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WiRED is pleased to announce that Sameer Verma, Ph.D., has joined our Advisory Board.
Dr. Verma is Professor of Information Systems in the College of Business at San Francisco State University. His research focuses on the diffusion and adoption of innovative technologies, and he also works with companies in the area of content analysis, management, and delivery. Dr. Verma is the founder of One Laptop per Child projects and communities in San Francisco, Jamaica, and India.
Dr. Verma decided to join the WiRED Advisory Board after following the work of founder Gary Selnow for some time. "I first met Gary when I was interviewing for a position at San Francisco State University," said Dr. Verma. "He asked some tough questions! That left an impression. I kept up with his efforts to take computers to remote parts of the world. I've always had a similar interest, given that my family's roots are in a rural farming community. Over time, we have gone our own ways at addressing that problem. I have been working with One Laptop per Child for a few years now. Our paths crossed recently, and I've been working with Gary since then to see how we can combine our efforts."
In terms of humanitarian efforts, Dr. Verma sees technology as a means to an end. "Access to information plays a very important role in solving problems, be it for primary school education or for doctors in remote communities," he said. "Information technology takes analog media such as paper books and allows us to deliver these in a digital module with very little marginal cost. The marginal cost of delivering one digital module versus a thousand copies of the same module is almost zero. That doesn't happen with paper. Equipped with information and tools, we hope developing communities can solve their own problems locally. After all, they understand their problems the best."
Dr. Verma has served as Manager of Technology Services at Sphere Interactive; Manager of Internet Research and Development for Spec International, LLC; and has provided innovative research and development for organizations such as AT&T and Georgia State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration at Georgia State University and earned his Bachelor's in Civil Engineering at Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. Dr. Verma's awards and honors include ANBAR Electronic Intelligence's Citation of Excellence for "Highest Quality Rating." His many research interests include innovations in broadband technologies, push technology and decision support, decisional guidance in education, digital commons, and sustainable IT.
"Health is of paramount importance, irrespective of where one lives," said Dr. Verma. "Investment in prevention is a whole lot cheaper than any solution, after the fact. If the 7 billion-plus people are to move from being underdeveloped to developing and eventually to developed communities, access to accurate and preventive health care education is a no-brainer. Even if we are to take a very simplistic look at the population at large, a farmer's efficiency goes up if he is healthy. The same applies to a factory worker, a school teacher, and a president. Whether it's education about washing hands, filtering water, or vaccinating children, if we address the problem at its root, the entire community's efficiency goes up. As the world gets more connected, we have to pay attention to all of our connected communities. Our future depends on it. We now have the technology to possibly reach each one of those 7 billion-plus world citizens. We have to work to make it happen!"
Dr. Verma lives with his family in San Francisco, where he enjoys cooking, hiking, and taking things apart. He still plays with Lego when time permits.
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