AWS Public Sector Blog

Tag: education

EdTech brings learning alive to narrow the attainment gap; photo of Oxford University

New human-machine collaborations unlock society’s big challenges

Research exploring how humans work with machines to solve problems in fields ranging from space to sustainability has established the potential to create far-reaching change in children’s education. The test-bed project is part of a wider program set up by Oxford University with support from AWS. Researchers have been as surprised by how quickly they have reached results as they are pleased with the outcomes. One of the test-beds, the Oxford X-Reality Hub Ed Tech project, set out to investigate how virtual reality (VR) could transform the classroom experience and close the gap between disadvantaged groups of pupils who statistically do less well than their peers.

Sharing SAS data with Athena and ODBC

Sharing SAS data with Athena and ODBC

If you share data with other researchers, especially if they are using a different tool, you can quickly run into version issues, not knowing which file is the most current. Rather than sending data files everywhere, AWS offers a simple way to store your data in one central location so that you can read your data into SAS and still share it with other colleagues. In this blog post, I will explain how to export your data, store it in AWS, and query the data using SAS.

Washingtonian workforce skilling panel featuring AWS, 1901 Group, Byte Back

Creating a culture of lifelong learning for the workforce

I’ve always valued education, because it shapes our world and defines our future. At AWS, we work with K12 schools, higher education institutions, education technology, and learning companies to support both teaching and learning. The institutions and their dedicated instructors collaborate daily and deliver education to the current and future workforce. These students will help AWS, our customers and partners, and industries and governments across the globe continue to innovate. Alongside the education institutions, we are committed to providing access to cloud computing and technical skills to everyone, no matter their knowledge level. Learn how AWS is helping individuals on their cloud career journey for reskilling and upskilling, and how other companies can follow. 

two women discuss something on a laptop in front of a whiteboard

What gives me hope on International Women’s Day

When I travel around the world, I try to spend time with women leaders in different organizations, industries, and walks of life. In the time we have together, I try to learn about their hopes and dreams. In those conversations, I hear both a desire to think big about the future and a struggle to balance the commitments and responsibilities that fall almost exclusively to women. The numbers are clear: the percentage of the women participating in the global labor force is declining. I recently wrote about steps we can take to recover from the last year. Today, I want to share three stories that make me hopeful that we can collectively achieve gender parity. 

RONIN for research screengrab

Announcing research computing with RONIN on AWS

To allow more visibility into and management of AWS resources and expenses and minimize the cloud skills training required to operate these resources, AWS Partner RONIN created the RONIN research computing platform. RONIN gives researchers the ability to create exactly the computers or storage that they need in minutes. With access to the flexibility and scalability of the cloud, researchers are able to store and process larger datasets, collaborate globally, and adapt to changing technologies and research methods instantly.

Mineduc Digital app on a smart phone

Enabling remote education in Guatemala with scalable learning platform Mineduc Digital

AWS Partner ITZ Data, with support from UNICEF and the Canadian Embassy in Guatemala, helped Ministerio de Educación de Guatemala launch Mineduc Digital—the country’s first online platform where students can access digital self-study guides from any device connected to the internet. The Ministry implemented the solution in less than two months, paving the way for the digital transformation of their education system. The solution was built on AWS.

APAC Digital Skills Research

New report: Asia Pacific workforce applying digital skills will need to increase five-fold by 2025

This week, AWS released the report, “Unlocking APAC’s Digital Potential: Changing Digital Skill Needs and Policy Approaches.” Prepared by strategy and economics consulting firm AlphaBeta and commissioned by AWS, the report analyzes the digital skills applied by workers in their jobs today and the digital skills required by workforces over the next five years. The report focuses on six Asia Pacific countries: Singapore, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea.

female student sitting at laptop at home with headphones listening to lecture

Improving virtual education, economic research, and environmental data: The latest from AWS CICs

Cloud Innovation Centers (CICs) powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) aim to empower public sector organizations to quickly create and test new ideas using Amazon’s innovation methodology. In the second half of 2020, all those who participate in the CIC program, from students and researchers to the technology teams from AWS, worked on wide-ranging societal problems. Their focus was on improving education with virtual computer labs, working on climate change initiatives, improving economic and healthcare research, and supporting at-risk high school students. What were they up to at the end of 2020?

CDC Panel COVID-19

Sharing best practices on vaccine administration at the CDC National Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine

The US CDC convened the National Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine to share and discuss best practices to help advance the goals of the National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness. The forum brought representatives together from across the US government involved in the response to COVID-19. AWS participated in the forum as a panelist for “Day 2 Town Hall: Using Technology to Manage COVID-19 Vaccination.” AWS has worked closely with many states and jurisdictions looking to quickly design, launch, and mobilize their vaccination administration plans using cloud technology. Learn some of the best practices shared at the forum on how the cloud can help with vaccine administration.

Think Big for Small Business

3 things to like about the now globally available Think Big for Small Business Program

Diversity matters. Governments, countries, cities, agencies, and more recognize the value that diversity brings. According to McKinsey, companies with ethnic or cultural diversity are 33% more likely to outperform on profitability. With this in mind, I am thrilled to announce the global launch of the Think Big for Small Business Program. With the global launch of this program, I wanted to share the three things I like most about it.