Talk Title: Building The Women’s P2P Network in Haïti
Tayana was born and raised in Haiti, where she showed an early commitment to service in her community, including involvement in reforestation and women literacy projects with the Youth Eucharistic Movement. Tayana opted for studies in Electronic Engineering at the State University of Haiti amid a population of less than 5% of women in engineering fields.
She was awarded a scholarship for a Master’s in Computer Science at Université de Nice Sophia- Antipolis (UNSA). After her specialized studies in Databases and Systems integration, Tayana completed her background with an advanced internship at LARIM (Laboratory of Networking and Mobile Computing) at Polytechnique Montréal in Canada.
Tayana is currently a professor in the Science Department of the State University and the director of the MBDS Master Program in Haiti, offered jointly with her former University in Nice. She also conducts applied research in rural ICT, mobile technologies, wireless infrastructure, communicating objects, RFID for education, health and tourism. Tayana is working with the women students participating in these programs to implement The Women’s Peer-to-Peer Network in Haiti, the first deployment of a global effort to connect the millions of women who are off-the-communications-grid for sustainable business, increased safety, and participation in local and global communities (www.womensp2p.org).
In 2001, she co-founded SOLUTIONS S.A., which has grown to be one of Haiti’s most innovative software development firms. In 2005, SOLUTIONS was nominated for the Star Quality Award by the “Business Initiative Directions” in Geneva and, in 2009, for the Country Pioneers of Prosperity Award for Haiti and the Caribbean. In 2010, Tayana received the International “Change Agent Award” from the Anita Borg Institute as recognition of her positive impact as a role model in her environment.
