Hello, Science! [My name is Tristan] 

The Maternal and Child Survival Program MCSP is a global Cooperative Agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development USAID aimed at introducing and supporting high- impact health interventions.
This global program focuses on 24 high-priority countries, including USA, with the ultimate goal of ending preventable maternal and child deaths within a generation. MCSP country programs strive to ensure that all women, newborns and children have equitable access to the quality health care services that save lives.

Job Title: Program Assistant

Location
Sokoto

Job Field
Administration, Secretarial, NGO, Non-Profit

Position Description
Based in Sokoto, the Program Assistant will serve as a core member of the MCSP/USA Immunization program’s administration team for program activities in Sokoto. Under the supervision of the Sokoto State Immunization Technical Advisor SITA, the Program Assistant will provide administrative, logistical, and program support critical to ensuring the successful implementation of MCSP’s RI strengthening program assistance to the Sokoto state government. This position will work closely with both technical and program support administration and finance staff to advance MCSP’s RI program assistance in Sokoto. This will include working closely with the SITA, State Immunization Technical Officer SITO, Finance & Accounting Officer, and Bauchi-based Finance and Administration

Role
Manager, as well as the rest of MCSP’s geographically dispersed team across Abuja, Bauchi, and Sokoto. This individual will help ensure MCSP/USA’s compliance with JSI procedures, USAID rules and regulations, as well as financial and legal requirements of the Government of USA. The position will also involve providing programmatic support particularly to technical staff in Sokoto.
Roles and Responsibilities

• Support the development and maintenance of an administrative system for monitoring and tracking program implementation per program deadlines as needed
• Establish and maintain MCSP’s filing system for program documents and correspondence, including progress and activity reports, financial and administrative documents, and other records
• Support the development and maintenance of MCSP’s logistical support systems, guidelines, and tools; ensure the effective and smooth functioning of the office
• Coordinate and manage logistics for Sokoto-based, internal and external meetings, workshops, and other activities as needed
• Provide administrative, human resource-related, and travel-related support to country-based and visiting program staff and consultants, including coordinating flight, hotel, and other travel/short-term technical assistance arrangements
• Support the Sokoto SITA, SITO, and other program staff in drafting, editing, and/or formatting official correspondence, reports, and other program documents as needed
• Assist technical staff to compile, edit, and review meeting minutes, technical reports, and publications, and support the development of donor reports, workplans, and other documents for USAID submission as needed through coordination, editing, formatting, and/or other assistance
• Support the Finance & Accounting Officer to coordinate the acquisition and maintenance of program inventory according to both USAID and JSI rules and regulations, as needed
• Assist staff with preparing official correspondence, photocopying, and carrying out other administrative tasks as required
• Provide additional support for program and administrative activities as needed

• Minimum of Bachelor-level education in social or health sciences, business management or public administration
• Minimum of three years of relevant work experience in management, administrative, or project/program implementation support, including at least two years working with an international development organization
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines and rapidly shifting priorities
• Good prioritization, problem-solving, and analytical skills; ability to work under pressure with diverse colleagues who have different strengths and varied support needs, and with flexibility, diplomacy, and poise; strong sense of good judgment as the situation demands
• Strong, energetic team player able to execute tasks with limited direction
• Demonstrated interest in public health, and in developing programmatic knowledge in the field
• Exemplary verbal and written communication skills in English; ability to write for different kinds of audiences, both external and internal
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail as the situation demands
• Commanding knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Proficiency in spoken and written English, with knowledge of Hausa a plus
• Previous work experience implementing USAID-funded programs strongly preferred
• Knowledge of the health sector and routine immunization a plus
• Able to occasionally travel to Bauchi and Abuja as needed

Career Planning – Finding the career of your dreams

It isn’t so farfetched to dream of a career –say, as a Forest Ranger — and to discover later on that hanging out alone in the woods makes you absolutely crazy. Sure, you like to be outdoors and to be hiking, boating or fishing, but all your life you have done it with other people and now, with an assignment to be on fire watch for an entire month, you can’t stand the solitude and silence.

It’s a good idea to take your career choice and run it through a series of questions before you invest a lot of time in a degree that may not be right for you.

Consider some very basic things:

Do you like to be outdoors?
Indoors? Working with other people?
Doing something all by yourself?

My very first job was in an accounting office with three people. The air conditioning was set to a bone-chilling 65 degrees, the people weren't friendly, and I spent the whole day manipulating numbers. When I was offered a position as a newspaper editor, for less money, I bailed in an instant. The newspaper office was filled with chatty people — all day long. I thrived on the deadlines. I was constantly running out to take a picture, do an interview or go to a meeting. I belonged in this environment where I learned new things, met new people and did something different every day. Thankfully I had not invested four years in an accounting degree!

In addition to your work environment, consider your skills. A biology major can find work ranging from lab research to working with big cats. An artist might end up doing graphic design on a computer, teaching a roomful of kindergarteners how to finger-paint, or decorating china. Understand what you are good at, and what makes you frustrated. There are many paths to follow in any given career and you want to be in a place that makes you feel challenged, but good about your work.

Another key area to think about when you choose a career is your values. Do you like helping people? Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher, counselor or nurse. Many of us find careers where we aren’t in direct contact with customers or consumers and we’re happier for it. Maybe you want to make budgets and financial plans but you don’t want to be the person who sits down with a client and tells them they can’t buy a boat. Think carefully about what you believe is important to you. If you value good health, sound finances, literacy, safety in manufacturing, or clean water — there is a job for you! Working in a field that you don’t find important is a recipe for disaster.
Other factors to consider are things like social status, job security, independence, using skills like public speaking and writing, the opportunity to travel (or not), and how much money you feel you need to earn.

Some high schools facilitate career shadowing days. You’ve dreamed of working with animals and after one day at the local veterinarian’s office you know that isn’t what you want to do for the rest of your life. Or, a day in the courtroom might convince you that you don’t need that kind of pressured environment. If you didn’t get a chance to shadow someone in the workplace yet, it’s not too late. Explore your options carefully, find someone in your chosen profession to talk to, and ask if you can tag along for part of a day.

Finally – do your research! You can learn a lot about different careers by asking good questions and by searching legitimate sites on the Internet. The Bureau of Labor Statistic’s site, www.bls.gov, can help you find out about necessary schooling, certifications, and requirements for certain jobs, what the outlook is for a particular career in the future, and even what you can expect to earn if you choose that path. Your happiness and your future depend on making some good choices now, so put in some effort now to find out which career might suit you best.

Honestly, there is no formula to determining which college will be ideal for a student. And, just because you hear that a particular university rocks doesn’t mean it will suite your needs and interests. It’s important for each individual student to decide for themselves where they will be happy, since, after all, it will be their home for 4 years.

Though there are no set rules for making this important decision, in general it is a bad idea to choose a college based on only one factor. Because humans are multidimensional, you should take into consideration all of the things that are likely to be important to you. This will require some hard work and careful research on your part, but it will be well worth it. Consider making a pro and con list of all of the important aspects you want to consider for each college. To help get you started, make sure you aren’t using these bad ways to choose your college.

1. The ____ friend
This one may be cliché, but it is so for a reason…because it happens so frequently. But consider that what is a great college for one person isn’t for another. And even if your boyfriend/girlfriend/best friend is attending school there, keep in mind that one of the great things about college is the opportunity to meet new people and experience new things. If you and your ____ friend are truly committed to the relationship, not being on the same campus won’t matter in the long run.

2. The location
Regardless of whether you can’t wait to get away from home or you want to stay as close to home as possible, choosing a college simply because of its location is a bad idea. If the location is truly important to you, at least do your research into several college options that meet that requirement. Then you can pick the one that is truly best for you while still being in a location that suites you.

3. The program
If the program you want to go into is stellar, but you don’t like much else about the university, reconsider. There are typically several universities that offer top programs, no matter what degree you are considering. By examining several colleges that have top-rated programs of interest, you can determine which one really fits best with all of your interests. Remember that college is about more than academics. Though you want to choose a quality program that will prepare you for a successful career, you don’t want to be totally miserable for 4 years while you earn your degree.

4. The sports/dorms/food/parties
No matter who you are, you are not one-dimensional. And while the quality of the college’s sports teams, dorms, food or parties might be important to you, that one thing alone will not make you happy while on your own for the first time. Make sure that the college you choose to attend has multiple pros for you, not just one. Believe it or not, students cannot live by football alone.

5. The only one
Going to a college just because it is the only one that accepted you means one thing: you didn’t apply to enough. It’s rare that a student only gets one offer. Make sure that you spend the time to investigate lots of different colleges, attend college visits, talk to heads of departments, check out the town atmosphere, learn the important college statistics and then apply to several that have lots to offer you. That way, even if your first pick doesn’t come through, you will still have a great chance of attendingone that you will be proud to call your alma mater.

As college tuition continues to skyrocket here in the U.S., many families are looking at different options that are easier on the bank accounts. But they aren’t only looking at community colleges and trade schools---they are also researching the benefits of sending their children off to attend college in Canada. There are more benefits to going north for college than lower tuition though; Canadian universities offer many opportunities that you may want to consider when deciding what college to attend.

Canadian colleges offer first-rate education with degree programs that are globally recognized. Because Canada more carefully standardizes higher education than the United States, practically any of the universities there provide students with an outstanding education which draws some of the best educators from around the world.
Numerous Canadian colleges do not require ACT or SAT scores to apply. This is a real benefit for students who tend not to score well on standardized tests. Additionally, some of these colleges only consider junior and senior high school grades when determining acceptance, so a student with a lower GPA early in their high school career may have an easier time getting admitted to their preferred college.

Most U.S. students who attend college in Canada agree that the application process for Canadian universities is less demanding, requiring fewer essays and recommendation letters. This can be a considerable plus when considering the time-consuming task of applying to multiple US colleges, not to mention the price of rising application fees.

Both undergraduate and graduate students are able to work on Canadian campuses without gaining access to a work visa. This makes it easier for students to pay for their college costs while attending school, instead of having to rely on student loans. Additionally, students who graduate from a Canadian college are offered the chance of staying to work in the country for 3 years after graduation. This offers new graduates twice the amount of career opportunities than if they had attended school in the U.S., especially considering Canada’s lower unemployment rate for recent college grads.

Because all Canadian colleges are generously and equallyfunded at both the Federal and Providence level,the cost of attendance is much more standardized than in the U.S.In fact, no other country with a similar Gross National Product funds its colleges more. Because of this, the cost of attending can be a fraction of what it would cost to get a similar education in the United States.

It is a little-known fact that U.S. Federal loan monies can be used to pay for college tuition in Canada. Though students may not need to worry about accruing as much student debt, if they are eligible for loans such as Stafford and PLUS, they can use them to attend a university in Canada.

Typically, the exchange rates between the United States and Canada are favorable to the U.S. dollar. When comparing cost between American and Canadian colleges, this is one thing you should figure into the decision. Current exchange rates can easily be located on the Internet.

Because of government funding in many aspects of daily life, the cost of living in Canada is usually lower than in the U. S.This is something to consider since many Canadian colleges are customarily commuter schools. This fact alone could be a big savings since many college students live off campus, meaning they pay rent and purchase groceries rather than pay for room and board on campus, which of course, is much more costly.

More and more Canadian universities are offering international merit scholarshipsto their American students. The ability to access scholarships, combined with the option to use U.S. Federal loans, work on campus, plus the lower cost of tuition offers U.S. students a way to start their life off with fewer student loans hanging over their heads.

Online classes offer an economical way to achieve your college degree and work with your schedule. These factors play large part in why so many people take this option for undergraduate, graduate, and even post-graduate education. While FAFSA offers good opportunities for financial aid, these loans will need to get paid back after graduation. Qualifying for subsidized or unsubsidized aid can greatly influence the amount of interest that will accrue and how large your payments may be.
Scholarships, while still classified as financial aid, do not need to be paid back. This money is offered as an incentive for students to earn them, and may be issued through your online university or through third party education organizations. Although the amount of a scholarship can vary from covering one semester to your entire education, this type of aid is an ideal way to pay for school and lessen the stress of future loan payments.
Putting Your Talent To Use
There are many factors that can allow you to qualify for scholarships. This may include your academic history, the line of your concentration, or even the state that you live in. Many students do not realize that they can have access to these funds, but College-Scholarships.com can make your search an easy and efficient task.
At College-Scholarships.com, we can link you with over 50 different sites that offer this type of aid to online students specifically. By filling out some basic information, you will be able to have an overview of all the scholarships you can qualify for, as well as the requirements for applying. Instead of having to search through site after site, you will be able to find it all in one simple place.
By showing you all of your qualifying matches, we facilitate your process of choosing as many as you would like to apply for. Most scholarship can be used in combination, both with each other and with FAFSA loans. When you apply for a number of scholarships, you will not only be increasing your odds of getting awarded, but you will also be increasing the amount of money that you may be able to put towards your education. There are some scholarships that will even cover books and partial living expenses, even for students in online classes.
Taking Advantage Of Funds
College-Scholarships.com puts you in touch with the organizations that could award you money. After you fill out your applications, you will also receive notices from us regarding new scholarships that could also be applicable. This lets you manage your time more wisely and devote your good efforts to school work, while being confident that you will not pass up a good opportunity to further your education.

Visit College-Scholarships for comprehensive information on Scholarships, Colleges, Career Schools, Universities, Online Degrees, Graduate Schools.

The Elements of Statistical Learning is an absolute classic for anyone wanting to do statistics/machine learning/data mining. I read that the second edition was out and debating whether I should spend the money on this new edition. Via John Cook I learned that the book is out on pdf (from their website). DOUBLE WIN: a) I’ve already paid once and get the upgrade for free, b) I know have a way to electronically search the book.

I also found out today that Koller and Friedman have just released their much anticipated book Probabilistic Graphical Models from MIT press. At a lengthy 1208 pages, this should provide enough reading for a few nights!

One of the greatest things about college life is the opportunity to meet new people and have new experiences. Unfortunately what starts out as a lot of fun can end horribly. Meeting up with new potential partners should be a fun, exciting time, and it can be, if you keep some safety tips in mind. You can ensure your well-being by doing some planning right after you agree to go out with someone new.

Take cash
No one likes to be stuck in an uncomfortable situation. Making sure that you have a supply of cash on hand gives you the power to leave a distressing situation. It’s never a good idea to be totally dependent on someone you hardly know.And though it may seem like every place takes plastic, that isn’t the case. Knowing that you have what you need to take care of yourself can help you feel more in charge, no matter what the circumstances.

Meet up with your date
Rather than having your date pick you up, arrange to meet them at the planned destination. Just like with the first tip, having your own wheels available keeps you in control of the situation. If you feel distressed, leave immediately. Meeting your date also keeps your address under wraps. You should never share that type of personal information with someone who is a virtual stranger.

Plan an “escape route”
Set up a plan to call a trusted friend at a certain time. This not only lets your friend know that you are safe, but also gives you an “out” if the outing is disagreeable or unmanageable. If your friend can’t get ahold of you, there should be an action plan taken to ensure your security. Make sure that they have all of the details, including the complete name of your date and the specific locations where you are going, just in case they need to follow up if they don’t hear from you.

Say no, thank you
If your date asks you to go somewhere or do something that you don’t want to do, just tell them no. Don’t worry about hurting their feelings. Don’t worry that they won’t ask you out again. If they get upset about something as simple as this, you don’t want to go out with them again anyway! Find a pleasant way to tell them that you don’t want to do what they propose and offer up another suggestion of something you would both enjoy.

Go with another couple
Double dates may sound old-fashioned, but they are a great way to get to know someone new without being alone all evening with them. This may make the evening more enjoyable in general, but it will also make sure that you are safe.

Limit your alcohol intake
Even though we all know that alcohol makes us less inhibited, it is easy to overdo the drinking, especially in a situation where you may be nervous already. Dating can be stressful, but don’t allow yourself to become vulnerable because you have imbibed too much. In a situation where you don’t know the person you are with, you need to keep your wits about you in case you need them.

Keep your drink with you
Speaking of drinking, whether you have a soda or a beer in your glass make sure that you keep it in your sight at all times. This should be a standard practice no matter who you are with or where you are because it is oh so easy for someone to slip something in your drink that will make you an easy target.

Take your phone
This might go without saying since Millennials are rarely without their phones, but it is important that you have it with you and can easily access it if you need it. Make sure it is fully charged before you leave also, and make certain that important phone numbers that you might need in an emergency are pre-programmed in the phone.

Go somewhere public
If a private picnic or a party at a stranger’s house is suggested, tell your potential date that you want to go to the movies, the zoo, a restaurant, somewhere public. This is especially important if it isn’t possible for you to meet the date at the location. The last thing you want is to end up alone with a virtual stranger in the middle of nowhere.

Trust your instinct
The absolute best tip is to trust your gut feeling about people. If the person who asks you out makes you feel uneasy, simply say no to their invitation. Let them ask as often as they want, but just stay clear of them. Our instincts are important ways for our mind /body to tell us if there is danger around. Don’t talk yourself into going out with someone who sets off your “radar,” no matter what.

After seeing this amazing talk by Josh Tenenbaum on videolectures.net, I started reading up on some very cool stuff at the intersection of machine learning and cognitive science. This brought me to read on Gold's theorem and the poverty of the stimulus. Very roughly, Gold's theorem says that any learner (be it a child or a computer) cannot "learn" a language by only acquiring sentences from the language she has to learn. Some people use this theorem to make the following argument: a toddler will only hear sentences from the language she is learning, she never gets to hear "wrong" (as in not in the language) sentences. Hence, since by Gold's theorem this toddler cannot learn the language, it must be innate: language abilities must be wired into our brains in some way. Gold's Theorem and Cognitive Science, by Kent Johnson is a very enjoyable read for more background on Gold's theorem and how it applies to the question of language acquisition.

Johnson's paper mentions something that I had never thought about: according to Morgan, a child acquires language after hearing about 4 million sentences. Now think about how many sentences we have access to to train our NLP algorithms on. This is orders of magnitude more than a person ever gets to hear and yet I would say we are far from building a computer system that can manipulate language as accurate as humans. From a Bayesian perspective, this could translate into assuming children having a really good prior which they start from when learning language. If the Bayesian way is the right way to look at this question, I really wonder how humans acquire this prior: how much is wired up in our brains, how much is it influenced by our sensory system,... ?

Trying to protect your child from all the bad stuff in the world may sound like a good thing; after all, parents should want to keep their kids safe. But helicopter parenting goes beyond the normal limits and can actually stunt a child’s emotional growth. While helicopter parents really do have their child’s best interest at heart, they are creating young people who have difficulty making decisions, who get easily overwhelmed and who feel entitled to whatever they want. It’s not a great lifestyle for the parents either! Recent studies show that helicopter parents are often depressed and anxious.
Now that your child is heading off to college, you may realize that you have done more than you should have for him. You may even be worried that you have set him up to fail. You may think it’s too late to change your parenting style. But it isn’t! But just because he is out of the house doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to encourage his independence. Here are some tips on how you can assist in your child’s growth into a successful adult by allowing them to take control over their current and future circumstances.
Let them vent, but just for a while. When they call home complaining about a professor, class or roommate, listen to them grumble for a while, but then let them know that they need to take action now that they have gripped about it. Encourage them to problem-solve with you so they don’t feel abandoned, but focus on being a sounding board rather than being an oracle.
Let them make the final decision. It’s great if at this age your child still asks for your advice. But there will be times when they may be using your recommendations as a way to avoid making decisions themselves. Instead of telling them what to do, ask them questions to get them critically thinking through the pros and cons of their potential actions.
Let them make their own mistakes. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our children is to let them make their own mistakes. This can be really tough to watch! But allowing them to learn now in a less risky environment will prepare them for making wise decisions later in life. A failed exam is much easier to live with than most other adult problems they will face after college.
Let them live with the consequences. This is another toughie that all loving parents struggle with. But sometimes we have to let our children know that all of our actions (or non-actions) have natural consequences that we need to take into account. When my daughter was in middle school, I got in the practice of asking her, “And what did you learn from that” when a decision of hers backfired. I think it helped. Now in college she is able to seriously consider a course of action, weighing the possible benefits vs. the possible consequences, and decide what is best for her. This is one of the best things parents can do for their children.

Support them no matter how it turns out. Just because you are allowing them to grow up and make their own (sometimes questionable) choices doesn’t mean that you stop supporting them, even when they make mistakes. It’s important that they know that they always have you to be there for them, even when they do something “wrong.” It may take a while, but you and your child can find that middle ground between hovering and being totally hands-off.

The computer age has generated strong advancement for many field of work. Along with leading to a stronger global economy it has also started a sense of global academia. Online college courses have not only gained popularity over the past decade, but they have also increased in the subjects and degrees that are offered. Many brick and mortar universities now include an internet based component, whether this is a full four year or graduate level curriculum, or part of a campus based program.
While the benefit of flexibility is often seen as one of the major factors in considering online college degrees, a number of other aspects also make this path attractive to potential students. This style of learning cuts out the cost of campus living, while still opening the door to many established schools. There is no relocation that is involved, and no need to change employment while completing a degree. This has also helped to make university graduation a stronger possibility for a larger number of candidates.
Connecting With People
Perhaps the most attractive aspect of this route of study is truly resources. This includes not only texts and library articles but also the human component. While online colleges do give students a vast amount of knowledge at the tips of their fingers, these institutes also give individuals the chance to connect and grow with others from many walks of life. Interactions not only help to heighten the learning experience, but can also facilitate decision making in regards to life paths.
By enabling many more possible graduates to share with one another along the way, experiential learning processes promote greater knowledge retention and higher critical thinking skills. People are positively challenged to grow interpersonal skills and intrapersonal examination, and these are highly regarded traits for any line of employment. Further sets that become more practiced and refined include technological literacy, research abilities, and writing and communication clarity.

The choice of earning an online college degree is worth more than the eventual diploma. This classroom setting is geared towards modern trends in business and social relations. This prepares students for tasks that are required in any career.

Online college courses have the great benefit of giving students greater flexibility in achieving a higher learning degree. Many of the internet class rooms have a weekly schedule with expected deadlines for discussion posts, student responses, and research and writing assignment. While these times are an expectation of enrolling in the course, students are able to submit work early or right up to the time deadline in an effort to accommodate other scheduling responsibilities. One of the highly beneficial aspects of this set up is the fact that these expectations remain consistent over the length of studies.
Essentially, online college students will know within the first week of classes when all assignments are due for the remainder of the program. Study time, writing time, and research time can all be figured out in advance, and this often makes it much simpler to remain working or meet with family and household demands. Although this should guarantee a path to success, students will also need to self evaluate when establishing good academic habits.
Expecting The Unexpected
Time management is a key aspect when considering internet universities. Even the best planning can become disrupted through emergencies, technological glitches, and other unforeseen events. Scheduling in manner that has all life events planned down to the minute can actually be counterproductive to this mode of learning. A more practical approach can often include goal setting.
When students set goals for their course progression, they are considering not just the physical time that is involved in a task, but also reinforcing the experiences of making career and life milestones. It allows for adjustments along the way, but also cements the concept of moving forwards. It also asks that the potential graduate self-evaluate at intervals and this increases focus and drive.

Self-motivation is another key factor in attending online college. While there are academic expectations and deadlines, individuals are not in the same type of atmosphere where an instructor is continually reminding about due dates and upcoming assignments. This will not only allow students to work at their own pace, but will also require that they are cognizant of all classroom events, including maintenance. It may include the need to prioritize tasks, including downtime. Driven individuals will frequently make the most of this academic setting, but everyone can succeed with a little bit of forethought.