Signal Processing - May 2017 - 108

in the SPotlight

(continued from page 112)

The IEEE Signal Processing Society launched an online blog to provide an
accessible briefing to a more general audience and complement the usually
highly technical signal processing topics. Blog entries include the following:
* "Sensors and Sensibility" by Vladimir Pavlovic (30 January 2017)
* "How Biometric Authentication Poses New Challenges to Our Security
and Privacy" by Nasir Memon (5 January 2017)
* "Audio and Acoustic Signal Processing's Major Impact on Smartphones"
by Heinz Teutsch (28 October 2016)
* "E.T. Still Can't Phone Home, but Signal Processing Solves Many
Technology Challenges" by Pete Wyckoff (27 July 2016)
* "Modern Communications: Signal Processing's Vital Role in Connecting
Communities" by Waheed U. Bajwa and Hamid Krim (12 May 2016)
... and more!
Visit https://signalprocessingsociety.org/publications-resources/blog to read
blog articles on a variety of topics.

is a nonprofit that connects NGOs with
volunteer teams to conduct projects in
their spare time-this is how I worked on
the Simpa project and another project
using satellite image analysis of Kenyan
households' roofs to estimate poverty.
DrivenData conducts online competitions
to solve social good problems.
Fundamental signal processing theory and methods, when applied to nontraditional application areas, can change
the world for the better. We have a
unique opportunity to talk with NGOs,
understand their most pressing needs,
and use signal and information processing tools to create appropriate solutions.
This is not a pipe dream but a reality.

diarrhea, found causal factors on the innoapproval decisions. One operating point
vativeness of countries, and created a
of the decision rule we developed could
Acknowledgment
recommender system on the attributes of
have reduced delayed payments by
This article originally appeared in the
large philanthropic projects. Additionally,
almost one-third while still accepting
online blog of the IEEE Signal Processing
we've predicted species of primates likely
around 70% of the total customer pool.
Society on 7 February 2017.
to be reservoirs of the Zika virus, built
This project is a prime example of the
tools to automatically retrieve and classify
"data for social good" movement: upliftAuthor
news articles on humanitarian crises, and
ing humanity by harnessing skills-based
Kush R. Varshney (krvarshn@us.ibm
developed cognitive technologies to
volunteering of data scientists (of which I
.com) received his B.S. degree (magna
accelerate open scientific discovery such
would argue signal processing engineers
cum laude) in electrical and computer
as cures for multiple sclerosis-all using
and scientists are a subset) in combination
engineering with honors from Cornell
signal processing and related techniques.
with the subject matter expertise of nonUniversity in 2004. He received his S.M.
The University of Chicago pioneered
governmental organizations (NGOs),
degree in 2006 and his Ph.D. degree in
the concept of the Data Science for Social
social enterprises, and other similar orga2010, both in electrical engineering and
Good Summer Fellowship, which continnizations. At IBM Research, I codirect
computer science from the Massachusetts
ues to spread in the academic setting with
(with Saška Mojsilovic´) a program that
Institute of Technology. He is a research
similar programs now offered at Georgia
pairs student fellows with a team of
staff member and manager in the Data
Tech and the University of Washington.
researchers and an NGO partner to conScience Department at the IBM Thomas
Corporations and research organizations,
duct social good projects. Through this
J. Watson Research Center. He also
like Two Sigma and Draper Laboratory,
program-the first of its kind in a corpocodirects the IBM Social Good Felloware following suit. Bloomberg hosts an
rate setting-we have evaluated the effecship Program.
Put this at bottom of pg10 (to fill the space for the award article)
SP
annual conference on the topic. DataKind
tiveness of programs fighting childhood

Please stretch to the text width of the magazine

Do you know? The IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal was
established in 1995 in honor of Jack S. Kilby, whose innovation was a
monumental precursor to the development of the signal processor and
digital signal processing. The award may be presented for outstanding
achievements in signal processing. The achievement may be theoretical,
technological, or commercial.
Learn more at http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/medals/kilby.html
Nomination deadline: 15 June
108

IEEE SIgnal ProcESSIng MagazInE

May 2017

https://www.signalprocessingsociety.org/publications-resources/blog http://www.ieee.org/about/awards/medals/kilby.html

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signal Processing - May 2017