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NYC Tech Growth Booming, Education Not Keeping Pace, Signs of Hope

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This article was originally posted on the HuffingtonPost.

NYC startup growth between 2001 and 2011 outpaced all US competitor cities, including Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston.

2014-04-30-1.pngNYC also outpaces other US cities in terms of venture capital growth. In fact, NYC saw the largest increase of venture capital growth of any U.S. city over the past decade. Startups and venture capital has clearly become a driver for growth, but NYC’s education system has failed to keep pace.

2014-04-30-2.pngThe number of degrees awarded in NYC schools in STEM within the same period grew at a much slower rate. Degrees in STEM education grew at only 1.1 percent, a low figure relative to other fields of study such as healthcare (5.9 percent) and social sciences (3.1 percent).

2014-04-30-3.pngOne solution outlined in a recent NYC Jobs Blueprint report by Partnership for New York City included appointing within the city a “Chief Talent Officer” responsible for workforce and career development functions. This CTO would be in charge of bridging the coordination gap between the private sector and the City’s workforce development agencies and educational institutions so that programs are tailored in response to demand.

Coordination towards collective action should definitely be part of the solution. However, within a context of tremendous innovation and decentralized technological development happening in NYC, it’s paradoxical that the proposed solution focuses on centralization and vertical organization.

Government-lead solutions are not working! New data released by the Census Bureau shows that even though the recession has ended, the city’s poverty rate continues to increase, and the gap between the rich and poor is on the rise?

Information and communication technology (ICT), however, offers signs of hope. ICT and community-led development projects could be used in a much more systemic way to bridge private and public interests and reduce socio-economic inequality.

Nothing brings inequality into focus quite like a natural disaster, as it was the case with Hurricane Sandy. The poor are overwhelmingly impacted by natural disasters and little has been done to improve their resiliency. Simply put, poorer communities lack the resources to evacuate and prepare for storms, and are more likely to be located in areas that are vulnerable to disaster.

2014-04-30-4.pngWith Hurricane Sandy, community organizations, churches and even next-door neighbors rallied to fill gaps in the government response.

One of the most successful ICT enabled projects launched in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy was a project supported by Occupy Sandy Recovery — an offshoot of the inequality advocacy group Occupy Wall Street. The group developed a platform called “OccupySMS” to facilitate “mutual aid,” by connecting people with a need to volunteers offering assistance in a specific area. The application utilized an existing platform called Mobile Commons, allowing users to request donations or assistance and matching those requests to nearby volunteers via SMS. The service was specifically intended to fill individual household needs that were not being met by government-operated aid distribution centers.

Occupy Sandy’s efforts did not end with the recovery efforts. The organization followed through by creating an incubator of sorts to promote projects that address the long-term relief, recovery and resiliency of the communities affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The directory of projects includes both social and technological projects to improve coordination in the event of another natural disaster. FLO Solutions, for example, aims to help organizations implement free and open-source technology that will make it easier for them to share knowledge and data in a disaster situation. By networking non-profit, community and relief organizations together, the project facilitates the sharing of actionable information, such as requests for supplies and volunteers.

Occupy Sandy isn’t the only organization in New York that is fostering creative and technology-based solutions to issues of development and inequality.

The NYC-based Nutri Ventures and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) announced recently a commitment to bring “Nutri Ventures: The Quest for the 7 Kingdoms”, one of the most popular digital-only kids’ series, to over 60,000 elementary schools across America. Nutri Ventures is a multi media educative platform to change children’s eating habits worldwide through entertainment. This will be PHA’s first-ever partnership with an animated series emphasizing nutrition education and healthy eating choices for kids.

“Nutrition and obesity are among the most urgent concerns for parents, educators and for children themselves,” said Rui Lima Miranda, co-founder and managing partner of Nutri Ventures Corp.

‪Inequality remains a huge problem in New York City, but with the help of civic organizations and ICT enabled solutions we can design networked governance systems to connect market driven solutions with public development issues and ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community are not forgotten.‬‬‬‬‬‬

Jesper Frant is a Master of Public Administration student at Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs and an expert in online communications.

SIPA Team Competes in Policy Challenge

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Blog reposted from the Columbia – SIPA website.

SIPA was one of four newcomers in a field of nine schools that took part in the 2013 National Public Policy Challenge, held in Philadelphia on March 16 and 17.

The invitational competition, hosted by the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania, asks teams of students representing some of the nation’s leading public policy schools to develop and present a policy proposal and civic campaign plan to achieve significant change in their home communities.

Earlier this spring, the Office of Academic Affairs solicited proposals from students interested in competing. Selected to represent SIPA was a proposal for more efficient disaster-relief management, developed by a team comprising Lakshmi Balachandran MPA-DP ’13, Jesper Frant MPA-DP ’14, Eric Smyth MIA ’13, and Seisei Tatebe-Goddu MIA ’13.

The proposed initiative, known as ReliefMap, had been conceived by Frant in Professor Anne Nelson’s class on New Media for Development Communication. It would respond to large inefficiencies in matching donations by volunteers and organizations to the actual needs of citizens in the aftermath of disasters such as Hurricane Sandy.

Advised by faculty members Ester Fuchs and Sarah Holloway, the team prepared an in-depth implementation, marketing, and finance plan for presentation to the competition judges. While the team did not win the competition, members said they received positive feedback and valuable comments on how to take the idea forward.

“The process of developing an idea that was not only technically feasible, but would also ensure interest and large scale adoption by government agencies, disaster relief organizations and common citizens was extremely valuable,” said Tatebe-Goddu.

Meeting team members to solicit feedback, Associate Dean Dan McIntyre of Academic Affairs praised them for their efforts in a tight timeframe and noted that SIPA had received word of the competition relatively late. McIntyre said his office would make sure participating students have more time to prepare for the competition in 2014.

“We’re already looking forward to next year,” he said.

—  Lakshmi Balachandran MPA-DP ’13

Pictured above (L-R): Professor Ester Fuchs, Seisei Tatebe-Goddu, Eric Smyth, Lakshmi Balachandran, Jesper Frant. Not pictured: Professor Sarah Holloway.

Can’t kick the political bug

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Last night was the first presidential debate of the 2012 election. Being the resident politico in my program, I felt obligated to organize a group viewing of the debate. Half-way through the debate in a crowded bar surrounded by my peers, a pang of nostalgia flooded my consciousness. Olivia, a classmate and one of my closest new friends, commented on the fact that the debate was happening at the University of Denver. I responded that had I not decided to change career paths and pursue a master’s degree at Columbia I might have been in audience in Denver (alright, yes, probably just the over-flow room), not a bar in NYC. I still think I made the right decision by coming moving to NYC, but there are many things I miss about working for Senator Udall. This is just one small example.

Working out in NYC

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Without much else to do in the few days that remain before school starts, I have been scoping out my new ‘hood. Yesterday, I walked over to the rock gym at the Manhattan Park Health Club (just eight minutes away). The facility was tiny by Boulder standards, but I think having an indoor gym at my disposal will be key to maintaining my sanity between classes and braving NYC insanity.

This morning, I went on my inaugural run in NYC (my bike won’t arrive in NYC until this afternoon), which took me west on 48th to the path that follows the West Side Highway, up to 79th and back (about 4.5 miles). It was hot, but my lungs appreciated the thick air. I saw a handful of serious bikers and about as many signs warning bikers to “slow down” and “be respectful.”

Training in the city might be difficult, but I’m determined. I’ve already figured out my first ride: across the Brooklyn Bridge out to Coney Island and back (about 30 miles). My bike should be delivered today and ready to ride tomorrow (fingers crossed).

If all goes well, I plan to get in über-shape in time to compete in Staten Island CX this fall.
http://vimeo.com/32023921

Only one elective course in my first semester

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I’ve tried not too think too much about the intense coursework that I have in store for me, partially out of fear and partially out of a desire to enjoy my few weeks of freedom between work and school. But, with just one week of freedom left before orientation starts, it’s time to start getting my head in the game.

[polldaddy poll=6458550 align=right]Luckily (or not so luckily, depending on how you choose to think about it), I will only have one elective course in my first semester, which will be primarily taken up by math and economics classes (see chart below) that are meant to give me a solid quantitative base.

SIPA recommends that I choose an elective course that falls into one of these categories:

  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • Cost Benefit Analysis
  • New Media & Development Communication
  • Decision Models
  • Microfinance
  • Investing in Emerging Markets
  • Budgeting for Non-profits

I’m leaning toward New Media and Development Communication because it’s the subject area that most compliments my past experience and future goals, but I want to know what you think. Vote in my poll to let me know.

MPA-DP Coursework