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Have you ever heard that 2020 was a tricky 12 months? Effectively, it’s true … however folks additionally did some superb issues, too.
For a dose of inspiration and optimism as we head into 2021, right here’s an inventory of tales highlighting folks and organizations utilizing tech and innovation for good. That is one pattern we hope will proceed subsequent 12 months.
1. Entrepreneurs helped educators.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqTCXdx9d-Q?function=oembed
Seattle startup veterans Matt Lerner and Mike Mathieu noticed a brand new downside come up with the shift to distant studying: academics compelled to conduct courses on-line with only a small laptop computer. They got here up with an answer and launched Two Screens for Teachers, which goals to provide instructors a second monitor to assist make their lives just a little bit simpler amid the pandemic.
Since launching, the group has offered displays for all of Seattle Public Colleges and San Francisco Public Colleges and demand is booming. Between November and December, the Two Screens for Academics waitlist grew from 30,000 to 165,000 academics. The group is searching for particular person and company donors to assist meet the demand, which quantities to greater than $18 million price of displays.
“Within the early weeks of 2021, we want the assistance of tech leaders throughout the business to boost $23 million to handle what we anticipate will probably be 250,000 academics in want,” mentioned Mathieu. “We’re not prepared to jot down off the remainder of this college 12 months simply ready for a vaccine.”
Learn extra: Seattle startup vets launch ‘Two Screens for Teachers’ effort to help improve remote instruction
2. A highschool scholar constructed a COVID-19 tracker.
In early January, Avi Schiffmann, a 17-year outdated Mercer Island Excessive College scholar close to Seattle, began constructing a coronavirus info web site ncov2019.live. On the time, there have been fewer than 1,000 confirmed circumstances.
Because the state of affairs escalated, Schiffmann’s website drew tens of millions of tourists searching for the most recent and most correct information concerning the pandemic. His initiative and foresight made Schiffmann’s effort certainly one of GeekWire’s top stories of the year. In November, Schiffmann tested positive for COVID-19 himself and referred to as it “fairly horrible.”
Learn extra:
3. The tech group turned up the stress on racial bias.
As outrage and protests unfold throughout the nation and social media after George Floyd’s loss of life in Minneapolis in Might, major tech companies issued statements of solidarity, startup founders spoke out about racism and investors announced funds dedicated to entrepreneurs of color.
Each inner and public stress has saved the social justice drum beating, difficult tech ecosystem stakeholders to mirror on racial bias inside firms, merchandise and financing. The numbers show that since 2014, main tech firms have made little progress rising workforce variety.
However it wasn’t all discuss:
Take heed to extra: ‘Racism is a pandemic,’ and this is how the tech industry can be part of the ‘vaccine’ (Part 1) and ‘It’s on us to dismantle racism.’ 10 steps tech and business leaders can take toward equity (Part 2).
4. Regional aid efforts raised tens of millions to help employees, households and small companies.
Tech, enterprise and sports activities leaders throughout the Puget Sound area and Washington state got here collectively by way of philanthropic initiatives equivalent to All In Seattle, the COVID-19 Response Fund, and All in Washington to assist fellow group members reeling from the well being and financial impacts of the pandemic.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos backed a variety of the initiatives each individually and thru the businesses they lead. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation donated $1 million to the WA Meals Fund and $1.2 million price of non-public protecting gear to healthcare employees in Washington.
The Invoice & Melinda Gates Basis, primarily based in Seattle, has committed $1.75 billion to the worldwide COVID-19 response together with tens of millions to well being businesses, funds, and analysis within the Seattle area.
And the giving continues. Final week, Bezos pledged an additional $25 million in matching funds for All in Washington, which has raised greater than $70 million thus far. Earlier in December, Bezos’ former spouse MacKenzie Scott introduced her second giant philanthropic reward of the 12 months giving more than $4 billion to 384 organizations, a few of that are in Washington state.
5. Pacific Northwest innovators contributed at a world scale.
In January at a hospital north of Seattle, a person was handled for what was initially the primary recognized case of coronavirus in the USA, with help from a robot. GeekWire’s special coverage of the coronavirus outbreak took off from there, adopted by tons of of articles about not simply how COVID-19 was impacting the Pacific Northwest, but additionally how the innovators on this area are making game-changing contributions.
A number of examples:
6. Children continued to discover nature and science by way of digital and in-person camps
This spring the scientists and fogeys operating Seattle-based Oceans Initiative utilized their marine mammal experience another way by way of their Virtual Marine Biology Camp, which ran by way of livestream from March to Might. Erin Ashe and Rob Williams anticipated a half dozen youngsters to tune in however as a substitute greater than 1,000 did every week.
Whereas youngsters had been caught at dwelling throughout college closures, they realized about orcas, sharks and marine life. Ashe, Williams, and their 6-year outdated daughter related with a brand new group and found a brand new appreciation for the way exhausting it’s to be an educator.
In summer season, the nonprofit Pacific Science Heart efficiently ran 10 weeks of in-person and digital camps, with 1,500 youngsters collaborating in every format. The in-person camps had been held on the spacious Seattle campus and three associate areas following security tips together with the creation of pods with a most of 9 youngsters and one counselor.
There have been no reported incidents of novel coronavirus unfold amongst camp educators or youngsters, who attended the week-long camps for as much as seven hours a day. A reprieve for fogeys and children, Pacific Science Heart’s success is a useful resource for different camps and colleges.
Learn extra: Whale experts launch free, virtual marine biology camp to entertain and inform kids and How Pacific Science Center ran safe, successful summer camps — in-person — despite COVID-19
7. Inspiring tales of entrepreneurship and “pivots”
The phrase “pivot” was fairly well-liked this 12 months, to some folks’s chagrin. By its enterprise definition — when an organization makes a basic change — it couldn’t be extra spot on. This 12 months demanded change from everybody. Various entrepreneurs and startups needed to make important adjustments and their tales provided new insights and potentialities.
A number of examples:
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