As 2016 comes to a close, we’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped us make it an incredible year. Through on-the-ground efforts in civic tech, we’re working to make the Bay Area a place where everyone can have opportunity.
A look back at an amazing year on the Microsoft Bay Area Blog:
January
The Internet of Things in Civic Tech
Frank La Vigne, Technology Evangelist at Microsoft
The Internet of Things can play an integral role in improving our communities. Aside from being one of the hottest buzzwords in the technology industry right now, the Internet of Things, or IoT, promises to turn every device into a smart device. We’ve already seen the disruptive power of wide smart phone adoption, but what can smart devices do that smart phones can’t?
Recap – an Evening with the U.S. Digital Service Team
Sid Espinosa
The Computer History Museum hosted a fascinating panel discussion with members of the U.S. Digital Service (USDS). The USDS, which was created by the Obama Administration less than two years ago, is comprised of (mostly young) people with technology expertise who can rethink, design and help implement how technology is used throughout the federal government. Sid Espinosa, Director of Philanthropy & Civic Engagement, recapped the panel.
February
Meet Our Newest San Francisco Fellow: Phoebe
Every year, we gain an incredible cohort of civic technology fellows who inspire us through their hard work and dedication to utilize technology in local government and community applications. With each step forward our fellows make, we help make the Bay Area more interconnected through technology. Meet one of them, Phoebe.
March
Voices of Change — Innovating from Inside City Government
Michelle Thong, City of San Jose and co-founder of Code for San Jose
To celebrate Women’s History Month, Microsoft was happy to highlight two incredible women in San Jose who are STEM superstars *and* dedicated public officials, Michelle Thong and Erica Garaffo. The city is lucky to have them. Here’s our interview with Thong, co-founder of Code for San Jose.
Voices of Change — Diversifying the STEM Pipeline in Silicon Valley
Kristina Peralta, Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Kristina Peralta, the Director of Education and Workforce at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, wrote about “Diversifying the STEM Pipeline,” a top Education priority for her organization. Specifically, the Leadership Group began focussing on promoting policies and programs that prepare and encourage the inclusion and participation of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM careers. We were proud to highlight their work during Black History Month.
April
Spartan Hacks takes on San José’s key civic issues
Microsoft’s Technology and Civic Engagement Fellow Andrew Hernandez led a coalition of student groups to launch Spartan Hacks, a 100-person hackathon which focused primarily on civic technology, at San José State University.
May
How I’m Using My Work Commute to Train for a 4,000+ Mile Bike Ride
Jakob Rosenberg
Bike to Work Day 2016 was quite a success! Across Silicon Valley more than 35,000 riders joined forces to enjoy a two-wheeled commute — an 18% increase from last year’s participation. Jakob Rosenberg, Microsoft’s Philanthropy and Civic Engagement Coordinator, recapped his experience.
July
Meet Kevin Miller — Microsoft’s Newest Civic Tech Manager
Kevin Miller
Kevin Miller was excited to announce his new position at Microsoft Silicon Valley’s Technology and Civic Engagement Team as the Civic Tech Manager for San Jose. Over the past few years, he’s worked in local government at the city and county level to drive service delivery and efficiency improvements through leveraging data and technology, building effective community partnerships, and working to shape a new culture in government—one that embraces the power of data and technological innovation to positively impact society.
Unleash Your Geek! Create Solutions for Urban Challenges
Jessica Weare
Together with ProspectSV, Mayor Sam Liccardo looked for solutions to San Jose’s graffiti problem. The City of San Jose is called on civic tech professionals to bring forward innovative ideas, prototype them and put them to action.
August
Microsoft employees across the Bay Area joined more than 16,000 of their peers in 75 countries around the world to participate in the company’s annual //oneweek hackathon. As part of this year’s event, local employees brought their professional skills and passions to hack for Bay Area nonprofits, including Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Code for America: San Francisco, and Project Homeless Connect, to name a few.
October
Introducing Mariko Davidson, San Francisco’s new Civic Innovation and Partnerships Strategist
Mariko Davidson
In October, Mariko Davidson announced that she’d be joining the Microsoft Technology & Civic Engagement Team. Her work focuses on partnering with civic leaders across sectors to explore opportunities that leverage technology for the public good. She came to us from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where she launched their Open Data Initiative and built frameworks for data management, data governance and privacy policy issues.
November
Equal Access International Partners with Sesame Workshop to Bring Education to Rural Children in Afghanistan
Bay Area Staff
At the 2016 Tech Awards, we had the honor of presenting the Microsoft Education Award to a unique nonprofit, Equal Access International (EA). We’re thrilled to help further Equal Access International’s mission to create positive social change for millions of underserved people across the developing world by providing critically needed information and education through innovative media, appropriate technology and direct community engagement.
Thank you to all who joined us in sharing the important stories that shape our community. Let’s work together for an incredible 2017.
