The ninth annual Tech Museum Awards, which celebrate social entrepreneurs and innovation, were held on November 19 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.  Fifteen "Tech Laureates" were selected from the fields of environment, equality, economic development, health, and education; five won cash prizes of $50,000.

Former Vice President Al Gore gave the address at the gala that evening and was the recipient of the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award.  He spoke of the importance of combatting climate change, issuing a call for action to the crowd.

Karen Turner, Director of the Office of Development Partners at USAID  (and director of the office that manages the Global Development Commons initiative and this website) gave the keynote address at The Tech Awards Showcase that morning.  She highlighted the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in development.  But more importantly, she emphasized the need for social entrepreneurs to connect wtih networks and resources that can help them scale-up.

Indeed, this is one key feature of The Tech Awards.  The Tech Awards celebrates innovators and offers them an opportunity to network with other innovators, investors, and other resources.

Winners this year were:

Joseph Adelegan, Cows to Kilowatts (Nigeria): Slaughterhouse waste is a significant source of water pollution and greenhouse gases in most developing economies. The reactor used in the Cows to Kilowatts project decontaminates the waste stream from slaughterhouses and turns this organic waste into methane that can be used to generate electricity or as inexpensive cooking gas.
Web site: www.un.org/esa/sustdev/publications/africa_casestudies/kilowatts.pdf

Microsoft Education Award
Akshaya Patra Foundation (India): The Foundation, which includes Madhu Sridhar, left, provides a School Meals Program that uses innovative kitchen technology and food delivery systems to serve millions of poverty-stricken Indian children a nutritious daily meal.
Web site: www.akshayapatra.org

Nokia Health Award
PATH (India, Brazil, Colombia): The group, which includes Dipika Matthias, left, has created an inexpensive and nutrient-fortified additive to standard rice to make up for deficiencies common in poor regions. More than a billion people around the world suffer from dietary deficiencies in micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin A.
Web site: www.path.org/projects/ultra_rice.php

BD Biosciences Economic Development Award
Alternative Energy Development Corporation (South Africa): The corporation, represented by Rolf Papsdorf makes inexpensive zinc-air fuel cells for poor communities lacking access to grid power.
Web site: www.aedc.co.za

Katherine M. Swanson Equality Award
World of Good Development Organization (Emeryville): The nonprofit, represented by Audrey Seagraves, far left, and Ella Silverman, teaches basic business principles to poor women who do at-home work, such as stitching money pouches, to ensure they earn an above-poverty-line salary. It created the Fair Trade Calculator software, which provides localized pricing evaluation of handmade goods to improve the wages of "informal" workers.
Web site: www.fairtrade
calculator.com/index.php