Jaspal Singh Sandhu
url: http://me.berkeley.edu/~jaspal
Education
University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D candidate in Mechanical Engineering.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, S.M. in Mechanical Engineering, February 2002.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, S.B. in Mechanical Engineering, February 1999.
Research
University of California, Berkeley, Aug 2003 - present
- Information Systems for Rural Health Workers (Bayanhongor, Zavhan, and Suhbaatar, Mongolia): This project explores the design of information systems for bagiin baga emch (Mongolian rural health workers) in the context of data reporting, continuing education, and diagnostic support. The emphasis is on the use of short-term ethnographic methods to design innovative solutions. These methods will be evaluated in-situ, along the dimensions of efficacy, efficiency, and quality - this will inform design theory, in particular for international development. This research will be conducted in cooperation with an Asian Development Bank project to develop information and communication technologies (ICT) for rural health services in Mongolia. The primary field research will be conducted between June 2006 and December 2007.
Mobile Devices for Health Education (Central Valley, California): We are exploring the possibilities for using mobile devices for health education in migrant and seasonal farmworker communities in the United States. The context for our research is a community in Tulare County, California. The initial phase of this work involves an ethnographic study of the community, focusing on health information needs, current methods of information retrieval and communication, and facility with technology. The next phase will involve user-testing of prototype system(s). Please visit our project website for more information.
Design and Fuel Use of Improved Woodburning Cookstoves (Quetzaltenango, Guatemala): Jessica Granderson and I are working with Professor Kirk Smith to examine the design and efficiency (fuel use) of wood-burning cookstoves as compared to open fires in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala. Our methods include a repeatable, quantitative efficiency test (Kitchen Performance Test) and short-term participant observation. Fieldwork was completed with 17 households during July 2005. This work is part of the ongoing Stove Intervention Study. This work is generously funded by Professor Smith's Brian and Jennifer Maxwell endowed chair in Public Health.
Aurolab (Tamil Nadu, India): UC Berkeley - along with UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) - hosts an annual conference to address the role of technology in the developing world. As a part of this conference, my team was awarded a fellowship to study best practices at Aurolab, in Tamil Nadu, India. We were onsite in Madurai during June 2004 examining the role of technology in delivery of healthcare to underserved populations, with an emphasis on ophthalmic services. Please visit our project website for more information.
MIT Mechanical Engineering iCampus Group, Cambridge, MA, Aug 2000 - Feb 2002
-Developed web-based learning tools and technology-based pedagogy for Introductory Solid Mechanics course at MIT from concept through production
-Deployed new pedagogy, designed assessment tools, performed comprehensive system evaluation
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- "Serial Hanging Out: Rapid Ethnographic Needs Assessment in Rural Settings", Sandhu JS, Altankhuyag P, Amarsaikhan D, in J. Jacko (Ed.): Human-Computer Interaction, Part I, HCII 2007, LNCS 4550, pp. 614-623, 2007. Springer-Verlag Berlin.
- Making Sight Affordable (Part I): Aurolab Pioneers Production of Low-Cost Technology for Cataract Surgery, Ibrahim M, Bhandari A, Sandhu JS, Balakrishnan P, Innovations: Technology/Governance/Globalization, Summer 2006, Vol. 1, No. 3, Pages 25-41. See full issue.
- "Designing Mobile Digital Library Services for Pre-engineering and Technology Literacy", Hey J, Sandhu JS, Newman C, Hsu J-S, Daniels C, Datta E, Agogino AM, International Journal of Engineering Education, Special Issue on Mobile Technologies for Engineering Education, forthcoming.
- "Appropriate Design of Medical Technologies for Emerging Regions: the Case of Aurolab", Sandhu JS, Bhandari A, Ibrahim M, Balakrishnan P, ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, Orlando, 2005.
- Informal Health and Legal Rights Education in Rural, Agricultural Communities Using Mobile Devices, Sandhu JS, Hey J, Newman C, Agogino AM, IEEE Technology for Education in Developing Countries (TEDC) Workshop, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 2005.
- The Aurolab Model for Enabling Access To Medical Technologies, Bhandari A, Ibrahim M, Sandhu JS, 2005 UNIDO Bridging the Divide Conference, Berkeley, 2005.
- Wireless Sensor Networks for Commercial Lighting Control: Decision Making with Multi-agent Systems, Sandhu JS, Agogino AM, Agogino AK, AAAI Workshop on Sensor Networks, San Jose, 2004.
- Active Engagement Pedagogy for an Introductory Solid Mechanics Course, Sandhu JS, Bamberg E, Hong JW, Boyce MC, ASEE Annual Conference, Montreal, 2002.
- "Integration of Information Technolgy into an Introductory Solid Mechanics Course", Sandhu JS, Bamberg E, Boyce MC, ASEE/SEFI/TUB Colloqium, Berlin, 2001. [conference cancelled due to circumstances of Sep 2001]
- "Development of Interactive Web-Based Modules in Redesigning an Introductory Solid Mechanics Course", Sandhu JS, Bamberg E, Boyce MC, 2nd International Conference in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, Samos Island, Greece, 2001.
Paper Awards
- "Rethinking Technology for Health in Developing Countries", Sandhu JS. Commeneded, Under 30s Essay Contest, sponsored by Global Forum for Health Research and The Lancet, August 2006. link to announcement
- "Point-of-Use Water Treatment, a New Campus Initiative", Reygadas F, Bhandari A, Sandhu JS, Bellows B, Ibrahim M. Winning white paper, UC Berkeley Big Ideas contest, sponsored by Center for Entrepreneurship in International Health and Development (CEIHD), December 2005.
Book Chapter (Peer-Reviewed)
Theses
- An Active Engagement Pedagogy for Introductory Solid Mechanics, Master's Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, February 2002.
- Redesign of the Standard Bicycle Seat to Prevent Male Impotence, Undergraduate Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, December 1998. See related article from the NY Times, 4 October 2005.
Conference Poster Presentations
- "Bayesian Networks, a Statistical Approach to Understanding ICT Adoption", Nedevschi S, Sandhu JS, Pal J, Fonseca R, Toyama K, International Conference on Information and Communication Technology and Development, Berkeley, 2006.
- "Enabling Access to Ophthalmic Technologies in the Developing World", Unite for Sight 2nd Annual International Conference (Eyes on International Collaboration: Promoting Health from Campus to Lab to Field), Cambridge, MA, 2-3 Apr 2005. With A Bhandari and M Ibrahim, no publication.
- "Producing Affordable Medical Technologies for the Developing World", 2004 Engineers for a Sustainable World National Conference (Sustainable Engineering and Enterprise for Human Development), Stanford, CA, 1-2 Oct 2004. With A Bhandari and M Ibrahim, no publication.
Invited Talks
- "Хөдөөгийн эрvvл мэндийн мэдээллийн системын хvvний хvчин зvйл" ("Human Factors in Rural Health Information Systems"), Uvurhangai Health Department, Arvaiheer (Mongolia), Western Region Seminar, Rural Health Networking, Ministry of Health & Asian Development Bank, 22-23 Jun 2007.
- "Human-Centered Design of Information Systems for Development", University of California, Berkeley, ICTD Reading Group, 17 Oct 2006.
- "Mobile ICT for Rural Health Workers: Challenges & Opportunities" (Хөдөлгөөнт МХХТ хөдөөгийн эмнэлгийн ажилтнуудад: дуудлага ба боломж), Ulaanbaatar Hotel (Mongolia), National Workshop on ICT for Improving Rural Health Services, Ministry of Health & Asian Development Bank, 29-30 Jun 2006.
- "Enabling Access to Medical Technologies: the Aurolab Model", Stanford University, course Brainstorming India, 22 May 2006. With A Bhandari and M Ibrahim.
- "Delivering Eye Care in Developing Countries: Health Systems and Infrastructure Issues", UC Berkeley course OP39B: The Developing World: Profound Challenges, Needs, and Opportunities (Prof. Jay Enoch, former Dean, School of Optometry), 13 Sep 2005. With A Bhandari.
- "Public Health in Developing Regions: What is the Role of Technology?", UC Berkeley course CS294-1: Design of Health Technologies (Prof. John Canny, Computer Science), 12 Sep 2005.
- "Mobile Technologies for Learning in Informal Environments", National Central University (Taiwan), Networked Learning TechnologY Program, 4 Jul 2005.
- "Sustainable Design: Technology That 'Sticks'", UC Berkeley, Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) Intern Training, 19 May 2005.
- "Building a Non-Profit Medical Device Company in India for the Eradication of Blindness", UC Berkeley, presentation to International House Board of Directors, 10 May 2005. With A Bhandari.
- "What Defines 'Appropriate' Medical Technologies for Emerging Regions?", Berkeley in Silicon Valley Symposium: Engineering a Better World, Sun Microsystems Conference Center, plenary session, 7 May 2005. With A Bhandari. view session video (direct Windows Media, high-bandwidth link: here).
- "Challenges to Developing and Transferring Health Technologies", Bridging the Divide 2005: Technology, Innovation and Learning in Developing Economies, UC Berkeley, panel discussion, 22 Apr 2005. With A Bhandari. (other panelists: Michael Free, PATH; John Hutchinson, Freeplay Energy; Michael MacHarg, OneWorld Health).
- "Integrating Service Projects into the Engineering Classroom", UC Berkeley, course CE198/E198, 6 Apr 2005.
Industrial Experience
Nokia Research Center, Burlington, MA, May - Aug 2002, Jan - Aug 2003
-Developed software application for next generation mobile device
-Application demonstrated to top Nokia management responsible for internal funding of USD 500,000
-Produced architectural specifications - hardware and software - for mobile device prototype, gaining exposure to 802.11, Bluetooth, and device-related security
-Worked closely with Tokyo office in developing and troubleshooting prototype device
Intel Corporation, Chandler, AZ & Hillsboro, OR, Mar - Aug 2000
-Traveled weekly to Oregon manufacturing site to oversee implementation of materials handling systems at D1C, world's first fully automated 300mm wafer fab
-Responsible for tools covering 40% of floor space at D1C
-Interfaced with industrial engineers, process engineers, designers, supplier field service engineers, and construction personnel, overseeing tool installations and acting as technical liaison
-Conducted meetings and tests in determining equipment readiness at KLA-Tencor and Novellus sites in California and Oregon
Cambridge Resource Group, Braintree, MA, Feb - Jun 1999
-Worked as part of a technical team to locate and address Y2K issues with embedded microprocessors for Boston University and BU Medical Campus
-Directed meetings with university administrative officials, and representatives from Physical Plant and Information Technology departments
Intel Corporation, Chandler, AZ, Jun - Aug 1998
-Managed 12 equipment suppliers for 300mm wafer automation standards
-Determined wafer carrier (FOUP) manufacturing tolerances for USD 5 million corporate purchase
-Worked with IBM to revise SEMI standard for photolithography reticle carriers
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, Jun - Aug 1997, Dec 1997 - Jan 1998
-Determined structural integrity, seismic stability, heating requirements for Sustained Spheromak Physics Experiment (SSPX)
-Produced project safety documentation for Department of Energy
GLHN Architects and Engineers, Tucson, AZ, Jun - Aug 1996
-Assisted HVAC engineers/designers in determining hardware and piping requirements for the Ina Road Water Waste Treatment Plant
Independent Contract Work, 1999-2004
-Academy of Applied Science, Concord, NH
-Everlast Products, Inc., New York, NY
-MIT Department of Humanities, Cambridge, MA
-Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA
Teaching
- Jointly supervised undergraduate UC Berkeley Computer Science student for Honor's thesis, 2004-2005.
- Teaching Assistant, Mechanics and Materials I (2.001), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2000-2001.
- Supervised three undergraduate students working on the MIT Mechanical Engineering iCampus project, 2000-2001.
Skills
- Programming & scripting: Java; C/C++; Unix shell scripting; PHP; JavaScript; VBScript; HTML; Visual Basic
- Related: SQL; JSP; Servlets; ASP
- Database: MySQL; SQL Server
- Software: MATLAB; Flash; numerous desktop, graphics, CAD applications
- Platforms: Windows, Linux, Solaris, Macintosh
- Languages: Conversational Punjabi, Spanish, and Mongolian
Affiliations, Awards & Accomplishments
- 2006 Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow (Mongolia)
- Emerging Technology & Society Program Committee member, Technology & Society Division, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2006
- Memberships: ASME, American Public Health Association (APHA), The Mongolia Society, American Center for Mongolian Studies
- Mongolian language study LCTL grant, UC Berkeley Institute of Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies (ISEEES), spring 2006
- 2005 Graduate Assembly Travel Grant
- 2004-2005 UCB-UNIDO Research Fellow
- Member of UC Berkeley Chancellor's Task Force on Hate & Bias, 2003-2004
- National Merit Scholar
- Nike PLAYCorps Scholar
- Four-time Boston Marathon runner