The Economist Case Study Competition is now live! That means that the People’s Choice voting is now open, so be sure to vote for MIIS, and tell your friends!
Students Hesham AlSaati, Thomas Gilmore and Michael Mahoney are representing MIIS with their Real Vision Investment Case Study. View their presentation! Don’t forget to vote and share!
For more information on the challenge description and prizes, check out this link.
Did you know that all MIIS students are able to take International Professional Service Semester workshops this January?
IPSS workshops include: High Value Organizational Consulting, Designing and Evaluating Interventions, Quantitative Analysis with Excel, and Applied Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis.
In Designing and Evaluating Interventions (IPSS 8531 A, 1 Credit, Pass/Fail) January 6-7, 2016 with Instructor Erika Takada, “Participants will design an intervention with an accompanying monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system.”
In Applied Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis (IPSS 8533 A, 1 Credit, Pass/Fail) January 9-10, 2016 with Instructor Emily Morris, “Students will learn and practice key methods of applied qualitative data collection and analysis.”
In High Value Organizational Consulting (IPSS 8530 A, 1-2 Credit, Pass/Fail) January 14-15, 2016 with Instructor Beryl Levinger, “Participants will learn tools for analyzing an organization, its culture, its approach to meeting mission, and ecosystem analysis.”
In Quantitative Analysis with Excel (IPSS 8532 A, 1 Credit, Pass/Fail) January 16-17, 2016 with Instructor Kevin Lorenzi, “Students will improve their understanding and abilities to collect and analyze data using Microsoft Excel.”
These professional skills workshops are open to students and professionals outside of the IPSS program, space permitting. Please email ipss@miis.edu to express interest.
DLC staff are excited about scheduled plans to remodel the upstairs balcony in our open work environment. As you see in the 3D rendering above, the upstairs balcony will be removed and a set of two nearly floor to ceiling 8′ wide storefront style windows will be installed. The upper window portion will be able to open and close allowing us to maintain a degree of flexibility and open-ness between the upstairs and downstairs Design Space. The upstairs will be enclosed with additional floor to ceiling glass and a door located at the top of the internal staircase, just to the right of our red media booth.
Remodel Construction Schedule (as of Nov 17, 2015)
DLC staff are coordinating with Director of Facilities, Andrew Hernandez, and our contractor on a construction schedule that we hope will minimize disruption for our staff and for those who have plans to use the DLC in January.
During construction, DLC staff will likely relocate to another location in the McGowan Building. Details about how staff can be reached will be updated once they are finalized.
Additional 3D renderings:
Mark your calendar to have lunch with Lieutenant Colonel Christopher W. Wendland!
Who: All interested MIIS community
What: Discussion and Q&A on: Military Support to Foreign Disaster Response
When: Tuesday, December 1 (12:15-1:15)
Where: Morse B106
Lieutenant Colonel Christopher W. Wendland
Lieutenant Colonel Christopher W. Wendland is the current U.S. Army War College Fellow at MIIS. LTC (P) Wendland worked as a Military Crisis Response Planner at United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) from 2009-2012. He worked alongside representatives from the Department of State, USAID, and the United Nations to develop complementary disaster response plans for a number of devastating natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear reactor meltdowns, tropical storms, and flooding) and will provide an overview of the U. S. Government process to provide U. S. military support with anecdotal stories from the following response efforts: Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Haiti, Japan, Thailand, and Nepal.
The NGO Freedom From Hunger (FFH) is partnering with MIIS to develop internships for students to help create a pipeline of digital content for their outreach efforts. FFH will be hosting an information session on this initiative, the Digital Storytelling Internship Program, on Thursday November 19th. Students who are interested in international development work and digital storytelling are invited to attend.
The FFH Interns will work with NGO partners in Peru or Burkina Faso to provide fresh and authentic digital content about the beneficiaries and impacts of their work. Interns will live in communities served by FFH and will “report” from the field through daily blog posts, photos, and videos.
To find out more about the internship opportunity and requirements click here.
The info session will be held November 19th from 1:00pm – 2:00pm in Morse A101. Representatives from the Center for Advising & Career Services (CACS) and Immersive Learning will also be present to answer questions.
Last week a group of 7 students, led by Professor Patrick Cotter, went to London to attend the London Convention and London Protocol on ocean dumping of wastes and other matter at the UN’s International Maritime Organization(IMO) in London. Before leaving for the London Meeting students were asked prepare a position paper on the topics that were going to be discussed by the delegates. The topics for the papers were front-line environmental issues being considered at the meeting, including, marine geoengineering, carbon dioxide capture and storage, compliance with the treaties, technical cooperation and assistance, ship recycling, disposal of mine tailings, marine litter, environmental effects of chemical munitions disposal, and 25-year review of radioactive waste disposal in the ocean. The students were able to then listen to the discussions and debate on issues during the meeting.
During breaks for tea or lunch, they had the opportunity to interact with delegates who expressed their positions during the plenary session, including delegates from the Canada, Panama, Turkey, the US, GreenPeace and the London Convention/London Protocol Secretariat. In total there were 49 Contracting Parties (nations) at the meeting, 2 associate members, 11 observer nations, 5 NGO observers, 3 UN agencies, and MIIS student observers at the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Nigeria with support from the London Convention/London Protocol Secretariat.
The MIIS Digital Learning Center setup a chat for the group using “SlackBot”. During the meeting, Professor Cotter was able to comment instantly on points that were being made to allow the students to understand the importance or implications of an intervention by a national representative.
What: Story+Maps Brown Bag Lunch
When: Tuesday, November 10 | 12:15pm-1:30pm
Where: DLC Design Sp@ce
Join Institute alumni Andy Stieglitz and Aaron Ebner, founders of the Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development (AASD) in Peru, for a brown bag lunch focusing on using new media approaches to communicating the reach of organizations. The informal event is a space to share ideas and examples of how different mapping tools can be partnered with stories to convey impact. AASD will share the ArcGIS Story Map of their work, the Center for Social Impact Learning (CSIL) will walk us through their Ambassador Corps map created with help from the META Lab, and Intercultural Digital Storytelling Project (IDSP) Senior Fellows along with other immersive learning teams working on J-term project plans will brainstorm how maps might be used to help visualize their work in the field. We hope you’ll join us!
This event is a collaboration between the DLC, CSIL, and the META lab!
MORE MAPPING GOODNESS: Friday November 13 | 12-1pm
Follow-up with the META Lab team to learn more about working with open source mapping tools on Friday, November 13 from 12-1pm in the Pac Lab. Workshop Details here.
Design, Partnering, Management, and Innovation (DPMI) is 3-week training open to development professionals, career-changers, and graduate students. The modules include (1) Managing Development Projects, (2) Social Change and Participatory Development, and (3) Strategic Partnership and Social Entrepreneurship. DPMI uses a cross-sector approach, taking promising practices from the development field and combining these tools with successful concepts drawn from the private sector.
The focus of this course is to apply and practice leadership methods within the areas of international development project management and social change. We are looking for a diverse group of individuals whose passion revolves around the development and empowerment of communities at large. Apply for January programs offered in Monterey and/or Rwanda by October 31.
With DPMI you will….
-Learn ground-breaking and ‘tried and true’ tools to solving problems, motivating staff, and establishing partnerships.
-Use the tools and standards set by major non-profits that break down and quantify processes through the lifespan of a project.
-Gain critical project management skills. And learn how to put your training into action.
After participation in DPMI, Middlebury Institute students have the opportunity to go into the field for 3-9 month professional internships and be part of the DPMI Plus program. Read more about this opportunity on our DPMI LinkedIn Blog. Apply for DPMI Plus by October 31.
Are you looking to improve your Excel skills? Does the phrase Microsoft Excel make you nervous? Fear not friends, META LAB and the DLC are collaborating once again to provide a series of Excel workshops during the first half of the Fall 2015 term to support the MIIS community. The final session will take place on October 23rd, 12pm- 12:45pm in CF442, Pac Lab. All you need to bring is yourself! Your facilitator will be META Lab graduate assistant and Data Analysis Teaching Assistant: Mentru Nagbe.
When used properly, Microsoft Excel can be an extremely powerful tool to display, organize, and analyze large data sets. The series will contain hidden tips and tricks in addition to exercises that will make you an Excel champion in no time.
To get access to the learning series materials and receive information on future sessions, click the sign up button!
Lynda.com is an incredible online resource offering guided video tutorials and step by step instructions for all sorts of digital tools. As a member of the Middlebury community you have premium access. Here’s how it works:
Mark your calendars to have lunch with Major General William C. Hix!
Who: All interested MIIS students and faculty
What: Briefing and Q & A on: “Military Support to Conflict Resolution in the World Today”
When: Wednesday, October 21 (12pm-1pm)
Where: Morse B206
Food and Drink Provided!
Major General William C. Hix
Major General Hix’s almost 35-years of military experience provide him the necessary background to answer any questions youmay have about the U.S. Army’s support to Conflict Resolution in the World Today.
Prior to his current assignment at the Pentagon, Major General Hix was the Deputy Director for the Army’s Capabilities and Integration Center where he oversaw the linkages between emerging technologies and soldier success on the battlefield.
His experience includes combat tours to both Iraq and Afghanistan, assignments with 82nd and 101st Divisions, the First Special Forces Group in Japan, as a Military Observer in the Western Sahara, as policy officer in the Republic of Korea, and as a Strategist on the Joint Staff.
Born in Washington, D.C., Major General Hix was commissioned as an infantry officer following graduation from the U.S. Military Academy in 1981. He holds a Masters of Military Art and Science, was a National Security Affairs Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford University and is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.