LASER-PULSE R4D Conference in Kampala

Photo of Yuehwern Yih presenting at R4D in Uganda

Yuehwern Yih presents at R4D

(l to 4) Maggie Linak (USAID), Meghan Armistead (CRS), Fred Rossi (University of Notre Dame), Steve Silliman (USAID), Ticora Jones (USAID), Brian Bingham (USAID), Arvind Raman (Purdue), Brent Wells (USAID), Betty Bugusu (LASER PULSE), Yuehwern Yih, Andrea Burniske (LASER PULSE)

R4D attendees

Prof. Yuehwern Yih, Academic Director of Long-Term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER) Partner University-Led Solutions Engine (PULSE), opened its first-ever R4D Conference with two sessions on academic leadership and research ethics for strengthening development research.

The conference was hosted by Purdue University, a prime partner of the LASER PULSE consortium, in Kampala, Uganda, from May 6-8, 2019.

LASER PULSE seeks to increase the participation of universities in research that contribute to improving development outcomes. Its core partners are Purdue University, Catholic Relief Services, Indiana University, Makerere University, and the University of Notre Dame. LASER PULSE's mission is to "enhance discovery and application of evidence-based solutions to development challenges."

This conference included selected researchers, donors, NGO implementers, donors, and government and private sector representatives. It emphasized innovations resulting from translated research in those areas, and focused primarily on addressing development challenges in the sectors of basic education, food security, maternal/child healthcare, and water in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

LASER PULSE is a five-year, $70 million USAID-funded global program for supporting the discovery and uptake of university-sourced, evidence-based solutions to development challenges.