Posts from 2019
Astra Taylor & The Debt Collective: Challenging Exploitative Finance
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 3 December 2019
Her fellowship has had a huge impact and continues to push a new narrative. To date, Astra and The Debt Collective community have helped student debtors win relief worth over a billion dollars, forced policy change at government level, and been highly influential in the thinking behind the American College for All Act of 2019 proposal. And while a new incumbent of the White House created significant challenges midway through her three-year fellowship, Astra and...
Luka Mustafa: From Telecoms to 3D Bioprinting
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 1 December 2019
While age is no barrier for the Shuttleworth Foundation, Luka was fresh out of college when he applied and his youth made us think twice. But his journey throughout his Fellowship and beyond has far exceeded our expectations, and his work has completely shifted thinking in many different fields - including our own. Needless to say, we made the right decision… Luka Mustafa: the making of a maker Luka Mustafa has been building things for...
Peter Cunliffe-Jones: Fact, Fiction & Africa Check
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 30 November 2019
Firstly, he has grown Africa Check from a skeleton team in Johannesburg to becoming a leader in the field, operating directly in four different countries, supporting new fact-checking organizations in 14 other countries and training thousands of journalists in the practice all over Africa. He has also been a key figure in establishing the International Fact-Checking Network as a recognised institution with global standards, followed today by 78 organisations worldwide, and his work has helped...
David Wiley & Lumen Learning: Making OER Mainstream
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 29 November 2019
Tuition and the prospect of overwhelming student debt are a significant part of the problem. But the spiralling cost of textbooks - outstripping inflation four times over the past ten years - affects every learner, from the Ivy League undergrads to those studying in community colleges. Students spend exorbitant amounts on course books - sometimes more than the cost of tuition - just to keep up with their classes. It causes significant problems in enrollment,...
Paul Gardner-Stephen & the Serval Project: Communications For All
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 27 November 2019
The development of the Serval software progressed well, but soon met an overwhelming technological barrier. In 2012, wifi capacity on mobile phones was minimal and in order to make use of Serval, users would have to root their phones, thereby risk the loss of their warranties. Despite Paul making good progress in improving the accessibility of the software to more mobile phones, success in the short-term lay in the long-term - and expensive - task...
Steve Vosloo: Mobiles & Literacy & 21st Century Learning
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 26 November 2019
A decade ago, only seven percent of schools in South Africa had adequate libraries and it was estimated that over half the households in the country did not have a single book for leisure reading in their homes. The affordability of books was an obvious contributing factor, and the nation’s controversial political history had also left an indelible mark. Young people brought up by parents whose experiences of education left much to be desired meant...
Mad Price Ball & Open Humans: Empowering Citizens With Personal Data
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 1 November 2019
“There’s a sense this has grown beyond myself; this could actually survive on its own. And that’s wonderful.” Open Humans: The concept The opaque issues around privacy and security dominate the conversations we have around personal data today. In a world where faceless private interests and organisations collect vast swathes of information about your life, thoughts and desires - sometimes used to judge and discriminate - it’s no surprise there is a growing feeling of...
Jesse Von Doom: Artists Need CASH
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 1 November 2019
His work helped artists improve their reach by making better use of the web and overcome the technical challenges and expense of sharing files, connecting with their audience and posting events online. Most importantly, it allowed them to be free to evolve on their terms; independently, without the restrictions imposed by major labels or the compromise of seeking mass appeal. We spoke to Jesse about his background, his reflections on the fellowship, and the outcomes...
Ronaldo Lemos: Honorary steward September 2019
by SF Team, 4 October 2019
The Shuttleworth Foundation would like to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to the Brazilian academic Ronaldo Lemos, our Honorary Steward for this September’s fellowship round. Ronaldo is a Professor at the Rio de Janeiro State University, a lawyer and commentator in several fields we know well: intellectual property, technology and culture. He is renowned for being a co-creator of the Marco Civil da Internet: the 2014 Brazilian law establishing comprehensive Internet rights defending freedom...
by SF Team, 2 October 2019
The Shuttleworth Foundation is delighted to welcome Chris Hartgerink and Sean Jacobs to the fellowship community. Many thanks to our Honorary Steward Ronaldo Lemos, a Brazilian academic and lawyer with expertise in intellectual property, open culture and technology. He has chosen two outstanding individuals for our September 2019 intake. Both come with important ideas with the potential to improve the world, and that push the boundaries of how open can be applied. Both Chris and...
Ugo Vallauri: Electronic Waste & The Restart Project
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 1 October 2019
“All the fellows struggle to bring about change in a range of different fields. The fellowship is a reminder that we’re not alone.” Background: The product problem Our insatiable hunger for electronic devices is quickly turning into a significant and pressing issue. Over 50 million tonnes of e-waste ends up in landfill sites around the world as former owners discard phones, fridges, TVs and computers at the slightest inconvenience, and upgrade to a slicker model....
Isha Datar: New Harvest and the Post-Animal Bioeconomy
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 1 October 2019
“Without Shuttleworth support, I don’t think we could have been so bold about this thing we cared so much about; previous funders have requested all kinds of highly specific things that compromised our work and our mission.” The Fellow: Isha Datar Isha is from Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. Her educational background is in cell biology - she stayed in Edmonton for her undergraduate degree - but her keen interest in learning inspired her to seek...
Achal Prabhala & AccessIBSA: Fixing the Pharma Patent System
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 1 October 2019
“I’ve received numerous instances of absolutely crucial support and help from other fellows, and I am incredibly grateful. The fellowship has been wonderful - really wonderful.” The problem: The right to profit vs. the right to life For the past few decades, the pharmaceutical industry has been taking advantage of weak and incredibly damaging legal frameworks for intellectual property and patents. These laws - thick with complex and technical language - are devised in wealthy...
Simone Noveck: Honorary Steward, March 2020
by SF Team, 20 September 2019
Beth is director of The GovLab, where she advises public institutions and public entrepreneurs on improving people’s lives through better governance with technology. She is also a professor at the Technology, Culture and Society department of New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, and a Senior Fellow at Rutgers University and the Yale Law School Information Society Project. Beth has been a hugely influential voice in evolving governmental thinking to break away from closed bureaucracies...
Achal, Isha and Ugo - New Alumni
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 26 August 2019
Each of our former fellows enjoyed the maximum duration of three years funding, and made impressive strides forward with their progressive work, pushing for positive change in the respective fields of access to medicines, cellular agriculture and the repair economy. Despite their disparate professional interests, there is a common thread linking our new trio of alumni: their ability to open the right doors; pull people together, and build up communities for optimal effect. It has...
Tiffiniy Cheng: Enabling Online Activism
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 1 April 2019
“The Shuttleworth Foundation feels like a lifelong thing. It’s nurturing, helpful and a fantastic vote of confidence that really matters…” The Fellow: Tiffiniy Cheng & Fight for the Future Tiffiniy has been involved in online activism since the early 2000s, organising protests, taking on Internet monopolists and positioning herself against everything from the onslaught of overaggressive copyright protection to the creeping, insidious censorship of the open web by corporate power. Unless you believe the erosion...
Peter Murray-Rust & ContentMine: Liberating Knowledge
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 1 April 2019
“The fellowship has totally changed my life and is one of the biggest things in my life. It’s my guiding light and gives me an environment that fuels me and I can pay back into.” The Fellow: Peter Murray-Rust Peter is a Doctor of Philosophy, Reader Emeritus in Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge and Senior Research Fellow Emeritus of Churchill College, Cambridge. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a chemist...
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 26 February 2019
Peter worked on public information, checking claims made by public figures and institutions in the media and online. Mad worked with information of the individual on their Open Humans project, querying our relationship with personal data. Both fellows have contributed a significant amount to our learning in their respective fields. Peter Cunliffe-Jones spent his three-year fellowship working on Africa Check, an independent fact-checking organisation he founded to stem the flow of mis- and disinformation in...
Seamus Kraft: New Means For Old Government
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 5 February 2019
His Fellowship between 2014 and 2017 aimed to bring in key changes from the ground up to transform the relationship between citizens and government at local level. While his Madison project eventually ran aground after much election turmoil in 2016, The OpenGov Foundation have since established new ideas and continue to work on programmes delivering open innovation and, hopefully, culture change into higher echelons of federal government. We spoke to Seamus about his Fellowship experience...
Peter Bloom & Rhizomatica: Connections for Remote Communities
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 5 February 2019
His work is a perfect example of what can be achieved by working openly and he has moved the dial forward, not just in helping people connect with the modern word sustainably, but also in loosening the grip of large, incredibly powerful telecoms companies. Peter’s Fellowship ended in 2017, and we caught up with him to offer his thoughts on his experience, where Rhizomatica is today, and what the future holds. Background Peter’s Fellowship story...
Marcin Jakubowski & the Global Village Construction Set
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 5 February 2019
These machines - a real world LEGO set, if you like - promise to deliver a small civilisation everything it needs to live comfortably, independently and sustainably in the modern world. Marcin spent two years on the Shuttleworth Foundation programme from 2012, and we caught up with him to reflect on his experience, and see how is plans for a new, open source economy are progressing. Marcin Jakubowski -The Background Marcin has always had a...
Jaisen Mathai: Memories of Trovebox
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 5 February 2019
However, thinking about the web from the top down misses out a lot of the story. If you want to put any kind of file online - a photo, say - you either hand over ownership and control of it to a ‘free’ platform or pay for a hosting service. And what happens to those files, movies or photos if that service decides to shut down? Introducing: Jaisen Mathai Jaisen Mathai encountered this problem for...
Gavin Weale: Enabling South African Youth
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 5 February 2019
Not only did Gavin succeed in creating a youth-led magazine, but he has pivoted LiveMag into the online LiveSA and established the Digify Africa platform to provide digital skills and training for those who would normally miss out. Tens of thousands of youngsters from all over the continent have benefitted. As we reflect on the tenth year of the Shuttleworth Foundation’s Fellowship model, we caught up with Gavin to chat about his time as a...
Arthur Attwell & Paperight: Lessons From the Publishing Industry
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 5 February 2019
Sadly, as is often the case when you try to influence change in established systems like the publishing industry, the Paperight project didn’t work out. There is always an element of risk you have a big vision for change, and Arthur’s story is a good example of what you are up against. From the Foundation’s perspective, this isn’t a story of failure. Instead, Arthur’s experience is one of learning, experimentation, and valuable work towards making...
Aaron Makaruk: Analysing AKER Kits
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 5 February 2019
The demands on producers to provide food and sustenance to millions of city dwellers results in harm large-scale factory farming that ultimately causes damage to the ecosystem and human health. And while vast swathes of natural resources are used within this system, in many ways it is inefficient, leading to overconsumption of food in some areas, and famine in others - sometimes even in the same city. Aaron’s project - AKER Kits - aimed to...
Dan Whaley & Hypothes.is: Annotating the Web
by Chris McGivern & SF Team, 4 February 2019
Quality of conversation should be central to human interaction, but what we read through the lens of the web is often blurred by untruths and agendas, a distinct lack of critique and, as we have seen over the past few years, perhaps even foreign interference. Dan Whaley is attempting to change this with Hypothes.is, an annotation tool that promotes a more open web and improves discussion and discourse. The Fellow: Dan Whaley Dan Whaley came...
