Fellowship Opportunity with AIF

Fellowships opportunity announcement from AIF:     http://www.aifclintonfellowship.org/
SERVE. LEARN. LEAD.

MISSION: The AIF Clinton Fellowship for Service provides a select group of young American professionals with the opportunity to serve marginalized and underprivileged communities in India by working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for a period of 10 months.

VISION: The AIF Clinton Fellowship Program is committed to developing the next generation of young Americans leaders. Equipped with a practical, field-based knowledge of international development, they will become life-long ambassadors for service to the marginalized & underserved in India.

Together, AIF Clinton Fellows and NGO leaders form dynamic partnerships to exchange technical skills and knowledge, as well as passion, commitment, and new ways of looking at the world, which ultimately transforms both the individual and organization.

Since 2001, 291 young Americans have worked with over 150 Indian NGOs through the AIF Clinton Fellowship for Service. Alumni have become transformative leaders and entrepreneurs in business, international development, academia, journalism and other fields, and together represent a collective force and organized network for sustaining a long-term agenda dedicated toward change in India.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 15th: Early; January 1st: FINAL

Please check out our blog which highlights stories from the field:
WWW.AIFCLINTONFELLOWSHIP.ORG/BLOG

Please contact: INFO@AIFCLINTONFELLOWSHIP.ORG,
POONAM.SINGH@AIF.ORG, OR CALL 408-816-1975

There is an information session: 11/3/2010, Pigott Hall, Stanford 4:30-6:30

RAFT: Resource Area for Teaching

Did you know? A bamboo pole and the stem of a papaya leaf are excellent  for teaching how waterfall-energy can be transformed into electrical-energy. I was about 8 years old when during heavy monsoon season, my father first taught us how to harness rainwater into a waterfall using a bamboo pole (its hollow). The water then falls onto a turbine made with papaya leaf stems (the texture is firm yet pliable enough to stick flat-panes into it) which would go whirring about whenever it rained. We could never get enough of it! And I did not even know this was a science lesson.
I was reminded of this story when I visited RAFT - a local bay area resource for teachers (I found out about them as they were there for National Lab Day along with HP) to support STEM education. They use materials discarded by industry to create the lessons. One activity I liked was a car made from retractable badges and discarded CDs - shown in pic. But I couldn't help comparing: bamboo and papaya vs discs and badges! How times have changed! But science education hasn't - its still about engaging young minds to make it fun and relevant.

VayuGrid Attracts Investor

VayuGrid (wind-energy) has wings! from Gerad Rego:
"I am glad to announce that VayuGrid, a company I co-founded based on a for-profit social business model that just received funding of $4.3m from a strategic investor. Also enclosing a press release of an interview with the President of Mahindra & Mahindra for your perusal. Look forward to collaborating together around the EIR program to replicate a model across industries and across the pyramid. Look forward to collaborating together with other Fellows to see how we can leverage any other work into our business."

Congratulations to Gerard Rego, fellow Digital Vision graduate, on a major milestone: For a report- Check CNBC coverage : M&M eyes majority stake in Vayugrid's Indian ops.