Fix This

Welcome to season three of Fix This. Hear how Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers are innovating to solve some of today’s most pressing challenges to create a more sustainable and inclusive world. Subscribe to be the first to hear.

Join the Fix This team to reflect on another year of conversations with customers working to solve some of today’s largest challenges using Amazon Web Services (AWS).

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US government created the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide financial assistance to Americans in need. With small businesses struggling and families facing housing insecurity or homelessness, decision makers across the country needed a fast solution to streamline the distribution of these funds. To better understand the situation, the Fix This team checked in with Kelly Cimino, director of the Department of Housing and Community Development of Howard County, Maryland. Kelly shares how the county leveraged Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deploy a cloud-based portal that provides a single front door for citizens to access multiple assistance programs.

Founded in 1867, Howard University is committed to preparing diverse, talented, and ambitious students to learn and lead across industries. In May 2021, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a collaboration with Howard University to develop courses and a Master’s in Data Science & Analytics. Shortly after in, October 2021, Howard University and Amazon Studios announced the launch of the Howard Entertainment Program for the third consecutive year. To better understand how these initiatives are taking shape, the Fix This team sat down with Dr. Anthony K. Wutoh, provost and chief academic officer of Howard University, and Dr. John Anderson, dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture at Howard University.

In honor of November’s National Native American Heritage month in the United States, the Fix This team chatted with Lisa Minthorn, Sahaptian language technology specialist for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). Building on Amazon Web Services (AWS), CTUIR created the Umatilla Language Online Dictionary to preserve the Sahaptian language for generations to come. The language is currently registered as severely endangered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI) is collaborating with SilverLining and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to run the first full-production climate-model simulations in the cloud. Using cloud-based technology and hosting the resulting datasets in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Open Data Sponsorship Program will open a powerful new avenue to accelerate climate research and democratize access to tools and information that will help protect our planet. The Fix This team sat down with Kelly Wanser, executive director at SilverLining; Jean-Francois Lamarque, Climate & Global Dynamics Laboratory director at NCAR; and Chris Lennard, research staff and climatologist at the Climate System Analysis Group at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

From forgotten objects to illegally dumped waste, Swindon Borough Council (Swindon) in the United Kingdom noticed an uptick in city-wide litter. To understand how Swindon fast-tracks cleanup and engages with residents to report illegal waste, the Fix This team chatted with Sarah Talbot, emerging technologies lead for Swindon. Sarah explains how residents use the updated service powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help Swindon locate and prioritize litter removal. The solution uses artificial intelligence (AI) to estimate object sizes and streamline pickup.

The immediate impacts of climate change disproportionately affect socially vulnerable populations across the United States. The Environmental Justice of Urban Flood Risk and Green Infrastructure Solutions research project from the Urban Systems Lab at the New School explores solutions to this issue using flood risk mapping, analysis, and visualizations. The research project is supported by the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI) and through Amazon Web Services (AWS) promotional credit in addition to the Kresge Foundation’s CREWS initiative. To learn how proper planning can help protect at-risk neighborhoods, the Fix This team chatted with two team members from the Urban Systems Lab at the New School—Christopher Kennedy, assistant director, and Pablo Herreros Cantis, research fellow.

The Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building (AIB) is temporarily reopening to celebrate the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary with a special, 9-month exhibition. The FUTURES exhibit will feature the artificial intelligence (AI) and light sculpture by artist Suchi Reddy. The sculpture, me + you, was commissioned by Amazon Web Services (AWS). The Fix This team sat down with Suchi Reddy, artist, Rachel Goslins, director of the Smithsonian AIB, and Isolde Brielmaier, curator and cultural strategist. Visit the FUTURES exhibit in person from November 2021-July 2022 or experience the online version at www.meplusyoufuture.com.

The Fix This team sat down with Dr. Werner Vogels, Chief Technology Officer of Amazon and host of Now Go Build. 2021 marks the 15-year anniversary of Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this time, Dr. Vogels has traveled the world to meet with customers using AWS to solve hard, human problems. Tune in to hear Dr. Vogels discuss the customer stories that most inspire him, what they are creating, and what makes him optimistic for the future of entrepreneurs who are building with sustainability top of mind.