Most current projects

The Sitrep project is an initiative within the context of the School of Information's Information Services Design Clinic to investigate the challenges and opportunities for situation reporting in disaster response. Phase I The first phase of the project, spanning the 2007-2008 academic year, is devoted to exploratory research to identify problems and opportunities in the current process, the format of the information being collected, and the systems used to collect and analyze that data. Our approach to this research has been a combination of qualitative research methods, including interviews and roundtable discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, and document analysis of a large sample of sitreps from NGO and UN sources. We have conducted 32 interviews and four roundtables to date, along with an initial document analysis, and we intend to complete several more interviews and a more extensive document analysis within the next month. The result of this work, to be completed in early May, will be a research report detailing our findings on the current process as it exists in a range of organizations, including an in-depth evaluation of situation reporting within OCHA, which acts as a central point of collection and aggregation for information from a wide variety of NGOs and UN agencies during emergencies, and which issues its own situation reports that aim at giving a general snapshot of the events. We will offer initial recommendations for a generalized sitrep data model, along with suggestions for technical approaches appropriate to an improved system. Phase II We plan to conduct the second phase of the project during the of the summer of 2008. This phase would be a continuation of this research, centered on visits to NGO and OCHA field offices in several countries. To date, the majority of our work has been with staff in the U.S.-based headquarters offices of the various agencies, supplemented by phone interviews with staff in the field. Our proposed research for the second phase would include visits to at least two countries in which OCHA and NGO staff maintain a significant presence, as well as a visit to OCHA and NGO offices in Geneva, a key nexus of communication and interaction between organizations involved in international disaster relief. These visits would include a range of interviews and roundtables with staff responsible for collecting and reporting key information in emergencies. Contingent on the resources available to the project, we also hope to conduct one or more surveys of sitrep recipients and to perform an additional in-depth document analysis, both focused on emergencies in the countries we visit. This combination of methods could offer a rich and nuanced understanding of the reporting context in each country, informing a more accurate and effective approach to data modeling and technical implementation. Phase III Contingent on the findings and organizational partnerships established in Phases I and II, the third phase of the project, spanning the 2008-2009 academic year, would focus on finalizing the document model and implementing a prototype for an improved sitrep system. Though we believe that this work could have significant benefit for organizations involved in disaster response, it is our strong contention that its success - and indeed its justification - must be founded on the in-depth research we conduct in Phases I and II, and that it would be premature to scope this phase out further until we have prepared our initial results. Learn more

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We hope to use this course as a way to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking while giving students on the Berkeley campus a way to involve themselves in real work to solve this problem. Learn more

Our mission is to promote environmentally friendly commercial/home building methods and practices, while enhancing our communities through leadership in sustainable development. PROJECT MISSION: 1) Conduct an comprehensive report that provides a hands-on global investigation of the universal obstacles for the development of a ´´Sustainable Living Center.´´ 2) Devise an investment prospectus readily available for both commercial/residential properties and build a modeled version. 3) Take community action with project location case studies. (I.E. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Start "Environmental Business" course curriculum at major colleges to help promote sustainable awareness. New Delhi, India: Submit "Sustainable Living Center" prospectus to government as potential solution to infrastructure energy crisis. Berkeley, California: Establish a UC Berkeley chapter in the national Solar Decathlon competition and represent findings at convention in Washington, DC. ETC). 4) Start a non-profit organization educating/developing the potential for these ``Sustainable Living Centers`` on a local, national, and international level. Learn more

Utilize the state of the art research facilities at UC Berkeley to research, test and advance the state of knowledge of alternative cementitious binders. Learn more

The Project has two primary objectives: First, the Project seeks to educate students at the university and secondary levels about existing international human rights documents. Second, the Project, through its website and conferences, is providing a process for individuals, organizations and governments to draft new human rights documents as part of a continuing evolution of enforceable international human rights. Learn more

Develop a marketable prototype of an IT platform that serves the needs of all or at least most motorized wheelchair users. Learn more

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