Upcoming Opportunity: Grand Research Challenges for Development Entry #1326 17 Dec 2020 1:27 am Jeffrey A Goecker 4 comments In January 2021, LASER PULSE will issue a Request for Applications (RFA) entitled “Grand Research Challenges for Development” (GRCD) to fund research awards for collaboration between USAID activity (project) implementers and Higher Education Institution researchers in USAID interest...
Impact Evaluation of Psychosocial Support in South Sudan Entry #1325 17 Dec 2020 1:18 am Jeffrey A Goecker 1 comments Psychosocial Support (PSS) interventions have a significant positive impact on students’ well-being and academic performance in areas of conflict and crisis. Results from a LASER PULSE-funded evaluation on Psychosocial Support in South Sudan show enhanced student reading scores and social...
Colombia, Vietnam and Ethiopia Awards Update Entry #1324 17 Dec 2020 1:13 am Jeffrey A Goecker 1 comments Colombia The Colombia RFA was announced February 7, 2020 in the sector areas of: Youth Venezuela migration response Integrated Rural Development The Colombia award process is continuing to refine selected proposals, review budget requests and obtain necessary...
New Online Trainings Available Entry #1191 24 Sep 2020 7:39 am Jeffrey A Goecker 5 comments LASER PULSE would like to make you aware of new online training modules available to network members. These trainings address critical issues in research translation and your participation in them could facilitate enhanced translation of research into practice in your work. You’ll find...
Private Sector Engagement Evidence Gap Map Entry #1190 24 Sep 2020 7:32 am Jeffrey A Goecker 3 comments Researchers and practitioners at Notre Dame, Purdue, and Catholic Relief Services are collaborating with USAID to implement the Agency’s private sector engagement (PSE) evidence and learning plan to enable USAID Missions and Bureaus to incorporate PSE good practices in the future. The...
Ethiopian Practitioner KIIs Entry #1189 24 Sep 2020 7:24 am Jeffrey A Goecker 7 comments The LASER PULSE consortium conducted key informant interviews with eight Ethiopian practitioners virtually in June and July 2020. Representatives from Catholic Relief Services and The University of Notre Dame were unable to visit Ethiopia due to the pandemic, and instead conducted the interviews...
The Voices of the Indigenous Peoples of Uganda: A Buy-In Opportunity from USAID Entry #1188 24 Sep 2020 6:58 am Jeffrey A Goecker 3 comments The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Uganda is partnering with USAID/LAB/Centre for Development Research (CDR) to leverage the expertise of Ugandan universities and researchers to undertake development research that will inform subsequent interventions by USAID/Uganda...
Program Director's Message Entry #1187 24 Sep 2020 6:53 am Jeffrey A Goecker 31 comments Dear LASER Network Members, There are now more than 1,952 of you, from 54 countries. We thank you for joining our network. Our vision for this virtual space is to provide a community where you can meet up professionally and learn. A kind of mix between Research Gate and Match.com, where you can...
June 2020 Update Entry #1050 25 Jun 2020 2:13 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 0 comments Dear LASER PULSE Network Colleagues, We at LASER, like probably all of you, have been working remotely since mid-March. Perhaps for the first time in history, all around the world we have been responding to protect ourselves from a pandemic at the same time and in mostly the same ways. The...
Updates on R4D Workshops in Vietnam and Ethiopia Entry #1049 25 Jun 2020 2:10 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 6 comments Earlier this year, the COVID-19 crisis caused the postponement of LASER R4D Workshops in Hanoi, Vietnam and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Indiana University, the lead consortium partner for these events, has been working closely with the LASER team, regional partners, and USAID to...
New Templates available for Research Translation Entry #1048 25 Jun 2020 2:07 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 2 comments The LASER PULSE Research Translation team is excited to present templates and tools now available to Network Members. These resources are intended to directly support research translation projects by addressing critical areas in knowledge, understanding, and implementation. View the tools below...
Research and Research Translation Capacity in sub-Saharan Africa Higher Education Institutions Entry #1047 25 Jun 2020 2:05 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 9 comments As one of its core activities, the Long-term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER) – Partner University-Led Solutions Engine (PULSE) initiative conducted a research capacity assessment in partner Universities/Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The assessment targeted low...
Observing research translation in action through a virtual workshop: An example from Northern Iraq Entry #1046 25 Jun 2020 2:00 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 0 comments On May 20, 2020 Juan Posada-Burbano facilitated a research translation strategy workshop to establish a shared understanding of the knowledge gaps addressed early on in the research project. The discussion at the end of the workshop focused on how to identify practitioner stakeholders,...
LASER-CGDV Colombia Hackathon Results Entry #953 13 Apr 2020 1:20 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 2 comments LASER PULSE, in collaboration with QED, Data Elevates, Tableau, and the USAID Mission in Colombia, is pleased to announce the winners of our data visualization hackathon. The past few months have shown us the added importance of data analysis and data visualization in international...
Teaming Science Entry #920 12 Mar 2020 2:05 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 2 comments L. Michelle Bennett, Ph.D., did her postdoctoral fellowship in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) IRP, where she was part of the team that characterized and localized the human BRCA1 gene to the long arm of chromosome 17. She became passionate about understanding the...
Featured Members From Our Network Entry #918 10 Mar 2020 5:25 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 1 comments Below are three members we thought you might want to connect with. You can find all our members by searching by sector or location on the LASER PULSE network page. Kipkoech, Carolyne Member Preferred...
Learning about barriers and opportunities to practitioner-researcher collaborations in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi (Vietnam) Entry #916 10 Mar 2020 2:28 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 0 comments Image- Hanoi, Vietnam: Air Pollution is one of the topic areas of the Vietnam R4D Conference. Alexandra Towns (CRS) The LASER PULSE consortium met with researchers and practitioners in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in December to discuss their experiences with research collaborations and...
LASER-CGDV Colombia Hackathon Entry #915 10 Mar 2020 2:16 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 19 comments LASER PULSE is conducting a data visualization hackathon in collaboration with the Center for Global Data Visualization (an initiative of QED), the USAID Mission in Colombia, Data Elevates, and Tableau. More than 220 students from at least 9 universities (including Purdue, Notre Dame, and 5...
Ethiopia Conference on Research for Development Entry #914 10 Mar 2020 2:14 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 1 comments A LASER PULSE Research for Development (R4D) Conference is planned to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May 2020. The conference will focus on (1) Youth Development, and (2) Resilience, with a theme "Partnerships for Research and Field Practice on Development Solutions." The...
Vietnam Conference on Research for Development Entry #913 10 Mar 2020 2:12 pm Jeffrey A Goecker 0 comments LASER PULSE has unfortunately had to postpone its February 18-20, 2020 Research for Development (R4D) Conference in Vietnam due to concerns with the coronavirus outbreak. Encouraged by our strong partnerships in and interest from Vietnam, we will reschedule this event targeting the Fall of 2020....
