Theme:The Year of the Practitioner

Preliminary Program information has been posted on the website. (See https://ieeeghtc.org/program/)

Registration is open – Early rates end September 30. See the GHTC 2024 Registration page for details on fees and options.

GHTC focuses on these sustainable goals:

  • Good Health and Well Being (SDG3)
  • Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7)
  • Communication/Connectivity in Support of Development
  • Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery
  • Technologies that promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (SDG5)
  • Quality Education (SDG4)
  • Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG6)
  • Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8)
  • Agriculture and Food Security (SDG2)
  • Technology Impacts on Societal Evolution

Why Attend?

  • Participate in an extensive, vibrant, and innovative technical program
  • Learn from world-class knowledgeable practitioners working in the field
  • Exchange information, share experiences and network with attendees actively involved in the fields
  • Gain visibility and recognition for your humanitarian work, projects and ideas
  • Find new resources and potential partners or investors

GHTC 2024 features:

Pre-Conference Workshops on October 23 Included with GHTC 2024 registration.

GHTC Pre-Conference Welcome Souk on October 23

GHTC 2024 is reinventing the opening reception. The GHTC 2023 souk (‘open air bazaar’) was very successful. The GHTC 2024 SOUK will commence at 6PM on Wednesday October 23rd in the ballroom of The Inn at Villanova University. All attendees are urged/encouraged to arrive with material to post.

Included with GHTC 2024 registration.

For those not attending the conference, SOUK presenter registration is available in the registration system for $50 per poster (Light refreshments will be served)

Plenary and Keynote Sessions

Thursday Plenary Panel (830-1030 on October 24)

Technology Development to Technology Implementation

Mr. Andrew Lamb, Chair, Internet of Production Alliance
Mr. Amit Bhavnagar, Director, Swasthgram Global foundation
Ben Savonen, Global Development Incubator

World renowned speakers:

Banquet: Dr. Revi Sterling, Technical Director, Women in the Digital Ecosystem Fund (WiDEF)

Friday Lunch: Avner Mizrahi, engageSPARK

IEEE Humanitarian Panel (2:10-3:20 PM)

Engineering with purpose: The New Humanitarian Technologies Approach

Moderator:

Julianna M. Pichardo, IEEE Humanitarian Activities & Sustainable Development Manager

Panelists:

Stephanie Gillespie, EPICS in IEEE Committee Chair
Sampath Veeraraghavan, IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB), with focus on Tech4Good
Toby Cumberbatch, IEEE Smart Village (ISV)

Friday Plenary Panel (0830 – 1030 on October 25)

Women in Humanitarian Technology Panel

Dr. Heather Beem, Professor of Engineering, Ashesi University
Ms. Amina Abubakar, Founder and Chief Consultant, Adaptive Solutions Africa Ltd
Ms. Sophia Haoui, Software Developer, New Sun Road

Technical Sessions

See preliminary list of accepted papers. (Note not all may be presented). On-site and remote presentations.

16 tracks, 80 papers:

1A    AI in Education
1B    Climate Change Data
2A    Productivity Solutions in Agriculture
2B    Information for Entrepreneurship
3A    Power Grid Solutions
3B    Technology for Education
4A    Diet, Nutrition and Oral Health
4B    Human-Machine Interface
5A    AI in Agriculture
5B    Entrepreneurship for All
6A    Technology for Community Well Being
6B    The Economics of Sustainability
7A    Technology Development
7B    Emergency Response Technologies
8A    Technology for Well Being
8B    Aid, Assistance and The Digital Divide

 

GHTC 2024 Sponsors

IEEE GHTC 2024 is Sponsored by IEEE Region 6, IEEE Philadelphia Section and IEEE SSIT, with Technical Co-Sponsorship by IEEE-USA, IEEE CTS, IEEE EDS, IEEE EMBS, IEEE MTT-S, IEEE PELS, IEEE PES, the IEEE Smart Village Initiative and IEEE-SA.

 

GHTC 2024 Opening Souk

GHTC 2024 Conference Opening Souk

The GHTC 2024 Souk – our kickoff event – will commence at 6PM on Wednesday October 23rd in the ballroom of The Inn at Villanova University.

Designed as a universal marketplace for easy exchange of ideas and introductions to fellow conference participants, ALL ATTENDEES are urged/encouraged to arrive with material to post. We will provide the means for you to display whatever you provide—be it a “formal” poster to sheets of paper. Material posted will remain displayed for the duration of the conference to provide easy access to attendee’s interests.

Everyone is encouraged to participate whether you plan your poster ahead of time, or put it together when you arrive.

Light refreshments will be served, registration is required. There is a small fee to offset the costs of the Souk and the refreshments. Register via the registration page; it is an option in the conference registration process. Note it is not required to register for the full conference to attend the Souk.

 

Announcing GHTC 2024 Call for Papers

October 23-26, 2024
Villanova University, Pennsylvania USA
https://ieeeghtc.org/

Extended Deadline: May 31, 2024

Download CFP (PDF)

The 14th IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (IEEE GHTC 2024) is a flagship international conference sharing practical, technology-enabled solutions that address the needs of underserved communities in resource-constrained environments around the world. Submissions should discuss work done to alleviate poverty, provide education and connectivity, and create equitable access to water, energy, and secure food sources with minimal impact on the planet and environment.

GHTC 2024 will be hosted at Villanova University (Pennsylvania, USA) on October 23-26, 2024.

NOTE: While GHTC 2024 will be primarily in-person, there will be a ’Virtual track’ for remote presentations.

Stakeholders from public and private organizations, education and research institutes, societal and government organizations, and the funding and donor sectors are invited to submit Full Papers (project results) and Project Talks (fieldwork in progress) that share insight, experience, best practice and lessons learned from a research, policy, practitioner and/or community perspective.  Papers should present analysis of research results or a case study. General project descriptions or project proposals are not appropriate. Submissions will be assessed for quality, work done, relevance, consideration of ethical issues, methodological vigor and potential for actual impact.
Submissions by community representatives, practitioners (governmental, for-profit and nonprofit), academics, private sector organizations and policy makers describing intervention design and implementation, field experiences and best practices, case studies, project monitoring and evaluation results, and original research are sought. Of particular interest are works that highlight community engagement and collaboration as well as long-term engagement. Paper submissions should include results that have not previously been published and have not been submitted to another conference or journal.
The conference is structured to provide ample opportunity and environments for extensive interaction between attendees. A congruence between the presentation of mature research and reportage of ongoing projects provides an environment in which seasoned practitioners and students new to the field can ask questions and share lessons learned. 
Please note that all submissions will undergo a Plagiarism Check before being assigned for blind peer review by  experienced subject matter experts.

IEEE GHTC 2024 Thematic areas are centered around the UN Sustainable Development Goals and include (but are not limited to):

Focus AreaTopics
Good Health and Well Being (ref: SDG3)E.g.: Healthcare, Medical technology, Telemedicine, Mobile Clinics, Primary Care and Nutrition.
Affordable & Clean Energy (ref: SDG7)E.g.: Generation, and Distribution of Renewable Energy; Off-grid Energy for Lighting, Cooking and Heating; Decentralized Energy Resources (DER); Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES); Renewable Energy Management (REM); Smart Grid, Micro/Nano Grid; Energy Management Systems (EMS); Battery Management Systems (BMS); Hybrid & Electric Vehicles (HEV); Bio-energies; Waste-to-Energy.
Communication/Connectivity in Support of DevelopmentE.g.: Communication and Information Technologies, Systems, and Applications; Social Media and Its Application.
Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and RecoveryE.g.: Disaster Planning and Preparedness; Predictive, Warning and Response Systems; Community Mobilization; Monitoring and Evaluation of Community Response, Shelters; Short and/or long term survival strategy after a disaster.
Technologies that promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (ref: SDG5)E.g.: Information and Communication Technology for Empowerment; Diversity and Inclusion; Leadership development and decision making; Legal frameworks; Time-tracking; Literacy
Quality Education (ref: SDG4)E.g.: Training and Capacity Building; Programs; Methods and Service Learning.
Clean Water and Sanitation (ref: SDG6)E.g.: Clean Water; Sanitation; Solid Waste Management; Disease Vector Control; Drainage and Hygiene.
Decent Work and Economic Growth (ref: SDG8)E.g.: Innovation in Industry and Infrastructure; Entrepreneurship Programs (including social entrepreneurship), Sustainable Business Models, Social Enterprises, Workforce Development Programs (e.g. digital literacy programs), Innovative Business Financing Models.
Agriculture and Food Security (ref: SDG2)E.g.: Agricultural Technologies, Irrigation and Farming Practices.
Technology Impacts on Societal EvolutionE.g. Technology Design, Adoption and Dissemination; Human-Centered System Design; Behavior change and technology adoption; Collaborative design; Technologies to enable Peace, Justice, and Equitable Economies; Other Technology Impacts
Other Related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (ref: SDGs 9, 11, 12, 14)E.g.: Commercialization of Humanitarian Technologies; Community engagement, Capacity-building, and Behavior Change; Deployment, Scale-up, Distribution; Humanitarian Challenges & Opportunities; Infrastructure, Information, and Human Security; Participatory Methods; Ocean Health and Climate Change Mitigation.

In addition to describing technological aspects, ethical and sustainability challenges, submissions are encouraged to consider socio-cultural, socio-economic, environmental and policy perspectives, and explain how holistic, development-related good practices such as skills, capacity building, community ownership, co-design, collaborative open innovation, and Theory of Change are applied.

Two types of submissions are invited for presentation at GHTC:

Full Papers: for Publication and Presentation: mature results, tested innovations, or completed projects that should not exceed eight pages. mature results or completed projects and should not exceed eight pages.

Oral-Only Project Talks: discussion of fieldwork in progress (with insufficient results for a full paper) that addresses intention, unexpected challenges, unintended outcomes, successes, and failures. Oral-Only submissions should be described in one or two pages.

 

NOTE: we are also accepting proposals for multi-stakeholder Special Sessions (e.g. demo, panel, discussion; up to 8 pages)  deadline May 31.
Accepted Full Papers and Oral-Only Project Talk presentations will be grouped thematically to facilitate focused discussion, community building and networking based on common interests.

Important Dates

Full Paper and Oral-only submission for review deadlineMay 19, 2024 May 31, 2024
Special Sessions (e.g. demo, panel, discussion) deadlineMay 19, 2024 May 31, 2024
Notification of acceptance / revision requirementsJune 23, 2024 July 15, 2024
Submission of Final Full Paper and Oral-only Presentation ("Camera ready")July 29, 2024 Aug 10, 2024
Author Copyright forms deadlinesame as Final deadline
Author early registration deadlineJuly 30, 2024 Aug 14 2024
Early registration deadlineSeptember 30, 2024
Recorded presentations due October 10, 2024
Conference DatesOctober 23 - 26, 2024
Accepted papers presented by an original author or co-author during the conference will be published in the IEEE GHTC 2024 Conference Proceedings, and submitted for publication in IEEE Xplore®

IEEE GHTC 2024 is Sponsored by IEEE Region 6, IEEE Philadelphia Section and IEEE SSIT, with Technical Co-Sponsorship by IEEE-USA, IEEE CTS, IEEE EDS, IEEE EMBS, IEEE MTT-S, IEEE PELS, IEEE PES, the IEEE Smart Village Initiative and IEEE-SA.

Sponsors

GHTC 2023 Awards

The IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) generously funded best paper & poster awards

IEEE Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) funded travel for several of their projects.

 

IEEE SSIT Awards

Poster Awards (Souk)

Lehigh University

“SicklED: Low-Cost, Point-of-Care, Sickle Cell Screening Device for Use in Low-to-Middle Income Countries”

Lehigh University:

Lauryn Jones, Jake Feuerstein, and Chibugo Okeke (pictured), Alice Chen, Anjali Shah, Norman Zvenyika, Aiden McCurley, Kathleen Gifford, Hamsa Javagal, and Quan Hoang

With Pritpal Singh, GHTC 2023 Chair and Prasanta Ghosh, SSIT

 

Pennsylvania State University

“The Ecological Impacts of Red-Billed Quelea Birds”

The Pennsylvania State University:

Alexander Aumen, Gianna Gagliardi, Colleen Kinkead, Van Nguyen, Kaylee Smith, John Gershenson Ph.D.

With Pritpal Singh, GHTC 2023 Chair and Prasanta Ghosh, SSIT

 

Best Paper Awards

Lehigh University

“How Teacher Feedback Helped Reimagine, Redesign, and Recode a Sustainability Education App”,

Akanksha Y Gavade, Andrew W Leaventon, Hayden Ossinger, Saik A Jalal, Malika Buribayeva, Allison J Bronson, Chingiz Tuleubayev, Lehigh University

Pennsylvania State University

“Investigating the Feasability of Crowdsourcing Current Events Information in Kenya”,

Sonika Kohli, Eric Leon and Hayes Rakvin (Penn State, USA); Dorcas Owino (LakeHub, Kenya); John Gershenson, The Pennsylvania State University

 

GHTC 2023 Program Announced

GHTC 2023 is pleased to announce the preliminary conference program.

The 13th IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (IEEE GHTC 2023) will take place in person at Villanova University (Pennsylvania) from October 11  to 14, 2023.

Registration is openEarly rates extended to September 26. See the GHTC 2023 Registration page for details on fees and options.

[Note that the participating GHTC hotels have various deadlines for making reservations at their GHTC rates. See https://ieeeghtc.org/accomodations/]

See the GHTC 2023 Program pages for details.

GHTC is a flagship international conference supporting achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), bringing together people working on the application of technology to addressing critical issues for the benefit of the resource-constrained and vulnerable populations in the world.

GHTC focuses of these sustainable goals:

  • Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7)
  • Agriculture and Food Security (SDG2)
  • Communication/Connectivity in Support of Development
  • Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery
  • Quality Education (SDG4)
  • Good Health and Well Being (SDG3)
  • Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG6)
  • Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8)
  • Technologies that promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (SDG5)
  • Technology Impacts on Societal Evolution

Why Attend?

  • Participate in an extensive, vibrant, and innovative technical program
  • Learn from world-class knowledgeable practitioners working in the field
  • Exchange information, share experiences and network with attendees actively involved in the fields
  • Gain visibility and recognition for your humanitarian work, projects and ideas
  • Find new resources and potential partners or investors

GHTC 2023 features:

Pre Conference Workshops

Energy Access Educators Workshop

October 10-11, 2023
The Inn at Villanova

This two-day workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) brings together educators, practitioners, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the domains of electricity access and associated sustainable business model development.

Registration required; see here for details.

GHTC 2023 Pre-Conference Workshops on Wednesday, October 11

Included with GHTC 2023 registration.

  • A Roadmap for Geospatial Analysis, presented by Mathworks, 2:30-4:00 PM
  • Exploring Challenges in Education and Research When Advancing Technology for Humanitarian Efforts, presented by Elsevier, 4:00-5:00 PM

GHTC Pre-Conference Souk

Wednesday October 11 5:00-9:00 pm

Light food/cash bar from 6:30-8:30 pm

GHTC 2023 is reinventing the opening reception. The GHTC 2023 souk (‘open air bazaar’) will commence at 6:30PM on Wednesday October 11th in the ballroom of The Inn at Villanova University. All attendees are urged/encouraged to arrive with material to post.

GHTC 2023 registration not required, but pre-registration required for display space, sign-up here.

Plenary and Keynote Sessions

World renowned speakers:

  • Opening Session – October 12:

Jordan Ermilio, Villanova University
Varun Loomba, Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE)
Mou Riiny, SunGate Solar Ltd, South Sudan

  • Conference Banquet – October 13:

Dr. Krista Donaldson, Stanford University

IEEE Humanitarian Panel (1230 – 1400 on October 12)

Stephanie Gillespie, EPICS in IEEE Committee Chair
Kit August, IEEE Humanitarian Technology Board
Ed Rezek, IEEE Smart Village

Connectivity Panel (0800 – 1000 on October 13)

Mei Lin Fung, People-Centered Internet
Chris Clement Igiraneza, KIT-HUB

Young Professionals Panel (1030 – 1230 on October 13)

Kory Hansen, Counterpart International
Wayne Lifshitz, Chemonics Inc
Ben Savonen, Global Development Incubator

 

Technical Sessions

Over 80 papers in 10 tracks; on-site and remote presentations.

See preliminary program schedule in EDAS.

Speakers

GHTC 2023 Sponsors

Energy Access Educators Workshop

GHTC 2023  Pre-Conference Workshop

Energy Access Educators Workshop

October 10-11, 2023
The Inn at Villanova
Villanova, Pennsylvania

This two-day workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) brings together educators, practitioners, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the domains of electricity access and associated sustainable business model development. The overarching goal of the workshop is to enhance and expand undergraduate engineering courses and activities on electricity access and corresponding sustainable business models.

The workshop will include targeted discussions, panel sessions, networking opportunities, and open-ended discussions. Keynote presentations from experienced practitioners and educators will be featured.

The workshop will be held in October 2023 at Villanova University, immediately preceding the IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference.

Hotel accommodations for two nights and all meals during the workshop will be covered by the NSF grant. In the registration page, please indicate if you will need hotel accommodation. We will make the hotel reservations for all attendees that require hotel accommodation.

We look forward to seeing you at the workshop in October.

For details and registration see https://www1.villanova.edu/university/engineering/about-us/news-events/events/2023/Energy-Access-Workshop.html

 

Announcing GHTC 2023 Pre-Conference Souk

What: The GHTC Souk – our marketplace of impact

Date/Time: Wednesday, 11-Oct-23 @ 5-9 pm (evening before GHTC 2023 opening)

Light food/cash bar from 6:30-8:30 pm

Location: Inn at Villanova Ballroom

Sign-up: Below (Deadline 26-Sep)

GHTC 2023 is reinventing the opening reception. The GHTC 2023 souk (‘open air bazaar’) will commence at 5:00 PM on Wednesday October 11th in the ballroom of The Inn at Villanova University, with light food and cash bar. This event is free to all attendees, but we ask that you sign up for a ticket at the link below for planning purposes and a complementary beverage.

Designed as a universal marketplace for easy exchanges of ideas and introductions to fellow conference participants, all attendees are urged/encouraged to arrive with material to post. We’ll provide the means for you to display whatever you provide. Posters can be anything from a picture or hastily scribbled note to a full-fledged research poster or exhibit – hardware and demos are welcome. Practitioners, academics, students, and all who are curious are invited to display and/or browse. All we ask is that it be sufficiently legible for passersby to read from about 3ft. Material posted will remain displayed for the duration of the conference to provide easy access to attendee’s interests.

Attendees are requested to sign-up below to ensure they have a display space.

Note: Separate to the souk will be a session on Oct. 13 in which submissions accepted as posters are presented to the conference.

 

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